Last year, Mastodon parted ways with founding guitarist and vocalist Brent Hinds, probably the most instantly recognizable member of the band. The split was dramatic and contentious. A few months later, Hinds suddenly died in a motorcycle crash at the age of 51. Mastodon paid tribute to Hinds at their first show after his passing, and now they've shared a tribute song called "Your Ghost Again," their first new music since Hinds' death.
According to a press release, "Your Ghost Again" is a tribute to both Brent Hinds and to singer/drummer Brann Dailor's late mother. It's a roiling, thundering song that moves between proggy contemplation and all-out attack mode, and it sounds like classic Mastodon. The band recorded it with producers Patrik Berger and Kurt Ballou, and Dailor alternates lead vocals with Troy Sanders. According to a press release, it's an early taste of an upcoming album. Dailor says:
For me, "Your Ghost Again" is about when you lose somebody that’s close to you that you existed with for most of your life — or your whole life. It’s those moments when you’re in those familiar places that you’ve always been with that person, and then after they’re gone, you see them out of the corner of your eye, and it makes you sad because they’re not there. When we were in the studio recording, I kept seeing Brent. I’d see him on my right holding the guitar because that’s where he’d usually be. It’s the same with my mom; I keep seeing her. And you get a little jolt of excitement because you think you’re actually seeing them, but then you remember they’re not here and it takes you down a notch. So it’s these big relationships for me that became the subject matter of the song. I was just singing about what I was seeing, and I was seeing ghosts.
Along with the new song, Mastodon just announced a North American fall tour with fellow underground metal titans Deafheaven and Alcest. Before that tour begins, they'll finish up a European tour, including some dates with Loathe and others with Anthrax. Below, check out "Your Ghost Again" and Mastodon's tour dates.
TOUR DATES:
6/03 - Prague, Czech Republic @ O2 Universum #
6/05 - Nürburg, Germany @ Rock Am Ring
6/06 - Gdańsk, Poland @ Mystic Festival
6/07 - Nürnberg, Germany @ Rock Im Park
6/09 - Zurich, Switzerland @ Komplex 457 #
6/11 - Nickelsdorf, Austria @ Nova Rock
6/13 - Leeuwarden, Netherlands @ Into The Grave Festival
6/14 - Donington Park, UK @ Download Festival
6/16 - Saarbrucken, Germany @ Garage #
6/17 - Dortmund, Germany @ FZW #
6/19 - Clisson, France @ Hellfest
6/21 - Dessel, Belgium @ Graspop Metal Meeting
6/22 - Hamburg, Germany @ Docks #
6/24 - Copenhagen, Denmark @ Copenhell Festival
6/25 - Berlin, Germany @ Huxley's Neue Welt #
6/27 - Snina, Slovakia @ Rock Pod Kamenon
6/28 - Zagreb, Croatia @ Culture Factory #
6/30 - Toulouse, France @ Bikini *
7/01 - Bordeaux, France @ Le Rocher De Palmer *
7/03 - Cartagena, Spain @ Rock Imperium Festival
7/04 - Viveiro, Spain @ Resurrection Fest
7/05 - Lisbon, Portugal @ Evil Live
9/16 - Orlando, FL @ Hard Rock ^
9/18 - Asheville, NC @ Asheville Yards ^
9/19 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE ^
9/20 - Louisville, KY @ Louder than Life
9/22 - Philadelphia, PA @ Franklin Music Hall ^
9/23 - Boston, MA @ House of Blues ^
9/24 - Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Paramount ^
9/25 - Washington, DC @ Anthem ^
9/27 - Montreal, QC @ MTelus ^
9/28 - Toronto, ON @ Rebel ^
9/29 - Buffalo, NY @ Buffalo Riverworks ^
10/01 - Detroit, MI @ Fillmore ^
10/02 - Chicago, IL @ The Riviera ^
10/03 - Minneapolis, MN @ Palace ^
10/06 - Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex ^
10/07 - Boise, ID @ Revolution ^
10/09 - Oakland, CA @ The Fox ^
10/10 - Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium ^
10/11 - San Diego, CA @ The Sound ^
10/14 - Denver, CO @ Fillmore ^
10/16 - Des Moines, IA @ Val Air Ballroom ^
10/17 - St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant ^
10/18 - Memphis, TN @ Satellite Music Hall ^
10/20 - Cleveland, OH @ Agora ^
10/21 - Greensboro, NC @ Piedmont Hall ^
10/22 - Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern ^
10/24 - Dallas, TX @ Sick New World Dallas
Artist pre-sales for Mastodon's North American tour start today at noon eastern, with a bunch of other pre-sales following. General on-sale starts 6/5 at 10AM local time.
