Bill Kelliher has opened up on Brent Hinds' surprise departure from Mastodon, after the band's co-founding guitarist announced he would be stepping away from the metal stalwarts after 25 years of service.
The news came just days before the band were set to feature at Tool’s namesake Tool in the Sand festival in the Dominican Republic. In a surprise move, well-respected YouTube guitar educator and long-time Mastodon obsessive Ben Eller was drafted in, having been tasked with learning 17 songs “immediately”.
Now that the dust has settled on a mic drop moment that has sent shockwaves through the metal community, Guitar World caught up with Kelliher – Mastodon's remaining guitar player – to get his response.
Speaking about the legacy of Mastodon’s first 25 years with Hinds, Kelliher said, “It’s been a fun, wild fucking ride, that’s for sure. We achieved a lot of things that I never in a million years would have imagined. There’s been Grammys, touring with our heroes, like Iron Maiden, Metallica, Motorhead, and Tool. I cherish all of that.
“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,” Kelliher then confesses. “I mean, it’s like being married to three other dudes, traveling the world, trying to stay the course, and having everybody agree.
“That we managed to do it this long, I feel like that’s a feat in itself. You could never replace any of us because we [are the] the sum of four parts.”
Yet, sentimentality aside, Kelliher has an eye on the band’s future, both immediate and long-term.
“That doesn’t mean there’s not someone else out there that has stuff to offer in a new direction,” he pivots. “I think I’ll just leave it there, you know? It was a hard decision we all had to make. It’s just… it was just time.”
It’s unclear how big of a role Eller will play in the band. Mastodon will hit the road with Periphery and Coheed & Cambria in May, and it is currently unclear if he is in line for those shows or whether a full-time successor will have been appointed by then.
Kelliher remains cryptic for now, adding that “we look forward to a new chapter of Mastodon”.
That next chapter doesn't look to be too far away. Speaking to Guitar World last year, he revealed that writing for the follow-up to 2021’s double album Hushed & Grim is already underway.
Keep your eyes on Guitar World for Bill Kelliher’s interview in full.
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