“We thought the band was over. He's crossed the line – he's gone too far”: Mastodon open up about their relationship with Brent Hinds – and the devastating brain injury that nearly ended everything

Mastodon rehearsing, Brann Dailor, Brent Hinds, Bill Kelliher, Troy Sanders, Atlanta, Georgia, United States, 12th August 2011.

Nearly one year after Brent Hinds’ tragic death, Mastodon members are opening up about their complicated 25-year-relationship with the former lead guitarist – and the brain injury that nearly spelled the end of the band.

In an infamous accident that happened right after the 2007 MTV Video Awards, Hinds was involved in an altercation that resulted in a significant head injury that, for years, was rumored to have involved System of a Down bassist Shavo Odadjian – one that multiple sources have since dispelled.