German symphonic metal band XANDRIA presents the second single from their upcoming album. ‘Colours‘ is another highlight in their 30-year-spanning career. Throughout the song, a large classical choir takes center stage, while cinematic orchestral arrangements collide with modern metal riffing. Meanwhile, singer Ambre Vourvahis showcases her impressive vocal range, switching between multiple styles as effortlessly […]
The progressive metal community is rallying around Atlanta titans Mastodon in the wake of one their most emotionally devastating chapter yet. The Grammy-winning progressive sludge metal luminaries have officially broken their silence, surprise-releasing a haunting new single titled “Your Ghost Again”. The track marks a massive, bittersweet milestone for the band, serving as their absolute first piece of new music since the highly publicized departure and subsequent tragic death of founding guitarist and vocalist Brent Hinds last year.
Released globally today, June 2, the devastating single directly confronts the heavy, lingering presence of their fallen brother, setting the stage for what promises to be the most emotionally charged album cycle of the band’s 26-year career.
Inside the Devastating Inspiration Behind “Your Ghost Again”
To capture the raw, crushing atmosphere of the track, Mastodon brought in an unexpected, powerhouse production duo: pop mastermind Patrik Berger (Taylor Swift, Robyn) alongside Converge guitar icon and hardcore veteran Kurt Ballou. Together, they engineered a wall of sound explicitly designed to honor Hinds’ massive musical legacy.
The band members have made it clear that the standalone single is a direct, unfiltered tribute to Hinds. Drummer and vocalist Brann Dailor opened up about the eerie, heartbreaking experience of stepping back into the recording studio without their longtime co-writer: “’Your Ghost Again’ is about being in those familiar places you used to be with people, which for us is in the studio. I just kept seeing [Hinds] out of the corner of my eye, where he would normally be with his guitar. It’s about that: your mind plays tricks on you, especially so soon after someone dies and you’re in the places where they always were. You just see them.”
Bassist and vocalist Troy Sanders backed that sentiment completely, revealing that his lyrical contributions—specifically the song’s bridge—act as a direct message of pure gratitude toward Hinds’ irreplaceable impact on their lives. Meanwhile, guitarist Bill Kelliher emphasized that the band deliberately chose a single that sounds unmistakably like classic, punishing Mastodon to establish a definitive first impression for this new era.
The Secret 9th Album is Finished After a Year of Severe Turmoil
“Your Ghost Again” serves as the first new material from the group that we’ve heard since their 2024 collaboration with Lamb of God, “Floods Of Triton”. Industry insiders confirm the new single anchors Mastodon’s highly anticipated, as-yet-unannounced ninth studio album, which is now officially completed.
The road to finishing the record was an absolute gauntlet of personal tragedy. Dailor recently confessed that the upcoming LP was an incredibly “hard record to make,” given the sheer volume of grief the band was carrying in the studio:
February 2025: Brann Dailor’s mother tragically passes away.
March 2025: Founding guitarist Brent Hinds splits from the band after 25 years.
August 2025: Brent Hinds dies following a fatal motor vehicle accident.
June 2026: The tribute single “Your Ghost Again” is officially released to global audiences.
“It was a very emotional time for us,” Dailor reflected on the tracking process. “I lost my mum, we went through all this turmoil with Brent, and then he passed away. It’s been tough. It’s all in the music, it’s all in the songs, and I’m excited to release it and get it out there into the world because we’ve been sitting on it for a while.”
While the metal world is still reeling from his passing, the history leading up to Hinds’ death remains incredibly complex. Hinds officially split from Mastodon in March after a 25-year run. Though the band initially released a sanitized statement calling the split a mutual decision, Hinds quickly took to Instagram to launch a series of less-than-amicable broadsides, calling Mastodon a “shit band with horrible humans” and publicly criticizing Dailor and Kelliher’s live playing.
Tragedy struck just months later on August 20, when Hinds was killed at age 51 after his Harley-Davidson collided with an SUV in Atlanta.
Despite the bitter nature of the initial breakup, the band immediately wiped the slate clean to honor their brotherhood. During an emotional tribute on stage in Alaska just days after the crash, Dailor delivered a powerful statement that serves as the definitive final word on their relationship: “We loved him so, so, so very much. And we had the ups and downs of a 25-year relationship. You know what I mean? It’s not always perfect, it’s not always amazing, but we were brothers to the end. And we really loved each other and we made a lot, a lot of very beautiful music together.”
Moving forward, Mastodon has been utilizing powerhouse guitarist Nick Johnson to handle live duties, with Kelliher hinting that Johnson was fully involved in the writing and tracking sessions for the finished album. The band is currently touring Europe and is locked in to take the stage at the legendary Download Festival in Donington, UK, on June 14.
How did former Mastodon guitarist Brent Hinds die? Brent Hinds tragically passed away at the age of 51 on August 20, following a fatal motor vehicle accident in Atlanta where his Harley-Davidson motorcycle collided with an SUV.
Who is playing guitar for Mastodon on the new single and upcoming tour? Guitarist Nick Johnson has been handling live guitar duties since Hinds’ departure from the band. Guitarist Bill Kelliher has also strongly indicated that Johnson was involved in the actual studio writing and recording sessions for the upcoming ninth album.
When will Mastodon’s new album be released? While the ninth studio album is officially completed and features the new single “Your Ghost Again,” the band has not yet announced a formal title or release date.
STAY LOUD: How do you think Kurt Ballou and Patrik Berger’s production styles will alter Mastodon’s progressive sludge sound on the upcoming record? Drop your review of the “Your Ghost Again” single in the comments section below, and subscribe to the Loaded Radio Daily Podcast for the latest breaking metal updates!
TL;DR:
Mastodon has surprise-released “Your Ghost Again,” a powerful new single dedicated to founding guitarist Brent Hinds, who split from the band and tragically died in a motorcycle accident last year. The track was produced by Patrik Berger and Kurt Ballou, anchoring a newly completed ninth studio album written during a period of intense personal grief for the band.
The folk icon with prog tendencies on how he persuaded his label to release a song that started out too dark – and the downside of hitting the US Top 10
Lakeview are back with a fresh Summer anthem, and it is already stuck in your head, we can guarantee that.
Titled ‘Wreck My Night’, it’s the sort of song that tells a story that is so familiar. The sort of encounter that completely derails the direction of where your evening, or even your whole life, is heading, but you aren’t that mad about it. Set against the sort of smoky, shimmering instrumental that crosses borders and boundaries effortlessly, it is going to be making its way onto your stereo plenty of times over the course of the Summer months. It just has that feel to it.
Have a listen for yourself:
It follows on from ‘Matches’ which was released earlier this year, and sounds a lot like this:
The band are set to have a European Summer, with some festival appearances and headline shows along the way.
Here are all the dates:
JUNE
5 – OSLO John Dee 6 – GOTHENBURG Sweden Rock Festival 8 – DUBLIN Grand Social 9 – BELFAST The Limelight 2 11 – GLASGOW King Tut’s 12 – DONINGTON Download Festival 13 – LONDON 229 14 – BRISTOL Exchange 16 – ZURICH Exil Club 17 – COLOGNE Club Volta 18 – DESSEL Graspop 20 – NATZ Alpen Flair Festival 21 – MUNICH Ampere
