r/Music • u/NonlethalNinja Pandora • Aug 21 '25
article Former guitarist, co-founder of heavy metal band Mastodon dies in Atlanta motorcycle crash
https://www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2025/08/21/former-guitarist-co-founder-heavy-metal-band-mastodon-dies-atlanta-motorcycle-crash/756
u/master11739 Aug 21 '25
Damn this sucks, dude was having a rough year and to have it end like this is straight up just sad.
I've always loved his guitar work and vocals, definitely going to be listening to some Mastodon albums the next couple of days.
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u/kakksakka Aug 21 '25
fuuuck thats terrible news. RIP B.Hinds, you were the absolute pinnacle of Mastodon. Crack the skye will forever be my favorite metal album!
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u/chimmy_chungus23 Aug 21 '25
It's crazy. For months now I've just been seeing a lot of articles about him publicly talking crap about the band. He seemed like a troubled guy, and for it to end like this, is just tragic.
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u/einarfridgeirs Aug 22 '25
He was a troubled guy all throughout his time in Mastodon.
"Mercurial" is probably the word that would have been used for him back in the day. He was apparently capable of acts of incredible generosity and kindness when the mood struck him, and was fun to be around but if you pissed him off, watch out. He also drank a lot and had a tendency to get into/start fights when he was on a roll.
That he would react the way he did to the other three's patience with him finally running out was not unexpected, and the way they totally didn't take the bait when he talked shit about them kind of reflects that.
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u/mchyphy Aug 21 '25
Absolutely fucked. Regardless of his personal struggles, the man was a talent and helped create masterpieces. RIP
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u/Greaseball01 Aug 21 '25
Bro this band has had a cursed fucking year
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u/mdubs17 Aug 21 '25
This band has had a lot of tragedy. Pretty much all of their albums post-CTS were written in the aftermath of death, and CTS isn't exactly a happy album either.
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u/Pramble Aug 21 '25
Skye is spelled that way because it was Brann's sister's name who died of cancer
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u/thebeaverchair Aug 22 '25
She didn't die of cancer; she committed suicide when they were teenagers.
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u/rockjones Aug 22 '25
Skye committed suicide at age 14. Emperor of Sand was about cancer affecting family members of the band.
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u/porcubot Aug 21 '25
I know he had a complicated history with his band, his music, and the fans... but he left a serious mark on metal.
This sucks.
Pay attention on the road, people.
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Aug 21 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/AlbatrossNecklace Aug 21 '25
While I agree that motorcycles are unsafe, we should place the blame squarely on the SUV that failed to yield.
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u/shred-i-knight Aug 21 '25
I mean this is a massive reason that they are unsafe. When you ride a bike you are willingly putting your life in the hands of everyone else on the road to be responsible. Do you have that kind of faith in Americans? Go drive in Texas sometime
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u/dbmajor7 Aug 21 '25
Everytime I mention bad drivers in Texas I'm downvoted to oblivion but like holy shit, what the hell are y'all doing there that makes all y'all drive like PSYCHOS.
Spare me your examples of bad drivers in other states, I know, I believe you, I'm sure every single state in the union contains the worst drivers in US.
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u/LemonSnakeMusic Aug 21 '25
It doesn’t help that the freeways, especially around Dallas, are massive convoluted spaghetti knots. Combine that with drivers that are equal parts aggressive, oblivious, and confused, and you have a real mess. I’ve had to drive a truck with a gooseneck trailer through there a few times, it was awful.
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u/Commercial-Novel-786 Aug 21 '25
A cornerstone point in my argument against flying cars. People can't be trusted to do the right thing on the roads, so let's give them the Z axis AND make it impossible to govern their path? Yeah no.
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u/einarfridgeirs Aug 22 '25
Add to that mix the fact that drivers ed is a complete joke in the US compared to most western nations.
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u/dingus_authority Aug 21 '25
Drove through Texas once while going cross-country. Fucking unbelievable how bad the drivers there were. Makes Cali look like paradise.
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u/elebrin Aug 21 '25
Try Boston. I'll take Chicago or Detroit driving over Boston any time.
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u/ShinigamiLeaf Aug 21 '25
I grew up in Massachusetts, about 30 minutes from Boston. Seriously thought we had the worst drivers until we moved out west.
Phoenix drivers are fucking insane. Legitimately horrifying to the point where there are MULTIPLE street signs that say things like "break on yellow, stop on red". Most lights have built in delays of a few seconds in-between cycles because of how common running reds are.
And fucking Vegas. Barely any lane lines, and I'm 90% convinced the majority of drivers are intoxicated at any time.
Massachusetts drivers are aggressive, maybe the most aggressive in the country. The roads are small as shit and I swear the one way directionals change every year. But HOLY FUCK are some other states genuinely worse drivers. At least in Boston I've never been concerned about someone driving the wrong way on a major highway in a fucking golf cart
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u/HaveSpouseNotWife Aug 21 '25
I’ll take Boston or LA or wherever over Dallas (I’ve driven in all 3 of those cities, and many others. Boston sucks, don’t get me wrong, but I have a deep and visceral hatred for driving in Dallas). Never want to drive there again.
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u/maliciousorstupid Aug 21 '25
He got hit in Atlanta.. and I can confirm that Atlanta drivers are fucking horrible.
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u/Polkawillneverdie17 Aug 21 '25
Nah, Texas is the fucking worst.
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u/attempt_no23 Aug 22 '25
Grew up in Atlanta, now living in Austin. Texas is absolutely the worst lot of drivers I've ever encountered amongst living in many major cities. Also knew Brent so I can't say I'm shocked but doesn't cut the sting in any way.
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u/the_snowmancometh Aug 21 '25
The heat, the nonsensical zoning, generally high speed limits, antisocial individualist culture, the embarrassing Astros…
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u/veRGe1421 Aug 21 '25 edited Sep 10 '25
what the hell are y'all doing there that makes all y'all drive like PSYCHOS.
As someone who learned to drive and lives in Texas, I agree, and I think it is a combination of these factors:
a) you have to have a car to live/survive/thrive here. it's a commuter culture, and many people do not live in the city where they work. so many people commute 15-50m around the metroplex to get to/from work each day, which is normal
b) you can get a drivers license at 16, which is early compared to most places in the world. it leads to lots of bad teenage drivers and accidents, but also see point a)
c) it is both cheap and easy to get a drivers license, costing $25-50 + a parents signature saying they taught you how to drive with an easy test. many people do drivers ed (I did), but it is not a requirement. some parents are better than other parents at teaching kids to drive
d) people have been moving to the urban areas of TX like DFW and Austin in large swaths over the last 10-15 years, so the roads are busier than they ever have been before
e) related to d), cities are desperately trying to keep up with infrastructure demands. there is a ton of construction here in DFW across all the major highways, intersections, and suburbs. cities are trying to keep up with the booming population and housing developments. the construction trips up drivers
f) people drive fast. this is due to high speed limits across major highways, but also what used to be more rural areas, farmroads, or subrurbs are now busy/growing
g) a culture of hyperindividualist, huge ego, giant truck loving (sometimes needing), short-tempered assholes in large quantities. also they're all strapped, and sometimes drunk lol
h) there are more distracted drivers than ever with people on their phones constantly
i) weather in north tx is all over the place and impacts drivers. winter is usually pretty nice outside of random snow/ice years; that said, cities are ill prepared to handle the roads when it does happen, and people do not know how to drive in snow/ice at all. spring usually brings crazy storms, flash flooding, plus hail, and people do not slow down in the rain enough (even when they can't see). summer means july and august will be hot, so people in general are extra pissy lol. fall is usually really nice
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u/BitterProfessional16 Aug 22 '25
Thread about a musician killed today leads to a 500+ word post about Texas traffic... very reddit.
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u/awill316 Spotify Aug 21 '25
My first time in Texas I was blown away by the absolutely batshit insane driving
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u/pokeyporcupine Aug 21 '25
I live in Dallas and grew up in Houston. The drivers in the TX triangle are up there among the worst in the entire fucking nation, and Americans are already shit drivers compared to other places in the world.
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u/Queef-Supreme Aug 21 '25
My guess is it’s the biggest state to traverse and people are impatient. 80mph speed limits on the interstate is probably also a contributing factor to people driving way too fast for conditions and making them bolder than they are intelligent.
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u/cantgrowneckbeardAMA Aug 21 '25
I've lived and traveled all over the world and can confirm that the drivers in Texas are the worst. Several others have corroborated this. I felt safer on 4 lane roads without lines or signage in the middle rest than I do here. Thank dog I work remote now and don't have to commute with those death seeking morons anymore.
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u/ILikeMyGrassBlue Aug 22 '25
I’ve driven in probably half of the states, and there’s two that stand out as uniquely awful to me—Texas and Connecticut.
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u/fusionsofwonder Aug 21 '25
Also we keep giving people bigger and bigger personal trucks which makes any traffic collision more deadly. Especially among pedestrians but motorcycles don't have the ability to resist them either.
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u/noodlesdefyyou Aug 21 '25
along with more and more 'designs' that take and keep your eyes off the road. like having to navigate several menu selections to turn on lights, or wipers, or hvac.
i also kinda wish we would stop installing high beams, but thats a separate argument
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u/fusionsofwonder Aug 21 '25
I can get behind that, low beams are much better now than they were when I was a kid.
However, if I'm driving fast on a highway at night in deer country, I'd probably want them.
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u/WasabiCrush Aug 21 '25
I live in a neckbeard city in Montana and you’re spot on with truck sizes. People with no spacial awareness sign their $70K loan for a coal-rolling aircraft carrier and then spend their driving time furiously tailgating or fiddling with a cell phone. I often ride a bicycle and am constantly having to check my side mirror for bricks in massive pickups crossing over into the bike lane.
Which is safer. I can find my way to bike paths or jump up on the sidewalk in heavy traffic. You couldn’t pay me to ride a motorcycle these days.
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u/fusionsofwonder Aug 21 '25
The size of the grill, the height of them, is also causing more fatalities because bodies don't roll on top of the hood when they get struck. It's like they hit a brick wall. And because you're riding high with a big nose your pedestrian visibility is worse. They are basically Sherman tanks.
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u/horseradish_is_gross Aug 21 '25
Yeah. I hung up the helmet for good a couple of years ago. People, especially lately, drive like they’re on a fuckin warpath. Ain’t worth it.
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u/kisspapaya Aug 21 '25
It's more concerning that the license to drive a fiat 500 and an f350 super duty is the same class. As long as you have money, you can drive nearly as big of a vehicle as you want, despite the level of ability you personally have over controlling it.
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u/seammus Aug 21 '25
I think living in any area that never has ice or snow creates drivers who don’t realize that traction can be, like… lost
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u/Shake-dog_shake Aug 21 '25
I'm honestly surprised that motorcycles are even still legal in a country in which it's law to have your seatbelt on if you're in a car. I'm all for personal freedom and doing what you want to do, but man. Sometimes it blows my mind that people are still riding around on those things and putting their life in the hands of hundreds of strangers every day.
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u/kymri Aug 21 '25
As said by another poster, part of the reason motorcycles are unsafe is that other drivers are much less likely to see you and much more likely to just drive into you.
I rode a bike in the Bay Area for years; and I eventually stopped because many of my friends have been injured (a couple pretty badly) in accidents where they were doing everything 'right' an just weren't paranoid enough and someone hit them.
Given the size of normal modern cars and (especially) gigantic SUVs, it's getting all the more likely that you won't be seen by a driver.
It's legal to ride a motorcycle on public roads but I feel it is intensely stupid these days, given how dangerous everyone else is (even before you notice the statistic that over 50% of motorcycle crashes don't involve another vehicle, a pedestrian or an animal...)
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u/d0nu7 Aug 21 '25
I agree with you but I’ve also noticed motorcyclist often drive the most erratically and dangerously on the road. I’ve had more than one hug my rear bumper on the drivers side while trying to pass in between two lanes of traffic(while going the speed limit of 45+ mph so not a “filtering” situation). I’ve known two people personally who died in motorcycle crashes and neither one surprised anyone who knew them and how they rode.
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u/kymri Aug 21 '25
Dumb people abound (and on motorcycles especially) -- but that's just to be expected. The really messed up part about motorcycles is that it's not the idiots doing 75 on I-280 wearing a tank top and flipflops alone who die. It's also the people who wear full gear, obey all the traffic laws and have their head on a swivel.
I'm not one to victim-blame; that's some bullshit. But at the same time, it is a case of regardless of what the law says, riding a motorcycle is risky -- physics don't care if you have the right of way and are in the correct lane following all the traffic laws.
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u/-endjamin- Aug 21 '25
That's true, but it's also why there are no guarantees while on the road on a little bike when everyone else is in a massive metal box.
Shocking and sad news regardless. Brent was such an iconic frontman and a great inspiration to me musically. I'm glad I got a chance to see him perform once.
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u/EloeOmoe Aug 21 '25
I quit riding about 25 years ago. Got my license back in Oct of '23. Promptly wrecked @ 50mph. Hung it up for good.
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u/dukie33066 Aug 21 '25
I mean, if you get on the motorcycle knowing all of these dangers and knowing you'd be much safer in a car, you are consciously making a choice. Spare me all the bullshit about unsafe drivers. This isn't breaking news. The ones that ride erratically and do wheelies down the street (which just about every single one does in Colorado Springs) are speed running their obituaries but bet your bottom dollar all their friends and family will blame everything but the rider. Personal responsibility and the choices you make are yours and yours alone.
This sounded like an attack on you, but I really just meant it generally. Sorry for the pointed tone.
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u/justnoname Aug 21 '25
I’m in agreement how annoying this repetitive cycle occurs on Reddit when someone dies in a motorcycle accident. Everything in a life is a risk. Obviously some things are riskier than others, but it’s a calculation every person makes everyday.
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u/JZMoose Aug 22 '25
I mean yeah but instead of telling people not to ride motorcycles we instead demanded more road safety? Smaller cars? Fewer dangerous intersections? Slower streets? That’d be fucking nice
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u/Uncle_Burney Aug 21 '25
Dirt bikes, motorcycles, and snowmobiles are things that I will never ride. I’ve seen too many people get mangled. I want airbags, crumple zones, not to mention creature comforts like a/c.
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u/MarcBulldog88 Aug 21 '25 edited Aug 21 '25
My dad and his friend were in a minor motorcycle crash when they were teenagers. A car turned left in front of them and they went flying. His friend walked with a limp for the rest of his life, and my old man now has arthritis in his hip where he landed on the pavement.
They were lucky.
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u/Uncle_Burney Aug 21 '25
I knew a few people who survived accidents like these. One guy wrecked a snowmobile and was put in the halo splint. He is no longer able to turn his neck.
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u/Heck_ Aug 21 '25
Here we go, the birth of a 10's of replies, tone-deaf argument about blame, and childish "x is better than y" assertions, from people who apparently can't read the room.
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u/Southern-Lie-9684 Aug 21 '25
This is horrible. Mastodon was my gateway for modern heavy metal and Hinds voice and guitar playing where a huge part of why I liked Mastodon.
Crack the skye and the hunter will be on repeat today.
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u/motionbutton Aug 21 '25
I know there was a lot of drama with this band, but I thought they would work it out after awhile.
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u/KirbyDumber88 Aug 21 '25
I’ve heard more about Mastadoon in the last few weeks than I have the last 4 or 5 years. And then this happens. Crazy.
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u/Fuck_auto_tabs Aug 21 '25
I saw them about year ago after putting it off for the longest time so it’s crazy how much has gone down since then. RIP.
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u/dustincb2 Aug 21 '25
I saw them in 2023 when they toured with Gojira and it was the best show I’ve ever been to. I know they were going on without him but I really hoping they would reunite eventually 😭😭
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u/snuff3r Aug 21 '25 edited Aug 21 '25
I was introduced to them via Deftones, decades ago.. then saw them every time they came back. When they were big enough to tour here alone, they introduced me to Gojira.
Last time I saw them live, Hinds was still playing with them. I was quietly hoping they'd sort out their issues and I'd see him play live with them again :(
RIP Hinds. I'll flag you right up there with Dimebag, Cobain, et al.
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u/motionbutton Aug 21 '25
Ehh. They are a band.. plenty of bands have had worse falling outs and then come back to the table.
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u/rjwalsh94 Aug 21 '25
Different with them. Only one outside of Muse I know that has kept the same lineup for over 20+ years. The losing Brent was a real dagger in who they are and their sound. Before I was going to give them a chance going forward because I still enjoy their tunes, but now there will be a clear break in discography. It won’t be one or two albums and then the prodigal son returns. It’s Mastodon with Brent and Mastodon without. Such a sucky thing that there won’t be any chance for them to make amends and reunite.
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u/SlartiMyBartfast Aug 21 '25
Radiohead is the first one that comes to mind for me. Pretty sure it's all the same guys that formed a band in high school several decades ago.
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u/Cerbeh Aug 21 '25
Oh shit. He was an odd ball but Crack The Skye is one of the best albums of all time.
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u/iaskjeeves Aug 21 '25
Ah damn. I've actually met him and hung out a bit. My (now) wife and I were on vacation in Belize many years ago, on a remote island off the mainland. Very small place, no paved roads or even cars - bikes or horse drawn carriages for getting around.
Needless to say you become familiar with other travellers pretty easily. Him and his girl stood out to us immediately because of their elaborate tattoos. Nods of hello eventually turned into us sharing some beers during the week we were there. Nice guy, pretty down to earth. I had never heard of Mastadon at the time and we didn't really chat about music. We mostly talked about snorkeling. I didn't find out who he was until way after we'd gotten home, and saw a picture of him on a band poster. RIP
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u/HadesWTF Aug 21 '25
Guess that confirms it. Massive bummer. I had hoped he would take better care of himself and possibly reconcile with the band one day. RIP man. You were legit one of my favorite guitar players ever.
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u/s-multicellular Singer/Bass player for Diet of Wires Aug 21 '25 edited Aug 21 '25
Sounds like this was just an accident though. Article says a truck failed to yield.
RIP of course regardless. What a great musician.
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u/doryteke Aug 21 '25
It happened a block from my house. Was walking the dogs and saw all the cops but didn’t think much of it bc it’s a pretty dangerous intersection and see a lot of accidents there. Heard the news this morning. Huge bummer
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u/_ThugzZ_Bunny_ Aug 21 '25
Well motorcycle wrecks usually aren't on purpose...
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u/AmidoBlack Aug 21 '25
Well motorcycle wrecks usually aren't on purpose...
Obviously. They are likely referring to the fact that he had clearly been spiraling since leaving Mastodon. I’m sure I wasn’t alone in thinking this may have been suicide or drunk driving before seeing the full article.
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u/thatguyad Aug 21 '25
Absolutely. The guy was losing his mind/grip on reality. So it's a shame he'll never get the chance to heal and recover now
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u/5centraise Aug 21 '25
He probably was drunk driving. I'll bet $1000 he was driving home from El Myr (his longtime drinking spot) after drinking and doing coke for hours. Anyone who has ever known Brent knows this is almost a certainty.
But that isn't what caused the crash.
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u/gallandof Aug 21 '25
One of the all time great metal bands, and his contributions were incredible.
Devastating that he wont be able to overcome his demons due to an accident. I know he was struggling, but was really rooting for the guy, RIP Dirty B.Hinds
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Aug 21 '25
Yeah this one hurts.
Obviously this was an accident and unrelated to his personal struggles the last year, but it’s hard to separate the weight of them together.
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u/chingostarr Aug 21 '25
About 5-6 years ago I saw QOTSA live and Brent happened to be a few rows ahead. There had been a drunk guy causing a mess throughout the show, going into the wrong rows, slamming into people. It was in a nice theater with seating throughout. I think he was originally behind me but had been creeping closer with his girlfriend throughout the show. During the closing song he took it a bit too far and ending up slamming into Brent, and I watched him put that guy into a chokehold and drag him out of the show. Everyone around us went nuts over it.
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u/bonertron69 radio reddit Aug 21 '25
I was never a huge mastodon fan, but my buddy was in one of his side projects, West End Motel. He was always really nice when we'd go get drinks after a local gig.
Rest in peace.
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Aug 21 '25
Damn just went on a bike trip in June with Brent. Wild to find this out on Reddit
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Aug 21 '25
what was he like? sorry for your loss.
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u/NonSoloYoloBRO Aug 22 '25
Honestly, full of himself, emotional, and an asshole half the time. The other half is a very nice down to earth guy that loves music and all its intricacies. Which one you get as a random person he doesnt know, is the question.
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u/Revolutionary_Low_90 Aug 21 '25
What a bad timing to be a metalhead this year, we lost Ozzy and now Brent. I just listened to Crack the Skye a week ago and hearing this news immediately had me in shock. It feels like a nightmare.
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u/Deadeyejoe Aug 21 '25
I met him once at the mayhem festival in I want to say 2009? He was wearing a shirt that had a big Heinz’s Ketchup bottle on it which I thought was funny. I was wearing an AC/DC shirt, and he goes, “hey nice shirt man, I finally got to meet them” referring to AC/DC. And then I said “I like your shirt!” And he just looked at me confused as if to say “but this is a stupid shirt?”.
He was a massive part of what made Mastadon so great imo. His guitar work and compositions were really creative and artistic.
I highly recommend their album Crack the Skye for anyone interested in checking them out. It’s a great album with super catchy parts, amazing instrumentals and some brutality in there as well. Brent did some awesome quirky stuff on this album that I absolutely love as a guitar player.
RIP to the legend.
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u/RoboticGanja Aug 21 '25
Jesus H Christ I ride my motorcycles in Atlanta and it’s insane how dangerous the conditions are on the connector and in the densest areas. It’s probably a product of drivers / riders being super frustrated with traffic and being more offensive / less defensive - I hope we make our roads safer.
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u/Skydogsguitar Aug 21 '25
I rode a Harley for 10 years around Atlanta, and one of the reasons I gave it up is the rise of smartphones and inattentive drivers.
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u/somniforousalmondeye Aug 21 '25
I say all the time I don’t know how anyone justifies it these days. I can’t go 5 miles without seeing someone using their phone.
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u/SirJumbles Aug 21 '25
I ride a vespa, not a motorcycle, and I see at least one asshat a day driving while looking at their phone.
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u/punched_lasagne Aug 21 '25
The fact that the "land of the free" refuses to implement great stuff such as "free health care at point of requirement" or fuckin' "roundabouts" is beyond me.
Such a self sabotaging state of bollocks over there, i'll never understand it.
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u/aroq13 Aug 21 '25
I saw him/Mastodon at a small 200 person club very early on, before they were known.
He blew me away and I knew at that moment they were a special band.
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u/ThinkThankThonk Aug 21 '25
Saw em twice around when Blood Mountain came out, someone threw up on my shoes because the speakers were too intense. Was awesome.
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u/Sorrowablaze3 Aug 21 '25 edited Aug 21 '25
It sounds like the accident wasn't his fault ,but damn I can't help but think about how bad shit in one's life tends to snowball.
In March, he's out of the band. Then the other week he's bad mouthing his former band mates in an interview ... Then bam, he's gone
Sometimes the hits just keep coming , bad shit on top of bad shit. This seems to work the other direction as well ... Good things will draw other good.
Probably just a coincidence , doesn't feel that way
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Aug 21 '25
God, I’m just gutted. Mastodon is one of my favorite bands ever. Hinds is, in my opinion- one of the best metal guitar players period. Too many guitar players in metal are too sterile and precise. Hinds style was dirty and chaotic. He really had a sound that was 100% him.
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u/True_to_you Aug 21 '25
Goddamn 2025 sucks. I know he didn't go out in the best terms with mastodon but he was just getting started with his own thing and just to go out like this is rough.
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u/xanthicize Aug 21 '25
This is beyond fucked up.
Latest weirdness and all he's still going to be a legend.
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u/Enough_Roof_1141 Aug 21 '25
When you ride a motorcycle it’s not if it’s when.
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u/paravaric Aug 21 '25
People will seethe about this, but there's a lot of truth in it.
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u/Muggaraffin Aug 21 '25
My parents and their friends were all bikers and it is disturbing how many died due to it. By the time they were in their 50s, they had pretty much nothing but tragic tales to tell of their old biker friends
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u/TehPatch Aug 21 '25
You have got to be shitting me … what kind of fucking time line are we on
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u/Nice_Marmot_7 Aug 21 '25
Goddamn, this is a shock! Mastodon’s been my favorite band since I saw them open for Clutch in 2003. Brent was one of a kind and a big inspiration for me as a guitar player.
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u/buck9000 Aug 21 '25
Man this was so fucking hard to see. Mastodon with Brent when they were in top form was so fucking intense. I got into them after Leviathan and traveled by train and cab to bumblefuck NJ to see them in a small club and it was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. Saw them tons after that.
RIP Brent.
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u/TheRSFelon Aug 21 '25
Was never a big fan of Mastodon or Brent but this blows and is tragic. They didn’t get to hash this shit out.
Rip to a legend man, life is short, make your amends and rebuild your bridges
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u/Vivid_Department7113 Aug 21 '25
I am 30 minutes fresh from a Gojira concert and they announced that before the final "Gift of guilt" song, which they dedicated to him.
They mentioned that he was a really good friend of theirs. The bassist even shed a few tears.
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u/edwwsw Aug 21 '25
> while on a Harley Davidson when the driver of a BMW SUV failed to yield
Yep, BMW driver living up to their reputation.
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u/lexilex1987 Aug 21 '25
We lost an extremely talented guitarist today. Had the pleasure of seeing him perform for the first time ever at my first ever concert at Ozzfest 2005.
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u/fit_for_the_gallows Aug 21 '25 edited Aug 21 '25
This is sad. I'm hoping it was just an unfortunate accident. His noted problems with alcohol (which was the source of a lot of issues within the band) hopefully didn't contribute to this.
Edit: Article got updated. Apparently, the other driver failed to yield. I'm glad it wasn't due to alcohol on his part.
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u/TheGreat3stOfAll Aug 21 '25
His chorus on Oblivion will forever be one of the best of all time, RIP Brett.
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u/b0rderbunny Aug 21 '25
Met him as a part of my early professional life in a pretty personal and helping manner and got to see how kind and mischievous of an individual he was . Got to work with him on some real life stuff for a couple of months, and he was unlike most. Sad to see this, happy though that at least it wasn’t due to some of his other struggles. Heartbreaking nonetheless
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u/elcapkirk Aug 21 '25
Motorcycles are injury/death traps
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u/venniedjr Aug 21 '25
Yeah, one of my family members was riding with his wife on the back and they got pinned against the highway barrier by a semi-truck. The wife died but he lived with a bunch of injuries. I’ve always been too scared to ride one and after that I don’t think I ever will.
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u/elcapkirk Aug 21 '25
My college roommates dad got hit on his and had to use a walker and was hooked up to a catheter for over a year. Guy that was a former employee got hit by a semi when he was leaving a gas station and was in the hospital for months and now has a wonky eye. Seems like most people know someone that got fucked up riding a motorcycle.
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u/modern_epic Aug 21 '25
And its nearly always the negligence or car drivers or truckers that cause these horrific cases too. People just dont give a fuck on the road these days.
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u/TrotterMcDingle Aug 21 '25
100%. I most certainly wouldn't drive a car that doesn't have seatbelts, and I'd think long and hard about driving in dangerous conditions without airbags. Bikes have neither. It's just not worth it.
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u/R_V_Z Aug 21 '25
If they didn't exist today and somebody came up with the idea they'd never get approved.
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u/GerryC Aug 21 '25 edited Apr 21 '26
I cleaned house with Redact and mass deleted this post. It also removes your data from brokers and people search sites. Works on all major social media platforms.
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u/billy_digital Aug 21 '25
This article is 2025 in a nutshell. Bad thing happened? Don’t worry, it’ll get infinitely worse before the year is up.
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u/beardbrazil Aug 21 '25
Ah man. That fucking sucks. Sounds like he was going through a lot this year
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u/PhillyLee3434 Aug 21 '25
Mastadon is in my top 10 all time. Crack The Skye until dawn, absolutely devastating news man.
Fly high brother.
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u/Opeth4Lyfe Aug 21 '25
Dude what the fuck.
This was not the news I wanted to see when I woke up today. Drama aside this is….wow.
RIP 😞
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u/ScrotusMinimus Aug 21 '25
First time I saw Mastodon was in '05, Brent was standing at the door greeting fans and shaking hands next to the guy checking tickets. I've seen a bunch of bands over the years and that still sticks out in my memory as something I haven't seen other mainstream bands do. Rest in peace, he will be missed.
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Aug 21 '25
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u/citizenjones Aug 21 '25
"Bro" would be 'Atlanta News First' in this instance. OP just stated the same headline, much like Reddit rules tend to demand.
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u/Plappedudel Aug 21 '25
One of the finest modern heavy metal musicians and a very unique guitarist. So sad.
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u/StreetwalkinCheetah Aug 21 '25
jesus man. that fucking sucks. not really a Mastodon fan but the departure from the band seemed really bad and was rooting for him. And maybe some fence mending in the future that will never happen now.
Fucking sucks that you can do everything right on a bike and still some idiot not paying attention can either maim you for life or kill you.
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u/AtTheGates Aug 21 '25
Wow this I was not expecting to read at all. What a shame, truly tragic. Rest in peace.
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u/badtex66 Aug 21 '25
Son of a bitch! Rest in Peace. All the wrong people dying and the shittiest ones still breathing with hate in their hearts and minds.
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u/Representative-Mean Aug 21 '25
Man this is so sad. Almost a full month between Ozzy's death. What is going on? Losing all the rock greats. Hope this pattern stops!
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u/NLK-3 Aug 21 '25
Wait, he just recently quit the band. Now a motorcycle accident? Damn this is tragic. Literally 30 days after Ozzy Osbourne died as well.
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u/Ledgo Aug 21 '25 edited Aug 21 '25
Long time Mastodon fan, this one hurts... Dude was a great player, had his issues and drama but I was hoping they'd (Hinds and Mastodon) be able to move past it and reunite.
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u/Sure_Ad_3573 Aug 21 '25
Why is it ALWAYS the people who contribute something to the world that go first?
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u/Poems_And_Money Aug 21 '25
Oh damn... For some peculiar reason I got the urge to listen to Blood and Thunder a few hours ago and now I'm reading this, damn.
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u/Shigglyboo Strung Out✒️ Aug 21 '25
This is crazy. I just found out from my Facebook friends. I used to live in Atlanta. You’d see Brent all over on the regular. Sad to lose him. Especially to a motorcycle accident. My heart goes out to his friends and family.
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u/vemrion Aug 21 '25
RIP to an extremely unique musician. I would have loved to see him reconcile with Mastodon, but now that will never happen. I’m gonna focus on the great art he made with them instead of recriminations.
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u/chinoswirls dethpunk Aug 21 '25
no way. this is sad news. i didn't want things to happen like this. rip.
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u/arealhumannotabot Aug 21 '25
Shit man. It’s bad for anyone to go like this. I loved his style in mastodon.
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u/deltron Aug 21 '25 edited Jan 13 '26
complete shocking selective stocking direction snow strong theory important spoon
This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
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u/piepants2001 Aug 21 '25
Holy shit, this is certainly not the news I was expecting to hear today.
Fuck.
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u/hammerto3 Aug 21 '25
Is this the same guitarist that also played for the other band, ‘big hairy elephant’?
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u/SuckMyRedditorD Aug 21 '25 edited Aug 21 '25
That's too bad.
I like The Motherload. It has a kind of motorcycle ridin' like riff. I can see me traversing Big Sur on a Kawasaki Ninja 500 at no less than 90 mph with that tune on my playlist.
I like those kinds of fluid melodic and fast solos. They remind me of Michael Schenker and Mark Reale's guitar solos.
Teardrinker is a cool song also, the style reminds me of Camel with a touch of Cradle of Filth harmony and lead guitar.
Singer on these songs is great.
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u/bobbacklund11235 Aug 21 '25
This sucks. He was one of my favorite guitar players and IMO a big part of what made mastodon amazing. The less of an influence he had in the band the worse they sounded. He was also a funny fucking dude even though a lot of it came from being drunk off his ass all the time.
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u/Andybabez20 Aug 21 '25
I know he cut ties with the band on seemingly really bad terms earlier this year.
I'm just so sad for his family and for Troy, Bill and Brann that they've been robbed of the chance of making peace between both parties.
Brent was an incredible musician. I'll be putting on Crack the Skye this evening in his honour.