Brent Hinds left Mastodon in March 2025.

The band announced on social media around March 6-8 that they and co-founding guitarist Brent Hinds had "mutually decided to part ways" after 25 years together, since forming in 2000. No reasons were given at the time, but they confirmed all 2025 tours would continue unchanged.

Official Announcement

Mastodon shared:

"Dear Friends and Fans, After 25 incredible years together, Mastodon and Brent Hinds mutually agreed to part ways. We are immensely proud of and deeply thankful for the music and legacy we've created together..."

This came as a shock to fans, given Hinds' role in hits like Crack the Skye.

Fan Reactions Online

Forums lit up immediately:

  • Reddit's r/progmetal had jokes like "Change the name to Elephant" (72 upvotes).
  • TheMosh.net comments mixed memes, grief ("it’s crazy and sucks"), and speculation.
  • Some wrongly thought he'd passed away early on.

Later Developments

By August 2025, Hinds clarified it wasn't mutual —"They kicked me out"—after band drama hints like his "wouldn’t miss being in a band horrible humans" post. Tragically, Brent Hinds died at 51 later that month.

Timeline| Key Event
---|---
2000| Hinds co-founds Mastodon 5
March 6-8, 2025| Departure announced 12
June 2025| Hints of tension emerge 7
Aug 13, 2025| Hinds: "Kicked out" 7
Aug 21, 2025| Hinds passes away 8

TL;DR: Official split announced March 2025; Hinds later said he was fired.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.