Atlanta progressive metal titans Mastodon reached a deeply emotional milestone during their June 3, 2026, concert in Prague. For the first time in their 26-year history, the band took the stage to perform a brand-new song written entirely without their late guitarist and co-founder, Brent Hinds.
The track, titled “Your Ghost Again,” was released just a day prior on June 2 via Loma Vista Recordings. It serves as a raw, grief-stricken tribute to Hinds, who tragically passed away at age 51 in August 2025 following a motorcycle accident in Atlanta, just five months after parting ways with the band.
The Onstage Tribute in Prague
While performing in the Czech Republic capital, the band stopped the show to acknowledge a fan’s sign in the crowd, prompting bassist and co-vocalist Troy Sanders to deliver a moving speech dedicated to his fallen brother-in-arms.
“This says right here, ‘You will forever be in our hearts, Brent Hinds.’ You’re right,” Sanders told the audience. “That brings us to something we don’t do very often—we’d like to play a brand new song for you guys. We will have a new album coming out sometime later this year and I think just yesterday we released a new song.”
Sanders continued, visibly moved: “And this is the first song in our entire career that wasn’t done with our friend Brent, who passed away last year and is no longer with us. So we’d like to do a new song for you guys and we’d like to dedicate it to Brent because we miss him and we love him also. So without further ado, this is a song called ‘Your Ghost Again.’”
The Weight of Dual Loss and “Seeing Ghosts”
“Your Ghost Again” is the blistering first single from Mastodon’s highly anticipated ninth studio album, expected later this year. The writing process was heavily shaped by profound tragedy; alongside the sudden loss of Hinds, the band was also navigating the painful passing of drummer Brann Dailor’s mother.
Dailor recently opened up about how the heavy atmosphere in the studio directly bled into the lyrical concepts of the track, admitting that his mind played tricks on him during recording sessions:
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The Presence of a Legend: “When we were in the studio recording, I kept seeing Brent,” Dailor shared. “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. I was just singing about what I was seeing, and I was seeing ghosts.”
A New Sonic Era Rooted in Gratitude
Musically, the track features Mastodon’s signature expansive metal arrangements, produced by Patrik Berger and Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou, and mixed by Andrew Scheps. While Sanders and Dailor share their familiar dual-vocal delivery and Bill Kelliher anchors the rhythm, the track introduces guitarist Nick Johnston, alongside atmospheric keyboard work by João Nogueira.
Despite the heavy sorrow driving the song, Sanders emphasized that his contributions to the track are fueled by overwhelming thankfulness for what they built together over two decades.
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Lines of Pure Gratitude: “The bridge lyrics are two lines of pure gratitude towards Brent,” Sanders explained. “It’s all the gifts from you, now you can take them back where you must go. Meaning: you came into my life, you exposed me to things that blew my mind, together we conquered thousands of stages around the world, had magical moments that we can never repeat again, but all the beauty that you brought still remains.”
Mastodon is currently continuing their European tour before heading back to North America later this year, carrying both Hinds’ enduring legacy and their new sonic chapter with them.
https://youtu.be/LN97ICWccOk
