The estate of late guitarist Brent Hinds has sued Mastodon in Fulton County Court in Georgia, United States, claiming the Atlanta metal band still owes money for his ownership share.
Hinds died in a motorcycle crash in August 2025, five months after Mastodon announced that the band and its co-founding guitarist had “mutually decided to part ways.”
The lawsuit, filed September 3, states that Hinds and the band had not agreed to relinquish his share in Mastodon, including music and merchandising, before his death. After he died, the estate received an $80,000 check to buy out that share. The estate has not cashed the check.
The estate also claims the band continued using Hinds’ image in promotional materials after his March 2025 exit. It points to the cover of Marrow Deep, the band’s just-released new album and Mastodon’s first without Hinds. The cover shows three large figures; the rightmost bat-faced figure wears a cloak with skulls and human faces. The estate says one of those faces resembles Hinds, who did not contribute musically to the album.
Mastodon began recording Marrow Deep shortly after Hinds’ death.
