Mastodon reveal truly lethal force on their latest album as a 5-piece band on Marrow Deep. With Nick Johnston and keyboardist João Nogueira joining them, expect a more prog rock touch to the alloy of metal they forged 25 years ago.
Grammy winners Mastodon are returning after 5 whole years and a whole lot of changes since their 2021 release of Hushed and Grim. More negative reviews marked it in proportion to their other releases, but Marrow Deep is a new era for the band. It features additions, cameos, and inputs from legends, with production now being taken on by metalcore specialist Kurt Ballou. With a few singles teasing the album’s full might, the day has finally come.
From a tragic change
This is the band’s first release after the departure and death of long-time guitarist Brent Hinds. In March 2025 the band announced that Hinds would be leaving them, while the guitarist himself publicly stated a contrasting story- saying that the band thought he ‘embarassed them’. On August 20, 2025, Brent met with a motorcycle accident and sadly succumbed to injuries. drummer Brann Dailor of Mastodon addressed the same on the 22nd of August at their gig at Alaska State Fair, appreciating their 25-year-old brotherhood, the ups and downs, and the untimely passing of someone who had a mark on every one of their albums.
Lineup effects
Since then solo guitarist Nick Johnston has joined Mastodon, along with keyboardist João Nogueira. This marks a significant change in their sound. Hines used to also give backing vocals that were gruff and bassy, while Johnston leads on guitar first. Vocalists in the band are now down to bassist Troy Sanders and drummer Brann Dailor leading, with support from rhythm guitarist Bill Kelliher. It is difficult to understand the kind of solos and unique shreds that Hind used to come up with. Perceive this album to be a whole other second quarter in the band’s discography.
Barbarian’s Blood opens up this record, with production being one of the first things you notice. Vocals and drums get a definite notch up, with more tapering on the mids and rhythm parts. This might also be due to the booming drums opening the record. The reverse echo that Mastodon popularised in their approach to prog metal remains a centrepiece of this song. Nogueira’s keyboard solo is a unique surprise and intro into the band, a heavier borrow from prog rock legends and having that Jon Lord touch to it.
The full gamut of cameos
The guest appearances on this album are remarkable as well. Geezer Butler, from Black Sabbath shares bass duties on The Vanishing, and Josh Homme from QOTSA makes a vocal cameo on Snakes for Dinner . This is on-theme for Homme as well, taking the antithesis of the lovelorn poet role on QOTSA’s upcoming album, Perfecth. Expect Randy Blythe from Lamb of God to make his second play with Mastodon in A Vampire’s Demeanor (after Floods of Triton).
The riff play and energy are incredible on the second track, Poisonous Weapons. Troy Sanders is, as usual, on top of his game. The signature strain and seamless switch to screaming are something that he is able to do so efficiently. Marrow Deep is not to be viewed as a completely different experiment but as an extension of what Mastodon wants to sound like further. Hearing the song, I can definitely say the power is off the charts. It’s also where you’re hearing the first proper solo from Nick Johnston: a bluesy mishmash of jazz-touched notes and scale climbs that you can’t even begin to comprehend.
Riff rocked and loaded
One of my favourite riffs on this album has to be Your Ghost Again. It was released as a single (one of their first, if I remember correctly). It has a more thrashy approach to it, and Troy and Brayan are really locked in on this one. The transition to the chorus might be a sudden switch, which I’m not a fan of, but the rest of the song holds a strength that follows through from the Brent Hinds years.
Your treat really comes in with Snakes for Dinner. There is nothing I disliked about this track, along with strong performances from the entire new crew of Mastodon and the fitting Josh Homme section. The video is funny and entertaining, giving that retro vibe while being at the forefront of progressive metal in a subgenre they helped forge. Josh Homme’s collaboration with the band is not a one-off. He also laid down vocals for Colony of Birchmen (Blood Mountain album). As a big admirer of the band’s work which we’re sure is a mutual feeling, he complements the “lazy, stoner-type vocals” brilliantly. It’s a track everyone has universally liked (even Reddit somehow) and has a delectable solo from Johnston.
Keeping that sound in place
The band would still like to enforce the fact that the Mastodon signature sound will never really die. Brann Dailor keeps us hooked with those incredible single-roll snare fills and the doom-based riffs. The core band (Dialor, Sanders and Kelliher) set the tone in almost all the songs, and though the expected experimentation is rare, it’s definitely warranted when keyboardist João Nogueira makes strong appearances. In terms of melodic leaning, In the Ruins was an emotional surprise. Many have attributed the same to a tribute to Hinds, and lyrics definitely fit when you hear it.
I loved the darker touches with A Vampire’s Demeanor, where someone like Blythe can change the entire temperature of the song with his vocals. Bass legend Geezer Butler’s touch in The Vanishing makes it more Sabbath-like, but Mastodon never lets the wind drift them away. The themes for this album are wide-ranging, but we never let go of the fantasy, sludge and stoner themes, with their absolute adoration for fiction.
Mastodon and the movement now
Mastodon are on their own peak with this album, a strong add to their collection after Hush and Grim. The now 5-piece band are on to conquer festivals as they start their tour and have a pretty good collection to add to their hits. We can expect Butler to join them in the UK perhaps, and Homme’s tour with QOTSA might intersect sometime in the North America tour. You might not be able to catch them live, but here they are harnessing new powers with Marrow Deep:
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