Garbage’s Shirley Manson and Tool lead artist tributes to Mastodon’s Brent Hinds: “Rest easy, my brother”
Garbage‘s Shirley Manson and Tool are among the artists paying tribute to Brent Hinds, the former lead guitarist of Mastodon, who died yesterday (August 21) aged 51.
Hinds’ death was confirmed yesterday by a medical examiner’s report in Fulton County, Georgia, after police reported that a man riding a Harley Davidson was killed in a collision with a BMW SUV (via Atlanta News First).
Since his passing, figures from across the metal world have paid tribute to the guitarist. Among those are Tool, who wrote on Facebook: “Brent was a not only a fellow musician, that at times shared the stage with the guys as a guest guitarist, but was also a good friend outside the tour venues.
“With his creative output and valued friendship, though he has passed onto another plane, rest assured that he will not be forgotten on this one,” they added.
Mason also shared a message on her Instagram, saying she was “utterly devastated” to learn of the death of Hinds, who she called her “sweet soul brother”.
“I love you. And the world is so much less wild and free and beautiful without you in it,” she wrote. “Rest easy my brother. Keep me a seat at the bar will you? My sincere condolences to all your fellow bandmates and all the various musicians who love you and have been influenced by your work.”
Lamb of God‘s Mark Morton wrote that Hinds “was a bottle rocket of creative spirit and emotion”, adding: “Brent was a motherfucker on six strings.
He heard things that nobody else heard….so he’d bring them to life so that we could all hear them too.”
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Alex Skolnick of Testament shared a photo of him and Hinds backstage on a Mastodon tour, and wrote: “The timing of this loss, after a recent acrimonious break with the guys, is especially sad. As we’ve seen with so many bands (including ours), even legendary sworn enemies like The Eagles and quite recently, Jake E Lee & Ozzy, sometimes reconciliation takes time (I believe it would’ve happened one day with Masto).”
Exodus and Slayer‘s Gary Holt also shared an image of him and Hinds, alongside the caption: “What a tragedy . Stunned. You will be missed brother
don’t know what else to say other than RIP brother. Heartbreaking news for everyone. Fuck.”
Other tributes came from Machine Head, Slash, Alice In Chains‘ William DuVal and Trivium‘s Matt Heafy, the latter of whom reflected on their early days meeting at Ozzfest in 2005.
“He definitely was one of the earlier heroes of mine/ ours who was TOUGH on us,” Heafy wrote. “Years later when touring together on the Slayer/ Trivium co-headlining tour with Mastodon and Amon Amarth, he sat with me in our dressing room and played on acoustic and sang to me alone, a song that he had written but never played for anyone – after telling me that after all these years; we’ve proven ourselves and that he respected me/ us.
“There weren’t many like this man. That’s for sure,” he continued. “Rest in peace. Rest in power.”
Lacuna Coil wrote that Hinds was “truly one of a kind and it was always a joy to meet him at festivals every once in a while and witness his smile, his energy and his incredible talent.”. Read further tributes below.
Mastodon also paid tribute to Hinds, writing on Instagram: “We are in a state of unfathomable sadness and grief
“We are heartbroken, shocked, and still trying to process the loss of this creative force with whom we’ve shared so many triumphs, milestones, and the creation of music that has touched the hearts of so many,” the continued. “Our hearts are with Brent’s family, friends, and fans. At this time, we please ask that you respect everyone’s privacy during this difficult time.”
Hinds and Mastodon parted ways amicably in March this year after 25 years together. The band wrote at the time: “We’re deeply proud of and beyond grateful for the music and history we’ve shared and we wish him nothing but success and happiness in his future endeavours.”
William Brent Hinds was born on January 16, 1974 in Helena, Alabama, but left for Atlanta as a young man to pursue a music career. He met future Mastodon bassist Troy Sanders, with whom he briefly played in the band Four Hour Fogger, and shortly afterwards formed the original line-up of Mastodon with drummer Brann Dailor, guitarist Bill Kelliher and singer Eric Saner.
Saner left the following year, leaving the remaining members to share lead vocal duties. They went on to record eight studio albums together, including the highly acclaimed ‘Leviathan’ in 2004 and ‘Blood Mountain’ in 2006.
They were credited with leading the sludge metal scene, before going on to incorporate elements of progressive rock, complex rhythms and intricate melodies.
After his split from the band this year, Hinds made a handful of comments online suggesting that his departure was not as amicable as had been thought. He described his former bandmates as “horrible humans”, and shared scathing remarks that implied he was “kicked out” of the band.
Bill Kelliher described the split as a marriage that had run its course: “Like a marriage, sometimes people grow apart, and they get interested in other things. We wish nothing but the best for Brent in chasing his dreams. You know, it’s amazing that we made it 25 years with the four of us.”
The post Garbage’s Shirley Manson and Tool lead artist tributes to Mastodon’s Brent Hinds: “Rest easy, my brother” appeared first on NME.
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