Mastodon cofounder, ex-guitarist dies in Atlanta motorcycle crash
The cofounder and former lead guitarist of the Atlanta-based heavy metal band Mastodon died in a motorcycle crash Wednesday night, officials said.
William Brent Hinds, 51, was killed in a wreck at the intersection of Memorial Drive and Boulevard. Trevor Shelley de Brauw, Mastodon’s publicist, confirmed Hinds’ death to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Atlanta police have said Hinds was at fault due to speeding.
According to an incident report, Hinds was on a Harley-Davidson traveling west on Memorial Drive approaching the intersection going between 63 and 68 mph, the police department’s investigation revealed. At the same time, a woman in a BMW SUV was going east on Memorial and started turning left onto Boulevard when she crashed into him. Medical personnel pronounced Hinds dead on the scene.
The speed limit in that area, which is at the southeast corner of Oakland Cemetery, is 35 mph.
Two other people witnessed the crash and told police that Hinds was driving fast. Traffic cameras helped police confirm that Hinds was speeding, the report states.
Mastodon issued a statement on its Facebook page, which has 1 million followers.
“We are in a state of unfathomable sadness and grief … last night Brent Hinds passed away as a result of a tragic accident. 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.”
In a statement on X from Rennie Jaffe of Relapse Records, with whom Mastodon was at one point signed, the band is credited with leaving a lasting impact on the label’s history.
“The records Mastodon released with Relapse are all-time classics across any genre, and they would not sound the way they sound without Brent. His larger-than-life personality was eclipsed only by his monstrous musicianship,” Jaffe said.
Hinds cofounded Mastodon in 2000 with bassist Troy Sanders, guitarist Bill Kelliher and drummer Brann Dailor. The band has released roughly 10 albums and won a Grammy Award in 2018 for best metal performance for the song “Sultan’s Curse.” Mastodon’s most recent album, “Hushed and Grim,” dropped in 2021.
Hinds left the group in March and performed with his other bands, Fiend Without a Face and West End Motel. His departure was contentious, and he criticized his bandmates on social media after parting ways.
Hinds’ family also issued a statement, saying “Brent’s time with us was far too brief, but his legacy will live on in the music he created and the lives he touched. We take comfort in knowing that his spirit will continue to echo in every note, every lyric and every heart that felt his art.”
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to include findings from the police investigation into the crash.
