Atlanta progressive metal band Mastodon have released a 35-minute video in which the surviving members reflect openly on their 25-year relationship with co-founding guitarist and vocalist Brent Hinds, who died in a motorcycle accident in August 2025, five months after leaving the group. The band said they wanted to tell their own story "in our own words" rather than let clips, headlines and speculation define it, describing Hinds as family and "our wild man" while acknowledging that the relationship "came with some challenges". The candid statement marks a notable moment as the band enters what they call a new chapter following the loss.

Hinds departed Mastodon in March 2025, with the band framing it as a mutual decision after "25 monumental years", though he later claimed he had been ejected and called his former bandmates "horrible humans". He died on 20 August 2025 when the Harley-Davidson he was riding was struck by an SUV turning left near downtown Atlanta; a crash report found Hinds at fault for speeding, travelling an estimated 63 to 68 mph, roughly twice the local limit. He has been replaced by Canadian touring guitarist Nick Johnston, who is expected to feature on the band's forthcoming ninth studio album, whose first single, "Your Ghost Again", was released as a tribute to Hinds.