Progressive sludge metal band Mastodon delivered the live debut of their surprise new single, “Your Ghost Again“, last night (June 3) during a performance in Prague, Czech Republic. The track, which was released digitally on June 1, serves as a poignant tribute to the band’s late guitarist and vocalist, Brent Hinds.
The song marks a significant transitional milestone for the band as their first piece of new music since Hinds tragically passed away in a motorcycle accident in August 2025, several months after a bitter split with the group. “Your Ghost Again” is expected to lead into Mastodon‘s upcoming ninth studio album, which will be their first full-length effort without Hinds.
Before introducing the track to the Prague audience, bassist and vocalist Troy Sanders took a moment to address the crowd and dedicate the performance to his late bandmate.
“This is the first song in our entire career that wasn’t worked on with our friend Brent — he passed away last year, and he is no longer with us. So we’d like to do a new song for you guys and we’d like to dedicate it to Brent because we miss him and we love him also.”
Song credits for “Your Ghost Again” confirm that the band’s evolving lineup now includes writing and playing contributions from guitarist Nick Johnston and keyboardist João Nogueira.
Speaking about the song’s origins, drummer and vocalist Brann Dailor revealed that memories of Hinds were impossible to escape while working in the studio.
“’Your Ghost Again‘ is about being in those familiar places you used to be with people, which for us is in the studio,” says drummer/vocalist Brann Dailor (via Kerrang!). “I just kept seeing [Hinds] out of the corner of my eye, where he would normally be with his guitar.
“It’s about that: your mind plays tricks on you, especially so soon after someone dies and you’re in the places where they always were. You just see them.”
Bassist and vocalist Troy Sanders explained that his lyrics were written directly for his longtime bandmate, reflecting on the experiences they shared throughout their career.
“My portion of the song, lyrically, is all about Brent, and for Brent. The bridge lyrics are two lines of pure gratitude towards Brent. It’s all the gifts from you, now you can take them back where you must go, meaning you came into my life, you exposed me to things that blew my mind, together we conquered thousands of stages around the world, had magical moments that we can never repeat again, but all the beauty that you brought it still remains, always will, and it’s just a line of gratitude because that’s important that we include Brent.”
For guitarist Bill Kelliher, “Your Ghost Again” was the obvious choice to introduce this new chapter of Mastodon.
“We wanted to pick a song that sounds like Mastodon, and that has all the things in there, because it’s the first impression of what people are gonna hear. It speaks about things that have just happened and people passing. I could go deep but I don’t want to because a lot of that s**t’s personal.”
Coinciding with the live debut and single release, Mastodon has officially announced a major North American headlining run for autumn 2026. Titled “The Poisonous Weapons Tour“, the extensive trek will feature support from special guests Deafheaven and Alcest. The tour is scheduled to kick off on September 16 in Orlando, Florida, making its way through numerous major stops across the United States and Canada before concluding in Dallas, Texas, on October 24.
General public ticket sales for the North American tour will begin today, June 5, at 10:00 a.m. local time, following the conclusion of the artist presale. Meanwhile, the band is currently in the middle of a packed European and U.K. summer festival itinerary.
Mastodon 2026 European & U.K. Tour Dates:
- Jun 5 – Nürburg, Germany @ Rock am Ring
- Jun 6 – Gdansk, Poland @ Mystic Festival
- Jun 7 – Nuremberg, Germany @ Rock im Park
- Jun 9 – Zurich, Switzerland @ Komplex (feat. Loathe)
- Jun 11 – Nickelsdorf, Austria @ Nova Rock
- Jun 13 – Leeuwarden, Netherlands @ Into the Grave Festival
- Jun 14 – Castle Donington, UK @ Download Festival
- Jun 16 – Saarbrücken, Germany @ Garage (feat. Loathe)
- Jun 17 – Dortmund, Germany @ FZW (feat. Loathe)
- Jun 19 – Clisson, France @ Hellfest
- Jun 21 – Dessel, Belgium @ Graspop Metal Meeting
- Jun 22 – Hamburg, Germany @ Docks (feat. Loathe)
- Jun 24 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Copenhell Festival
- Jun 25 – Berlin, Germany @ Huxley’s Neue Welt (feat. Loathe)
- Jun 27 – Snina, Slovakia @ Rock Pod Kamenom
- Jun 28 – Zagreb, Croatia @ Culture Factory
- Jul 3 – Cartagena, Spain @ Rock Imperium Festival
- Jul 4 – Viveiro, Spain @ Resurrection Fest
- Jul 5 – Lisbon, Portugal @ Evil Live Festival
Mastodon “The Poisonous Weapons Tour” 2026 North American Dates (w/ Deafheaven & Alcest):
- Sep 16 – Orlando, FL
- Sep 18 – Asheville, NC
- Sep 19 – Pittsburgh, PA
- Sep 20 – Louisville, KY
- Sep 22 – Philadelphia, PA
- Sep 23 – Boston, MA
- Sep 24 – Brooklyn, NY
- Sep 25 – Washington, DC
- Sep 27 – Montreal, QC
- Sep 28 – Toronto, ON
- Sep 29 – Buffalo, NY
- Oct 1 – Detroit, MI
- Oct 2 – Chicago, IL
- Oct 3 – Minneapolis, MN
- Oct 6 – Salt Lake City, UT
- Oct 7 – Boise, ID
- Oct 9 – Oakland, CA
- Oct 10 – Los Angeles, CA
- Oct 11 – San Diego, CA
- Oct 14 – Denver, CO
- Oct 16 – Des Moines, IA
- Oct 17 – St. Louis, MO
- Oct 18 – Memphis, TN
- Oct 20 – Cleveland, OH
- Oct 21 – Greensboro, NC
- Oct 22 – Atlanta, GA
- Oct 24 – Dallas, TX
