<\/p>\n
Last year, Mastodon parted ways<\/a> with founding guitarist and vocalist Brent Hinds, probably the most instantly recognizable member of the band. The split was dramatic<\/a> and contentious<\/a>. A few months later, Hinds suddenly died<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n 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:<\/p>\n For me, “Your Ghost Again” is about when you lose somebody that\u2019s close to you that you existed with for most of your life \u2014 or your whole life. It\u2019s those moments when you\u2019re in those familiar places that you\u2019ve always been with that person, and then after they\u2019re gone, you see them out of the corner of your eye, and it makes you sad because they\u2019re not there. When we were in the studio recording, I kept seeing Brent. I\u2019d see him on my right holding the guitar because that\u2019s where he\u2019d usually be. It\u2019s the same with my mom; I keep seeing her. And you get a little jolt of excitement because you think you\u2019re actually seeing them, but then you remember they\u2019re not here and it takes you down a notch. So it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n 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.<\/p>\n\n