REVIEW: Mastodon - Marrow Deep

The advent of this band was nearly a miracle. Whilst the 2000s saw bands stumbling in the dark, tripping over the weights of their own legacies and the cultural pitfalls of the new millennium, they thrived, going from strength to strength and climbing to lofty heights. Marrying southern sludge with elements of country, jazz, and a wicked groove, the band thundered onto the scene in 2004 and made many question was sludge even was. That band was, of course, MASTODON. They were Troy Sanders, Brann Dailor, Bill Kelliher, and Brent Hinds.

Whilst having an incredible career after their first smash hit, the 2004 Moby Dick concept album Leviathan, from then on as they grew their career would be marked with tragedies. Few bands have had their careers so marred with loss yet have been so defined by it, and none have manage to cultivate that loss into something so distinct and irrevocably honest. Each of their albums deals with some manner of grief; 2009’s Crack the Skye was partially inspired by the loss of drummer Brann Dailor’s sister to suicide, 2011’s The Hunter was named for the loss of guitarist Brent Hinds’ brother, Brad, who died of a heart attack on a hunting trip, 2015’s Once More Round The Sun came after several losses of friends and family members, 2017’s Emperor Of Sand dealt with the bouts of cancer that had struck some members of the band’s families. The most recent offering, 2021’s Hushed and Grim came after the loss of their manager, Nick John. And in August 2025, guitarist Brent Hinds himself passed away after a motorcycle accident.

It was a shocking and heartbreaking event that shook the metal world. Not only had Brent quit the band months prior (according to the band, it was by walking out during an intervention and never returning), but the relationship with his former bandmates had also become increasingly strained in the public eye. Any hope of reconciliation seemed painfully distant. Yet whatever difficulties surrounded his final months with MASTODON, they should not overshadow the immense mark Brent Hinds left on the band and on metal itself. He was a wild, wonderfully unpredictable free spirit, defined by an almost neolithic instinct and pioneering musicality that was entirely his own. It was impossible not to feel that something irreplaceable had been lost forever: that beautifully melodic guitar tone, that singular voice, and the restless creative determination behind them were gifts that could never be repeated. It was as if a quarter of MASTODON died that day, and the world would never see his like again.

But Mastodon is not one man. It feels as if this new MASTODON record, Marrow Deep, then, is the band’s encomium to his spirit. Five years have passed since Hushed and Grim, which reportedly featured only two major contributions from Brent. Marrow Deep is the first album they have done completely without him. In the face of adversity, they continue on ever forward. How does it fare with the rest of their discography, and does the band still have the lightning that elevated them into the canon of metal?

The opening number; Barbarians Blood, at once begins as a marriage of Emperor Of Sand and Hushed and Grim’s sound. The guest on this song is Ben Koller of CONVERGE, bandmate of Troy in Killer Be Killed. And Troy really channels his Killer Be Killed vocals here too, utilising his rough croon over the dissonant riffage and wicked skank and d-beats. It’s a forceful track, with Troy screaming at the end “ALL INSIDE I FEEL THE VOID/STARE AND FACE THE OBSTACLE/ITS SO DISGUSTING!” Balanced by Brann’s trademark melodic vocal that doesn’t venture into as much interesting territory as Troy’s.

The next song continues the unrelenting pace, opening with a sample from the classic film River’s Edge of the character John (spoilers) confessing to the murder of his girlfriend, roaring “-AND I FELT SO FUCKING ALIVE!!” before exploding into the fray. MASTODON using a movie sample to open a song? What is this, Remission-era? Are they calling back to the opening of songs like Shadows That Move? We’re fully in the uncharted waters of this new period now. The titular Poisonous Weapons of this song appear to be the ugly realities of a band breakup. After a minute of carnage the mood shifts to introspective, and Brann delivers an impressive vocal performance before the little ditty of a solo begins, it is nowhere near the lofty heights of the solos of yore, but it’s something. The lyrics match the tumultuous relationship the band shared with Brent towards the end of his tenure; “Straight from the heavens/Destined to shine your light/Or deep from the bowels of hell/Sent to agonize” and “Calling your name/Holding a space/In our hearts for you” isn’t particularly subtle, especially the idea of holding space in “our” hearts. It makes for a real gut-wrenching listen. 

Your Ghost Again has already been released as a single to an interesting reception. The first song released by the band since Brent’s passing, it’s a prevalent reminder of the ghosts that hang heavy over this release. It was certainly solid enough to warrant faith from Mastodon fans, but others clearly could not reconcile the lack of their beloved Brent-isms, to them it was like coming home and finding all the furniture in the house gone. But guitarists Nick Johnston (who is looking more and more like a permanent addition) and Bill Kelliher seem to carry on the groove appropriately over Brann’s haunting vocal delivery of “I saw your ghost again!” Although the keyboard break and almost Dream Theater-esque breakdown may be meandering a little too far from the band’s centre.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQ65pizgD9I

With scarcely time to breathe, Snakes for Dinner, the second single, also opens with a rager of an intro. And for a while it seems the production has rendered the album a little too homogenous for its own good. Until the heavenly vocal line hits, “WHEN YOU LEFT YOU TOOK THE MOON AND STARS!” The chorus is perhaps unintentionally a callback to the chorus of Bedazzled Fingernails. Featuring an appearance by QOTSA’s Josh Homme in his first appearance in a MASTODON song since Colony Of Birchmen, it’s yet another romp with a pugnacious temperament, one of many the album has to offer. It is certain that the keyboard solos will delight some, yet they stand in the place gigantic solos once stood, and instead come across like the substitute teacher walking into a classroom.

Out Like A Lamb takes things down a notch, but admittedly not by much. This is a Brann-heavy song, with his soft vocal riding atop a bouncy rhythm whilst Troy is relegated to vocal and bridge duties. This could be a sleeper favourite for some on this record; with a strong vocal hook in the verse and the chorus, it comes across as one of the most mournful songs yet – filled to the brim with emotion. And the guitar solo here is a welcome return to some of the more spacey tones of Once More Round The Sun. A real solid entry on the album, if only it was less busy and the congested production gave some of the performances breathing room.

In The Ruins is the third single, and is, surprisingly, the eye of the album’s storm; mellow, subdued, and right in the centre. The irony is that the subject matter is a hurricane, and details the experience Troy had with Hurricane Helene in 2024, but once again, it is only used as a frame to address that great ghost; “The shelled house where you grew is now gone/What was here is filled with dread/Ever changing form”, haunting stuff. It is a decent song, but Troy’s vocals don’t seem to carry the song with grace, and with the unusual production it leaves it sounding more akin to a KILLER BE KILLED song than MASTODON in places.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PQx9KUH5RQ

They’re Coming For You starts with a long instrumental that’s heavy on syncopation and tapping. And the remainder of the track continues the back-and-forth that Brann and Troy have been doing for the last half an hour. In some of their other albums we would have reached a Colony Of Birchmen or a Feast Your Eyes by now, but it’s nowhere to be found here, and it all starts to feel a bit bromidic. That’s not to say this is a bad song, it’s a serviceable one, but it doesn’t have the Masto-punch that so defined their other releases. We have traded “Run with death!” with Troy yelling “The jackal!” again and again. Yay.

By Golden Spires there is the want - no - a need for this album to pick up again. There is a pretty crushing double bass break with this number, but once again it’s a quite pedestrian cut, barely saved by another brilliant guitar solo toward the end. An ongoing issue with this album is the vocal being buried, Troy’s “free yourself to live!” chant should be front and centre, but instead feels as if it’s drowning within the stormy sea of their own instrumental.

Oddly Moth and Bone starts with something of a 70s prog keyboard jam, like something you’d hear on Yes’s 90125 or King Crimson’s Beat, before it breaks out into an... acoustic guitar? This is a welcome change. And Troy is singing in a different register this time? Even more brilliant! It is different one for Mastodon, sounding a lot like the multitude of new prog metal acts that have entered the fray with their shoegaze-y production. Despite all of this, it’s still not a particularly memorable track, and you only realise you’re listening to MASTODON again once those unmistakable crunchy guitars rear their heads.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94Cr7eKDZbA

It seems things are getting back on track with A Vampire’s Demeanor, the highlights being the guest vocals from Converge’s NATE NEWTON and LAMB OF GOD’s Randy Blythe coming in to scream their hearts out at select intervals. The haunting groove around three and a half minutes in that leads into the solo is a real album highlight. The problem with this song, though, is that before you know it, it’s already over. It also features an extremely on-the-nose line; “Old guard is gone/A new day rising”. It certainly seems that way.

With a crushing bass solo from none other than Geezer Butler of BLACK SABBATH, The Vanishing wears the influence on its sleeve. The vocals for this song are in an identical style to Planet Caravan, likely achieved through the same means, and are a wonderfully classy choice. Even the keyboard solo has taken a swig of whatever 70s prog concoction the other instruments are drinking from. It’s a real grab-bag, even Joe Duplantier of GOJIRA shows up at one point. It makes for an interesting listen, and is the most adventurous this band gets on this album by a wide margin.

The final song is named The Three Fates and is nearly eight minutes long. The lyrics appear to be about cheating fate, and are punctuated by the presence of the schizophrenic Foghorn Leghorn himself, Mr Scorpio - Neil Fallon of CLUTCH, delivering a sermon raving about “death and doom”. It’s fantastic. It then goes into a dual keyboard/guitar solo that feels like what would play as you sit in a fancy ice bar before the song claws its way back up to MASTODON territory. Hearts Alive and The Last Baron this is not, but this is a new era now, and things ain’t quite what they used to be. And with a staccato heave, the entire affair is over.

Marrow Deep makes for a confounding listen. There are moments of triumph here as well as moments of deep ennui. It is paradoxical to hear a band that should be at their most adventurous have entire tracks not presenting anything particularly interesting. We can accept that the Mastodon of yester-year is gone, but it feels like the ghosts still haunt them, a presence still looming large over their output. They have channelled their grief and sorrow well, but the roots remain. The album is still solid, something where you can sit back and contemplate the weight of your own existence, but it won’t beat out some of its older brethren. Even albums like The Hunter are a more comprehensive listening experience, with less homogeneity and surplus memorable moments. The long, epic compositions are intact, but the punchiness, groovy and memorable riffs, and big, bold attitude that defined them in their younger years only rear their head occasionally. They are grieving once more, and the music is cut through with a palpable pain. If they are to continue, they have to keep moving forward, experimenting but remaining true to their original vision. To quote Henry David-Thoreau; “I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life.” Perhaps that is MASTODON’s path forward, to continue to find life within death, and from that darkness bring forth the light of their new era in all of its splendor. For now, they’re still getting their bearings.

Score: 7/10

Marrow Deep will be released on 28th August 2026 via Loma Vista Recordings.

Words: Kiarash Golshani

Photos: William Lacalmontie