Mastodon have announced their first studio album in five years, *Marrow Deep*, alongside the release of the new single *Snakes For Dinner*, which reunites the band with Queens Of The Stone Age frontman Josh Homme twenty years after their first collaboration.
by Paul Cashmere
Mastodon have confirmed that their long awaited tenth studio album, Marrow Deep, will be released on August 28 through Loma Vista Recordings, marking the band’s first full length release since 2021’s Hushed And Grim. The announcement comes with the release of the new single Snakes For Dinner, featuring a guest vocal appearance from Queens Of The Stone Age singer Josh Homme, who also appears in the song’s accompanying video.
The announcement signals the beginning of a new chapter for the Atlanta metal veterans following one of the most significant periods of change in the band’s history. Marrow Deep follows the departure of founding guitarist Brent Hinds and introduces guitarist Nick Johnston as a full time recording member. The album also reflects several years of personal upheaval for the remaining founding members, Brann Dailor, Troy Sanders and Bill Kelliher, while continuing the progressive heavy sound that has defined Mastodon’s catalogue for more than two decades.
According to the band, Marrow Deep draws inspiration from the Three Fates of Greek mythology, exploring the fragile connection between life, loss and destiny. Those themes extend throughout the record, which channels recent personal experiences into what the band describes as some of its most ambitious and emotionally direct music.
Snakes For Dinner serves as the first detailed preview of that direction. Built around heavy guitar work and melodic passages, the song explores grief, absence and resilience. It also reunites Mastodon with Josh Homme, whose previous appearance with the band came on Colony Of Birchmen from the 2006 album Blood Mountain.
The album was co-produced by Mastodon at the band’s West End Sound studio in Atlanta alongside producer Patrik Berger, whose credits include Lana Del Rey and Charli XCX, together with Kurt Ballou, known for his work with High On Fire and Converge.
Mixing duties were handled by Andrew Scheps, whose extensive résumé includes Adele, Black Sabbath and Metallica. Keyboard contributions come from João Nogueira, while the band has indicated that additional guest performers will be announced closer to release.
The album announcement follows the recent release of the short documentary The Mastodon In The Room, in which the band reflects on the circumstances surrounding Brent Hinds’ departure after a 25 year partnership. The film examines the unresolved grief that accompanied the split while acknowledging both the creative achievements and personal challenges that shaped the band’s history.
For Mastodon, Marrow Deep represents more than simply another studio release. It becomes the band’s first opportunity to redefine itself after one of the biggest line-up changes of its career. Bassist Troy Sanders said the remaining members have
rediscovered the enthusiasm that characterised the group’s earliest years.
“Bill, Brann, and myself are thrilled that we still have the opportunity to do this, and we’ve got other members who are just over the moon to be in the band with us,” Sanders said. “That’s a magical feeling that makes us keep wanting to go to band practice. It’s reminiscent of the very beginning of our band, where all members are hungry, we’re united, and excited to get to work. And we’re thrilled to have the opportunity to do this record.”
Since forming in Atlanta in 2000, Mastodon have become one of modern metal’s defining bands, consistently expanding the genre’s boundaries through technically ambitious songwriting and conceptual albums. Landmark releases including Leviathan, Blood Mountain, Crack The Skye and Emperor Of Sand established the band as a leading force in progressive metal while earning commercial success and critical recognition.
The group won a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance with Sultan’s Curse and followed with Hushed And Grim, an album shaped by grief after the death of longtime manager Nick John. That record debuted at the top of Billboard’s Hard Rock Albums chart and further broadened the band’s audience through its expansive approach to heavy music.
More recently, Mastodon celebrated the twentieth anniversary of Leviathan with a major arena tour alongside Lamb Of God before collaborating with that band on the standalone single Floods Of Triton. They were also recognised by New York’s Metropolitan Opera during its acclaimed production of Moby-Dick, acknowledging the literary influence shared with Leviathan.
With Marrow Deep, Mastodon now enter a new phase that balances continuity with renewal. The album introduces fresh personnel while maintaining the creative partnership that has driven the band for more than two decades. Whether Snakes For Dinner proves representative of the full record will become clear when Marrow Deep is released on August 28.
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