Influential, Grammy-winning Atlanta alt/prog metal behemoth Mastodon have just announced their new album, Brown Deepthe follow-up to their acclaimed 2021 double album Hushed and Grim. The long-awaited album is the band’s first since the departure and untimely passing of lead guitarist/vocalist Brent Hinds in 2025. Brown Deep arrives August 28th on Loma Vista Recordings. The album is available for pre-order and pre-save here.
The album, said to be inspired by the Three Fates of Greek mythology, finds the band addressing themes of loss, destiny, and transformation. Like the previous single, June’s “Your Ghost Again,” “Snakes For Dinner” makes it clear the loss of Hinds weighs heavily on the band. Last week’s mini-doc, “The Mastodon in the Room,” shows that, nearly a year out from Hind’s death, the band is still working through their complicated feelings about their 25 years with the fiery guitarist.
Bassist/vocalist Troy Sanders (Killer Be Killed, Gone Is Gone) put out the following statement about working on Deep Marrow:
Bill [Kelliher]Brann [Dailor]and myself are thrilled that we still have the opportunity to do this, and we’ve got other members who are just over the moon to be in the band with us. That’s a magical feeling that makes us keep wanting to go to band practice. It’s reminiscent of the very beginning of our band, where all members are hungry, we’re united, and excited to get to work. And we’re thrilled to have the opportunity to make this record.
Most likely, the “other members” Sanders refers to are their new lead guitarist Nick Johnston and keyboardist João Nogueira. Johnston previously served as the band’s touring guitarist following Hinds’s departure, and Nogueira has played with the band onstage and in sessions since 2021. With Deep MarrowJohnston and Nogueira have become full-time official members of the band.
Johnston, an avowed Mastodon fan prior to joining the band, has professed his love for Blood Mountain and The Hunter; both prove fitting points of comparison for the new track. The opening drums recall “The Wolf Is Loose” off Blood Mountain, while the crisp production and fluid time signature shifts would sound right at home on Hunter. Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme’s haunting finale can’t help but evoke his guest spot on the Blood Mountain single “Colony Of Birchmen,” the first Mastodon track to net a Grammy nomination.
When you left you took the moon and stars / Buried them deep beneath the ocean / When you left you took our hearts and minds / All that I could find among the grime were memories
At the same time, Nogueira’s psychedelic solo recalls the prog rock leanings of Hushed & Grim. Perhaps most notably, this track features the first proper solo from Johnston since becoming a full-fledged member of The ‘Don. Quick, tasteful, and knotty without being jazzy, Johnston’s solo works in service of the song first and foremost. Hopefully Johnston will have plenty more opportunities to showcase his eclectic style across the new album’s twelve tracks.
Brown Deep is produced by the band alongside Grammy nominee Patrick Berger (Robyn, Lana Del Rey, Royal Blood) and Converge’s Kurt Ballou (High On Fire, Cave In, The Dillinger Escape Plan) and mixed by Andrew Scheps (Adele, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jay-Z, Metallica). The album was recorded at West End Sound inAtlanta. The album’s artwork is handled by longtime collaborator Paul Romano.
Brown Deep track list:
01. Barbarian’s Blood
02. Poisonous Weapons
03. Your Ghost Again
04. Snakes For Dinner
05. Out Like A Lamb
06. In The Ruins
07. They’re Coming For You
08. Golden Spiers
09. Moth And Bone
10. A Vampire’s Demeanor
11. The Vanishing
12. The Three Fates
Starting in September, fans can see Mastodon headlining the evocatively titled Poison Weapons Tour. The 27-date North American tour will feature support from French blackgaze/post-black metal pioneers Alcest and bay area blackgaze titans Deafheaven. Following the tour’s final show in Atlanta, Mastodon will head over to Texas for the Fort Worth edition of Sick New World. Tickets to both are on sale now.
Check out all the tour dates and the Holy Mountain-inspired music video for “Snakes For Dinner” below.
2021’s Hushed and Grim is available everywhere on Reprise Records.
The Poisonous Weapons Tour
09/16 Orlando, FL @ Hard Rock
09/18 Asheville, NC @ Asheville Yards
09/19 Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
09/20 Louisville, KY @ Louder than Life
09/22 Philadelphia, PA @ Franklin Music Hall
09/23 Boston, MA @ House of Blues
09/24 Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Paramount
09/25 Washington, DC @ Anthem
09/27 Montreal, QC @ MTelus
09/28 Toronto, ON @ Rebel
09/29 Buffalo, NY @ Buffalo Riverworks
10/01 Detroit, MI @ Fillmore
10/02 Chicago, IL @ The Riviera
10/03 Minneapolis, MN @ Palace
10/06 Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex
10/07 Boise, ID @ Revolution
10/09 Oakland, CA @ The Fox
10/10 Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium
10/11 San Diego, CA @ The Sound
10/14 Denver, CO @ Fillmore
10/16 Des Moines, IA @ Val Air Ballroom
10/17 St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant
10/18 Memphis, TN @ Satellite Music Hall
10/20 Cleveland, OH @ Agora
10/21 Greensboro, NC @ Piedmont Hall
10/22 Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern
Sick New World
10/24 Dallas, TX @ Texas Motor Speedway
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