Lamb of God frontman Randy Blythe has shared a deeply personal and poetic tribute to Brent Hinds, the former Mastodon guitarist and co-founder who died on August 20 in a motorcycle crash. In a lengthy Instagram post, Blythe reflected on his long friendship with Hinds and the impact of his death, comparing his life to a hurricane—a force of nature that was both destructive and capable of creating things of immense beauty.
The news of Hinds‘ passing reached Blythe after he had spent the morning surfing large waves brought on by Hurricane Erin. He said that the experience, which made him feel “overjoyed to be alive,” made the news of Hinds‘ death even more shocking. Blythe wrote that he had known and toured with Hinds for more than 20 years and that everyone who met him has a “Brent story” because “he was uncompromisingly himself, with a take it or leave it attitude.”
Blythe‘s full statement is below:
“For the last few days Hurricane Erin traveled up the coast, bringing huge waves to our beaches- this is what us East Coast surfers wait all year for. Thursday morning I paddled out with some friends down in NC to ride some monsters. The sets were breaking well overhead, & I had that excited, nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach that comes when you head out into big swell to surf waves of consequence. I took a few on the head getting out, then got utterly destroyed dropping into a gigantic bomb, & finally I managed to catch 3 or 4 big waves that pushed the edges of my limited skill level. I got out of the water with a huge smile on my face, overjoyed to be alive in that moment, so very happy to be a 54 year old man who can still do such things. An hour later, I got the news that Brent Hinds had died in a motorcycle accident. He was 51, just 3 years younger than me.
In many ways, Brent was like a hurricane — a wild & uncontrollable force well known for wreaking havoc wherever he touched down. Like a hurricane, Brent could be destructive at times. But also just like a hurricane, he produced rare things of pure beauty; these massive, gorgeous, waves of sound that provided people so much joy. Anyone who ever met him has a Brent story, because he was uncompromisingly himself, with a take it or leave it attitude. I knew & traveled the world with him on tour for over 20 years, & I did some pretty insane things with him in the early days. I have countless Brent stories- but none of those are really important now, though.
A few hours after I heard he had died, I went back into the ocean- the swell had dropped some, but it was still big enough to warrant a few butterflies in the stomach. In my head as I paddled out was “Floods Of Triton,” the song my band did with Mastodon. One line in particular, ‘A hurricane’s ghost…’, kept echoing in my mind. To my knowledge, the solo for that song was the last thing Brent recorded with Mastodon. I sang a bit of it sitting there on my board in the ocean, then turned & caught a nice sized wave for him, literally riding a hurricane’s ghost. When I got out of the water, I could still hear the song we made together in my head the storm had passed, but the music remained. It still does.
When you make music with other people, together you create something bigger than the individual musicians, forming something eternal. Music is comprised of sound waves, a form of energy. Energy can neither be created or destroyed- it only changes form. All music travels the cosmos forever- this is the meaning of another line I wrote for “Floods Of Triton“: ‘Scream into eternity, remember this- all rivers run to the sea.’ As individual musicians, we are just channels, rushing into the larger ocean that we call music. And as individual musicians, we are mere human beings, with all the attendant problems & flaws & moments of beauty & joy that come with the human condition. I am this, my bandmates are this, the Mastodon guys are this, & Brent was certainly this- beautifully flawed human beings. No matter what we create together, in the end we are just human beings. It is important to remember this.
So I have been sad in an oddly numb sort of way for the last few days— someone I spent so much time with is gone, & as so often happens when a friend dies, I don’t really understand that yet. But my sadness grows much sharper when I think of Brent‘s family, his other friends I know, & of my brothers in Mastodon. This is a truly terrible situation for everyone involved, something that NO ONE wanted to happen— that is the bottom line. It’s not a soap opera, ok? Remember that.
I took many photos of Brent over the years- this is the last portrait of him I ever shot. Every portrait I have of him shows a devilish twinkle to his eyes, & this one is no different. I found it the day I learned he died, but didn’t feel like posting it, or really saying anything-sometimes it is better to be still & quiet. Instead I went into the sea, & rode waves, & heard various music he had made in my head. Sunset was beautiful that day, & I watched it from a boat in the sea. Even in a boat, the swell was big beneath to make me a little nervous- Brent would have enjoyed that ride, as he liked such things.
Rest in peace, Brent– you were a TRUE rock n’ roll wild man. Thanks for the tunes, the crazy times, & the many, many laughs. You will be missed.
‘Remember this- all rivers run to the sea…'”
