“I’m an oddball when it comes to the metal scene”: Co-leader of Mastodon for a quarter century, Brent Hinds was a one-of-a-kind guitarist who took metal guitar into uncharted territory – because he never considered himself a metal guitarist

Brent Hinds of Mastodon backstage at the O2 Academy on February 5, 2012 in Bristol.

On Wednesday, August 20, the world of guitar suffered a body blow with the death of Brent Hinds, the fearless, heavily tattooed guitar-slinger who helped lead Mastodon for a quarter century.

A co-founder of Mastodon – along with guitarist Bill Kelliher, bassist Troy Sanders, and drummer Brann Dailor – Hinds was a major figure in pushing metal guitar, and metal as a whole, into uncharted territory in the 21st century – challenging the genre’s rules and conventions with playing that bore the mark of a wide range of influences.