Troy Sanders says Geezer Butler‘s intro to “The Vanishing” is the bass highlight of Mastodon’s Marrow Deep.
Troy Sanders has handed the bass honours on Mastodon‘s ninth album to someone else entirely. Speaking to Iain McCallum of Australia’s “I Was Gonna Ask About That“, the bassist and vocalist said the standout bass moment on Marrow Deep belongs to Black Sabbath co-founder Geezer Butler, who recorded the introduction to the track “The Vanishing“. The two men have still never been in the same room.
Asked whether landing Butler made him feel like a teenager again, Sanders said the feeling has not worn off.
“We all did, and we all still do. I was recently asked, speaking of just solely on the bass guitar, someone says, ‘What’s the highlight of this album for you on bass?’ And I said, ‘Well, the highlight wasn’t me,’ and it’s really cool to say that,” he said (as transcribed by Blabbermouth).
The connection between the two bands runs back further than the album. Sanders traced it through a shared Ozzfest bill, a mention in Butler‘s memoir and Mastodon‘s slot at Black Sabbath‘s farewell.
“What a cool moment,” he continued. “We were lucky to tour with Black Sabbath, 2005, on the Ozzfest in the States. Geezer name-dropped us in his book that he wrote two years ago, and that blew our minds. And then to be invited to [the] ‘Back To The Beginning‘ [event in Birmingham] last year was an absolute dream come true. So through management, we reached out to Geezer to see if he wanted to collaborate in any capacity, and he came back and said yes. So for all of us it’s just, like, go back in time and say, ‘The guy from Black Sabbath that writes all the lyrics, he’s gonna be on your album.’ So not just my head would’ve exploded, but all five of us.”
Butler‘s memoir, “Into The Void: From Birth To Black Sabbath — And Beyond“, was published in 2023. The “Back To The Beginning” show took place at Villa Park in Birmingham on 5 July 2025 and was Black Sabbath‘s final performance. Ozzy Osbourne died 17 days later.
Sanders described the collaboration itself in a July interview with Bass Player, where he explained how the part came about.
“We wanted him to hear where the record was going and see if anything inspired him, and he sent back this incredible bass solo that became the introduction to a song called ‘The Vanishing‘. It’s a very Sabbath-inspired track. It’s definitely the bass highlight of the album. And I’m completely happy saying that,” he said at the time.
He told the same magazine that the whole exchange happened at a distance, and that the Villa Park show did not present a realistic opening.
“Everything went through management,” Sanders explained. “We’ve never actually met face to face. At the Sabbath show at Villa Park [in July 2025], it was a madhouse in the Sabbath area, so the idea of trying to go back there just didn’t feel right.
“We’re hoping to finally meet when we’re touring the States later this year because he’ll be near one of our days off. If we can actually sit down together, that’ll complete the whole circle,” he added.
Marrow Deep carries more guests than any Mastodon record before it. Sanders was asked whether those contributors push the band, and set out the reasoning behind each invitation.
“Yeah. Anytime we reach out to one of our friends to collaborate, it’s because, number one, we’re inspired by them. Number two, we’ve befriended them along the way, with touring and crossing paths at festivals and whatnot. And number three, yeah, it’s like a full-circle thing. If we’ve been inspired by you, we write a part that sounds like, ‘Oh, hey, that sounds like Neil Fallon from Clutch. His voice could be there. Let’s ask him.’ Or, ‘Here’s another part that maybe Josh Homme could do something cool with. Reach out and ask him.’ So it’s a great compliment when we reach out, ask a friend if they are willing and able to collaborate with you, and they say yes, and they take time and energy out of their own lives and schedules and go to a studio and knock something out and send it back. Yeah, it’s one of the greatest compliments, actually,” he said.
Both names he raises are returning collaborators. Homme last appeared on “Colony Of Birchmen” from 2006’s Blood Mountain, and Fallon guested on “Blood And Thunder” from 2004’s Leviathan.
Butler‘s intro to “The Vanishing” sits alongside a contribution from Gojira‘s Joe Duplantier on the same track. Homme sings on “Snakes For Dinner“, Fallon delivers spoken word on “The Three Fates“, Lamb Of God‘s Randy Blythe and Converge‘s Nate Newton add gang vocals to “A Vampire’s Demeanor“, and Converge drummer Ben Koller appears on “Barbarians Blood“.
Marrow Deep tracklist:
- “Barbarians Blood”
- “Poisonous Weapons”
- “Your Ghost Again”
- “Snakes For Dinner”
- “Out Like A Lamb”
- “In The Ruins”
- “They’re Coming For You”
- “Golden Spires”
- “Moth And Bone”
- “A Vampire’s Demeanor”
- “The Vanishing”
- “The Three Fates”
Marrow Deep arrives on 28 August through Loma Vista Recordings, five years after 2021’s Hushed And Grim. The band co-produced it at their own West End Sound in Atlanta with Patrik Berger and Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou, with Andrew Scheps mixing. It is the first Mastodon album made as a five-piece, with guitarist Nick Johnston and keyboardist João Nogueira now full members alongside Sanders, Bill Kelliher and Brann Dailor, the reason Sanders counts five heads exploding rather than four. Founding guitarist Brent Hinds left the band in March 2025 and died that August at 51.
The “Poisonous Weapons Tour” opens on September 16 at Hard Rock Live in Orlando and finishes on October 24 at Sick New World Dallas, with Deafheaven and Alcest supporting throughout.
