July 2, 2026
Mastodon - Your Ghost Again - Review
Unlock the raw intensity behind Mastodon's haunting new single "Your Ghost Again." A powerful tribute to loss, grief, and legacy that echoes through the heavy riffs and emotional lyrics. In this episode, John and Derek delve into the deeply personal story woven into Mastodon's latest release, exploring how grief, anger, and remembrance shape the band's sound and message. The Shit Talk buffoons unpack the heartfelt themes of mourning, healing, and the subtle evolution of Mastodon's signature blend.
When you talk about the modern titans of heavy metal, the conversation starts and ends right here with Mastodon. For over two decades, Mastodon has been melting faces, expanding minds, and writing some of the most punishing, structurally insane riffs in the history of progressive metal. Grab a cold one, crank the volume, and let's dive into the legacy of one of the greatest bands to ever do it.
The Origins of the Riff
Forged in the fires of the Atlanta heavy music scene in 2000, Mastodon was born when drummer Brann Dailor and guitarist Bill Kelliher met bassist Troy Sanders and guitarist Brent Hinds at a High on Fire gig. Bonding over a mutual love for Thin Lizzy, Iron Maiden, and the crushing weight of the Melvins, they created a sound that was impossible to categorize. It was heavy, it was weird, and it hit like a freight train.
Their 2002 debut, Remission, put the metal underground on notice, but it was 2004’s Leviathan—a blistering concept album based on Moby-Dick—that crowned them as royalty. From there, the band went on an absolute tear, dropping masterpieces like Blood Mountain (2006) and the prog-metal magnum opus Crack the Skye (2009).
A Brotherhood Shattered
For 25 years, Mastodon’s core four remained an unbroken brotherhood—an absolute rarity in the metal world. But 2025 brought unimaginable heartbreak to the Mastodon camp and the global metal community.
In March 2025, the band officially parted ways with founding guitarist and vocal wild-card Brent Hinds. The split was heavy enough, but tragedy struck five months later when Hinds lost his life in a motorcycle accident in Atlanta. Brent was a true free spirit, a chaotic genius on the fretboard, and a massive part of what made Mastodon so dangerously unpredictable. His passing left a massive void not just in the band, but in the hearts of anyone who ever threw horns to "Blood and Thunder."
Forging Ahead in 2026
You can't kill the metal, and Mastodon is proof. Healing through the music, Troy, Bill, and Brann recruited Canadian guitar virtuoso Nick Johnston to step into the live lineup and help them keep the machine rolling.
Earlier this year, they dropped the surprise single "Your Ghost Again"—a massive, emotionally crushing tribute to Brent. It’s heavy, it’s raw, and it proves that even through the grief, their songwriting is as sharp as ever.
As we look toward the second half of 2026, the boys have officially finished tracking their highly anticipated ninth studio album. It's been five years since Hushed and Grim, and Dailor has promised that the new record—born out of the turmoil of losing Brent and Dailor’s own mother—is going to be a heavy, emotional ride.
Mastodon has survived the highest highs and the lowest lows, and they are still standing. GAIN approves, and so do we. Keep it heavy.
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Mastadon has given us a new single called Your Ghost Again from the upcoming album that is due to drop sometime late this year, ostensibly
9 seconds
called Poisonous Weapons. Let's talk about it, Derek.13 seconds
[music]16 seconds
Yeah. Well, let's talk about it. Brett Hines, who passed away in August of 2025, [music] uh the song is about him.24 seconds
He is the ghost. And the track is about the persistence of memory and grief and disorientation that comes along with33 seconds
death, gratitude of legacy and a personal healing process. And by the way, I thought about this. If you40 seconds
croaked tomorrow, I wouldn't lose any sleep. So, I wouldn't have any of those feelings at all. But I just wanted to make that clear.48 seconds
Well, of course not. I wouldn't expect you to. And I certainly wouldn't expect you to write a track uh to the level of your ghost again or anything Mastadon55 seconds
level. uh you know, production. So, I appreciate knowing that. And with that,1 minute, 2 seconds
and with that, [music] I'm only kidding, John. You don't need to take it personal.1 minute, 11 seconds
Only kidding. I'm still here, buddy.1 minute, 13 seconds
[laughter]1 minute, 13 seconds
Okay.1 minute, 14 seconds
Yeah. Um Bran Daylor's mom also passed away during the writing sessions for this stuff, too. And so, certainly that1 minute, 21 seconds
that played in to the uh to the lyrical content, and it it's a sad song. I I mean, again, we talk all the time, I'm1 minute, 28 seconds
not a lyrical content guy, but my god, man.1 minute, 31 seconds
This is this is really sad. You know, the vocal phrasing in the chorus, and there's a lot to talk about with the song, but the vocal phrasing in the chorus, I think, is really cool, but the1 minute, 40 seconds
line, I saw your ghost again, followed by approaching feelings of regret, you know, and I don't know obviously specifically what they're referring to1 minute, 48 seconds
there, but that feeling when you lose someone, did I say everything I needed or wanted to say? I would assume that's what they're addressing. And it's just1 minute, 56 seconds
really sad. But the cool thing, and I guess this is one of the great things about music, is that you're able to transmit these thoughts and feelings and2 minutes, 4 seconds
emotions layered on top of whatever the musical bed of your choice is. And for2 minutes, 13 seconds
us, we're lucky enough that we get to hear them share these thoughts and feelings and emotions on top of really2 minutes, 19 seconds
great mastadon instrumental music underneath it. And uh it's it's been a treat to listen to this because I'm a a2 minutes, 28 seconds
low-grade Mastadon fan, but I've been listening to a lot of Mastadon lately as a result of this. And man, what a cool2 minutes, 35 seconds
band they are. And to me, this is this is great Mastadon. You know, it's metal.2 minutes, 42 seconds
It's got some progressive notes in there. Uh it's super super dynamic. I think it it carries a lot of interest2 minutes, 50 seconds
through it. you know, it's it moves around quite a bit. I think it's a great outing and I I hope that the album is like this track in terms of the, you2 minutes, 59 seconds
know, dynamicism and and the the songwriting style. I expect it will be well, it is um coming out later this3 minutes, 7 seconds
year, Poisonous Weapons, and early indications are that it's a little bit more of an 80s thrash feel to it.3 minutes, 14 seconds
Um, which let's be honest, pain creates great art, especially when it comes to music. And I do think that uh in this3 minutes, 22 seconds
case, you know, Troy Sanders said to to Kurang that, you know, he he feels a lot of gratitude from the life experiences3 minutes, 30 seconds
that were shared with Brent Hines and noted that the beauty that he brought to the world still remains. And to get to3 minutes, 39 seconds
that place, especially considering they had a rocky relationship at the end and he, you know, was was kind of booted out of the band, to get there is really3 minutes, 47 seconds
great. And I think that all of these feelings that, you know, I I kind of talked about in the beginning are all going to come out in Poisonous Weapons.3 minutes, 55 seconds
And again, that's the supposed title according to allegedly according to Guitar World. And again, what I've heard4 minutes, 2 seconds
early indications are it's more thrashy, but it would stand a reason. Part of grief is anger. And getting back to some4 minutes, 11 seconds
thrash would make a lot of sense with death. And um I'm excited to hear it.4 minutes, 17 seconds
I've always felt like Mastadon uh is consistently good and puts out consistently interesting music. Um you know, would you consider them progressive?4 minutes, 27 seconds
They definitely have progressive elements to them for sure. For sure. Um I love the drummer Brand uh Daylor's4 minutes, 36 seconds
involvement in the writing process. You know, often and you're hearing about it more and more these days. you know, you go back,4 minutes, 43 seconds
typically the drummers don't, you know, haven't played as big a part with. There are certainly exceptions before I get flamed in the comments. There are4 minutes, 51 seconds
certainly exceptions to that, but uh I love seeing drummers, you know, stepping up and and and taking such an active4 minutes, 59 seconds
role in the songwriting process. And I don't know this, it's just a guess, but it would not surprise me if uh some of5 minutes, 6 seconds
that progressive flavor for Maston doesn't come directly from Brand. Um uh Brand Taylor, of course, drums and vocals. Troy Sanders, bass and vocals.5 minutes, 16 seconds
Uh Bill Keller, rhythm and lead guitar with backing vocals. And with uh unfortunately with uh Brent's departure,5 minutes, 24 seconds
they have brought on Nick Johnston as another guitar player. Um, and Nick, I5 minutes, 30 seconds
think I'm excited to hear what he brings to the table. He's been sort of a modern metal heavyweight for a while now and5 minutes, 39 seconds
has played, he's got a lot of, you know, solo material, but, you know, the bands that he has involved himself with over the past couple of years is wild. you5 minutes, 47 seconds
know, Periphery, Polifia, Intervals, Scale the Summit, David Maximic, um, and the, uh, acoustic guitar genius Mike5 minutes, 57 seconds
Daws. So, he is he is in the vein of a lot of the stuff that I really love. So,6 minutes, 3 seconds
I'm excited to hear what flavors he brings. And a keyboardist I'm going to try with his name, uh, Xiao Nogra on6 minutes, 13 seconds
keys. Sounds close. Well, I'm we're trying. Um, and his work is very cool in this track, too. Um, atmospheric. Yeah, it's it's very well6 minutes, 22 seconds
done. And I actually heard, and again, I know OPath and Macedon are kind of in their, you know, same orbit, but I heard a little OPT uh in there.6 minutes, 33 seconds
Yeah, I love that that break in the middle that uh is in six where it's uh6 minutes, 38 seconds
Bran and Zhao Xiao. Uh just that really simple, but those keys pop out and they're right up front. It's such a cool6 minutes, 47 seconds
little break. You know, it's a great Prague metal track and it ticks a lot of my proggy kind of boxes. Um I think it's fantastic. I love the outro riff, too.6 minutes, 57 seconds
Very stank phasy, you know, immediately. Yeah. You know. Yeah.7 minutes, 1 second
Um and again, thank you uh uh for uh for bringing us heavy riffs, you know, just Yeah. You can't go wrong with riffs. I7 minutes, 10 seconds
you know 2026 is definitely the year of the riff. There's been a lot of riffs. A lot of riffs. Yeah.7 minutes, 15 seconds
And they keep them coming. But what do you think? This track. Go ahead. Oh, sorry. No, go after you.7 minutes, 21 seconds
No, this this track, your ghost again, it it feels like it's going back to Leviathan, which is, you know, my7 minutes, 28 seconds
favorite album of of Mastadons. It's got the sludge, you know, ferocity to it.7 minutes, 34 seconds
Um, but again, it's it's visceral, but it has that a Prague feel to me and I I7 minutes, 41 seconds
I like where this is going and I do like hearing that you can layer in some thrash over that and the riff at the end was definitely very thrashy. So, I'm7 minutes, 50 seconds
pumped. I can't wait to hear this record. What did you think of the the overall production feel? You know, the7 minutes, 57 seconds
the the the finished presentation. Did you have an opinion one way or the other? Did you like it? Did you not like it? Did it sound different to past albums to you?8 minutes, 6 seconds
So much so that I I didn't even think about it. It felt like a clean mastadon song. Did you have a opinion on it?8 minutes, 15 seconds
I like it. I really like the production.8 minutes, 17 seconds
It's fat. It's thick. It's rich. Um it was Yeah. He worked they worked with8 minutes, 23 seconds
Patrick Burger who is known and this is he's worked with like8 minutes, 31 seconds
pop giants. So, it was an interesting choice to bring him in. Taylor Swift, Robin, you know, he's worked with a lot of big big pop names.8 minutes, 39 seconds
So, I'm I'm wondering, you know, there is I think the reviews about the production style and the overall feel8 minutes, 46 seconds
are they seem to be kind of mixed based on what I've read online. But, interestingly, most of the people who are like, "Yeah, I don't know if I love it,8 minutes, 55 seconds
but I think I need to go back to it and listen to it more." You know, that that's where a lot of the opinions seem to land. like, yeah, I9 minutes, 2 seconds
don't know if I love the style of this, not not the performance style, but the production style, but I really think I need to listen to it more. And I wonder9 minutes, 11 seconds
how much of that has to, we've talked about this many times. I wonder how much of those opinions go back to what these folks are listening to it on. Are you9 minutes, 20 seconds
listening to it, you know, in a pair of AirPods or, you know, cheap headphones or, you know, a great car stereo or a9 minutes, 27 seconds
shitty car stereo or uh, you know, if you're lucky enough to have a a nice hi-fi setup at the house. So, I don't I I obviously can't answer that, but I9 minutes, 35 seconds
thought it was interesting to see so many varying opinions about just the production style. I like it. I think it sounds great. I like the mix. and oh and9 minutes, 44 seconds
uh Kurt Belaloo from Converge was a a big part of the team on this too. So mixed by Andrew Sheps and so you know a9 minutes, 53 seconds
great production team. I again I would like to learn more about Patrick Berger's involvement and what if any of10 minutes, 1 second
those pop sensibilities he brought to the table. Uh it's I think it's always interesting when you take somebody who doesn't necessarily specialize or solely10 minutes, 10 seconds
work in one genre and put them in to a different you know arena and see what they do with it using the skills that10 minutes, 19 seconds
they've learned from a totally different kind of music.10 minutes, 22 seconds
Yeah. So, it I'm looking at some of the comments here and I think it's just the web.10 minutes, 27 seconds
In the end of the day, there people put on a mask and get on the web and decide, I'm going to be a troll today10 minutes, 36 seconds
and I'm going to find something to complain about. And look, I'm sure there are people out there that are saying, "No hines, no mask to dawn." Yeah.10 minutes, 45 seconds
And so, they're like, "Let's put the mask on and all over the band without, you know, you know what I'm saying?" So, I I I could see that10 minutes, 54 seconds
happening. Um, and I appreciate that the band decided to look beyond their end11 minutes, 1 second
with Mr. Hines and are moving forward and and doing so and thinking about his legacy in a positive way. Um, and in a11 minutes, 9 seconds
sad way, you know, because a lot of times, and I was kidding earlier, I would be crushed if something happened to you. And we this podcast would not11 minutes, 18 seconds
exist without each other. And I think that the band recognizes that his contributions, they wouldn't be where11 minutes, 25 seconds
they are without him, even if they did have their turmoil. Yeah. Their moments. Sure.11 minutes, 30 seconds
They're moments. They're humans. You know, we're never nobody's ever going to get along every second. Yeah.11 minutes, 36 seconds
You know, it's how you how you respond to people saying, "Hey, this isn't working for me." is what matters.11 minutes, 43 seconds
Yeah. Life is easy when things are good.11 minutes, 47 seconds
Interpersonal dynamics are easy when things are going well.11 minutes, 51 seconds
It's when gets rocky and and tensions flare that you find out what you're made of and what the people11 minutes, 58 seconds
around you are made of. And um it's sad that that you know he there was a departure when he left the band, but12 minutes, 6 seconds
happens, man. I mean, those guys had been working together for a long time and and who knows? I don't know. I don't know the history. I you know with12 minutes, 13 seconds
a lot of that stuff they say don't don't get to know your heroes. You you may not like what you find and the older I get the more I ascribe to that theory like I12 minutes, 22 seconds
don't want to know man because everybody's human and everybody's fallible and everybody says the wrong at the wrong time and12 minutes, 29 seconds
hurts somebody's feelings and you know I I'm we are very fortunate that we get to talk to some cool people12 minutes, 36 seconds
uh via this podcast. one of whom we're speaking with tomorrow, Matt Harvey from Let It Die. Uh, Left to Die, sorry. Um,12 minutes, 45 seconds
but I don't often want to dig too deep below the surface because you you realize that at the end of the day, we're all just humans. We all put our12 minutes, 53 seconds
pants on one leg at a time. Well, you might you might go both legs at once. I don't know.12 minutes, 58 seconds
No. No. Well, you know what's funny is like I would love to sit down and talk to Larry Bird, uh, George Lucas, Ridley13 minutes, 5 seconds
Scott, um, James Hetfield. And the problem is is like I what I would worry about if I ever got to talk to them is they'd be like,13 minutes, 13 seconds
so I like to eat dogs [laughter] and sometimes cats and I'd be like, ah, it13 minutes, 19 seconds
be it would devastate me. You know, I love dogs. I like dogs and cats better than I like people. Yeah, to have people13 minutes, 27 seconds
that are I don't know if they're heroes, but they're people I admire. I admire what they accomplished in this world.13 minutes, 34 seconds
Um, you know, it would be it would suck.13 minutes, 37 seconds
Luckily for me, my favorite band ever, Typo, were friends with and friendly with and um and they haven't disappointed,13 minutes, 46 seconds
you know, me. Now, [clears throat] who they were when they were in the band was probably a lot different. Their stories and you've seen it on video, but as13 minutes, 53 seconds
people to me personally, they've been great. Yeah.13 minutes, 56 seconds
Um I would just hope that George Lucas and Larry Bird would be just as cool and not, you know, be sitting there doing14 minutes, 3 seconds
lines of coke and, you know, shooting hookers.14 minutes, 7 seconds
Yeah. Well, to bring it back around to Mastadon, I I don't know what happened when Brent left the band. Um, again, as14 minutes, 16 seconds
a listener, I it doesn't really matter to me, but I think it's lovely that this track, um, your ghost again is I I don't14 minutes, 24 seconds
know if you'd call it a tribute to them or a tribute to Brent or just a way for them to get out, you know, to purge the14 minutes, 33 seconds
things that have been in their hearts and on their minds since he passed away.14 minutes, 38 seconds
And I think it's a great song. uh sad, but I think it's a great piece of music, and I sure hope that uh the rest of the album is just as cool as this track is.14 minutes, 49 seconds
And to give credit where credit's due, the artwork for the tour poster is wicked. And uh I'll have you see if you14 minutes, 57 seconds
can put it up because they never mess up their their artwork and it's part [music] of the packaging15 minutes, 4 seconds
of their music. And the the I'm looking at it right now and if this is the [music] if this is the cover for15 minutes, 10 seconds
Poisonous Weapons, oh boy, that's a that's a rad cover. So Oh, awesome. Well, yes, we will definitely put it up in the edit. But [music] cool song. I'm glad it's out.15 minutes, 20 seconds
I'm glad we have more Mastadon and excited to see what they've got coming down the road. Likewise.15 minutes, 26 seconds
All right, man. Listen, great We will see you [music] on the next one, brother. See you. See you.15 minutes, 33 seconds
[music]
