Last week, Mastodon co-founder Brent Hinds was killed in an unfortunate motorcycle accident. Since then, tributes to the 51-year-old guitarist have been pouring in from friends, former bandmates, and fellow musicians.
On Saturday, Lamb of God frontman Randy Blythe took to Instagram to honor Hinds. In a lengthy statement, Blythe reflected on his friendship with Hinds and detailed the moment he found out about his death.
“In many ways, Brent was like a hurricane — a wild and uncontrollable force well known for wreaking havoc wherever he touched down,” Blythe wrote. “Like a hurricane, Brent could be destructive at times. But also just like a hurricane, he produced rare things of pure beauty; these massive, gorgeous, waves of sound that provided people so much joy.
“Anyone who ever met him has a Brent story, because he was uncompromisingly himself, with a take it or leave it attitude. I knew and traveled the world with him on tour for over 20 years, and I did some pretty insane things with him in the early days. I have countless Brent stories- but none of those are really important now, though.”
He continued: “A few hours after I heard he had died, I went back into the ocean. […] In my head as I paddled out was ‘Floods of Triton’, the song my band did with Mastodon. One line in particular, ‘А hurricane’s ghost…’, kept echoing in my mind. To my knowledge, the solo for that song was the last thing Brent recorded with Mastodon. […]”
In March 2025, Hinds announced his departure from Mastodon. Shortly before his death, the guitarist had taken a few jabs at his former bandmates on social media. However, Blythe makes it clear in his tribute that despite the recent drama between Hinds and Mastodon, he is very much missed by them all.
“So I have been sad in an oddly numb sort of way for the last few days— someone I spent so much time with is gone, and as so often happens when a friend dies, I don’t really understand that yet,” Blythe said. “But my sadness grows much sharper when I think of Brent’s family, his other friends I know, and of my brothers in Mastodon. This is a truly terrible situation for everyone involved, something that NO ONE wanted to happen— that is the bottom line. It’s not a soap opera, ok? Remember that.”
Blythe concluded his heartfelt post with a final farewell to his friend: “Rest in peace, Brent- you were a TRUE rock n’ roll wild man. Thanks for the tunes, the crazy times, & the many, many laughs. You will be missed.”
