One of Brent Hinds’ former bandmates says that the late Mastodon guitarist was sitting on an “entire album” of solo music.
Talking exclusively in the new issue of Metal Hammer, Duane Trucks, who drummed for Hinds’ psychobilly side-project Fiend Without A Face, claims that he’s heard a “whole album of tunes” from Hinds, calling them “cool as shit”.
“Brent’s got an entire album that hasn’t seen the light of day,” Trucks tells us. “He sent me the whole album of tunes and it’s cool as shit.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Trucks remembers Hinds as an honest musician who only did things he was passionate about.
“You rarely meet someone with so many facets who does things in such an honest, vulnerable way,” he says. “He really fucking meant what he was playing. It was not a put-on. He wasn’t just doing this for a cheque.”
Hinds launched Fiend Without A Face in 1998, naming the project after a 1958 British horror film. The guitarist joined Mastodon in 2000 and went on to enjoy international success with that band: their 2011 album The Hunter reached number six on the US Billboard 200 charts and they won a Grammy Award For Best Metal Performance in 2018 with the song Sultan’s Curse. Still, Hinds found time to return to Fiend Without A Face, releasing albums in 2011 and 2017.
Hinds parted ways with Mastodon in March 2025 and died in a motorcycle accident in Atlanta, Georgia on August 20. He was 51 years old.
On August 21, Mastodon released a statement saying they were “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”. Further tributes came from members of Guns N’ Roses, Slayer, Machine Head, Trivium, Opeth and Lacuna Coil, among many others.
After Mastodon split with Hinds, the band played a show with YouTuber Ben Eller filling in on guitar. They brought Nick Johnston in as a touring member in May, and they announced the following month that Johnston will be involved in the writing sessions for their next album, the follow-up to 2021’s Hushed And Grim.
The new Hammer contains an extended tribute to Hinds, with interviews from Trucks as well as Alice In Chains singer William DuVall and Lamb Of God guitarist Mark Morton. Power metal wardogs Sabaton appear on the cover of the issue, and inside they give our writer a tour of their hometown of Falun, Sweden, as well as their secret HQ on the city’s outskirts. Order your copy now and get it delivered directly to your door.
