{"id":756902,"date":"2026-09-01T18:16:12","date_gmt":"2026-09-01T18:16:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/756902\/"},"modified":"2026-09-01T18:16:12","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T18:16:12","slug":"review-mastodon-marrow-deep","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/756902\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Mastodon – Marrow Deep"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Published by Clay<\/a> on 2026\/09\/012026\/09\/01<\/p>\n

\"\"Artwork by Paul Romano<\/a><\/p>\n

Style: Progressive metal, sludge metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Baroness, Opeth, The Ocean, Elder<\/a>
Country: United States (Georgia)
Release date: 28 August 2026<\/p>\n

Over their twenty-five-year career, grief has permeated Mastodon\u2019s catalogue. Mournful themes emerging from the loss of friends and family members laid the foundation for Crack the Skye, The Hunter, and Emperor of Sand. While 2021\u2019s Hushed and Grim found the sludge and progressive metal giants reeling from the passing of their longtime friend and manager, Nick John. Through it all, Mastodon remained a remarkably resilient and consistent four-piece with each member functioning as a critical cornerstone to the band\u2019s sonic design. Marrow Deep, the group\u2019s tenth LP, was born in the wake of lead guitarist and co-vocalist Brent Hinds\u2019 2025 passing, shortly after Mastodon\u2019s fall out with him. Newcomer guitarist Nick Johnston has been enlisted to fill the Georgia-sized void left by Hind\u2019s absence, and with him\u2014as well as the full-time incorporation of keyboardist Jo\u00e3o Nogueira\u2014comes the band\u2019s first line-up change since their 2002 debut.<\/p>\n

With the thunderous opening of \u201cBarbarians Blood\u201d, it\u2019s clear that the machinery behind Mastodon\u2019s gargantuan sonic character, guitarist Bill Kelliher and drummer Brann Dailor, continues to churn on in full force. A revitalized energy pulses through the heavy distorted sections as Kelliher and Johnston add frills and unexpected tangents to the guitar phrases, with licks evolving through variation rather than stagnating in repetition. The chaotic, sludgy riffs that defined Mastodon\u2019s early sound roar back with full force in \u201cPoisonous Weapons\u201d and \u201cSnakes for Dinner\u201d. Marrow Deep contains some of Mastodon\u2019s heaviest work since Blood Mountain, with the epic descending hook of \u201cGolden Spires\u201d and the punk-tinged \u201cA Vampire\u2019s Demeanor\u201d finding the band back to the strength of their early days. Dailor\u2019s frenetic trademark drumming, wild and engaging as ever, remains the force that propels the now fivesome through heavier passages. Despite the revival of ferocious guitar lines, inconsistencies of guitar volume within and between tracks are stumbling blocks to the album\u2019s flow. Distorted guitar phrases within verses often become swallowed by Dailor\u2019s drumming, vocals, and the surrounding synths, and at times are nearly indecipherable.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Though Hinds\u2019 soulful leads and characteristic vocal twang are but a memory, the increased role of Jo\u00e3o Nogueira\u2019s synths and keys ramps up the progressive feel to Marrow Deep, adding further depth to the band\u2019s aural signature. While synths in past Mastodon albums have acted as subtle, textural elements, their central presence is a defining feature of Marrow Deep. From the \u201870s prog interlude that beautifully sets the stage for the explosive ending of \u201cYour Ghost Again\u201d to the unexpectedly delicate isolated keys that open \u201cMoth and Bone\u201d, Nogueira\u2019s increased presence effectively expands Mastodon\u2019s sonic palette. During the wide-open acoustic verses of \u201cPoisonous Weapons\u201d and\u00a0 \u201cGolden Spires\u201d, for instance, the sparkling synths fill the empty space with an atmosphere of melancholy. As for the solos, Johnston shows no interest in replicating Hinds, tearing through technical yet emotive lines in \u201cOut Like a Lamb\u201d and \u201cA Vampire\u2019s Demeanor\u201d. Meanwhile, Nogueira is given moments to show off his technical prowess in the keyboard solos of \u201cSnakes for Dinner\u201d, \u201cOut Like a Lamb\u201d and \u201cThe Three Fates\u201d.<\/p>\n

Dailor and Troy Sanders have accounted for the bulk of Mastodon\u2019s vocals in recent releases, though Hinds\u2019 absence requires them each to take up even greater roles. In Marrow Deep, Sanders\u2019 gruff, characteristic snarl and Dailor\u2019s soaring cleans line their grief with shimmers of hope, declaring in \u201cMoth and Bone\u201d that despite the loss, the group is \u201cnot yet defeated\u201d. Poignant moments of mourning, however, consistently cut deep, none more so than the chorus to \u201cSnakes for Dinner\u201d:<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you left, you took the moon and stars<\/p>\n

Buried them deep underneath the ocean<\/p>\n

When you left, you took our hearts and minds<\/p>\n

All that I could find amongst the grime were memories\u201d<\/p>\n

Although the struggles that Mastodon\u2019s remaining members had with Hinds\u2019 demons are well-known, the band confronts the grief of losing their brother with honesty, providing catharsis for the band and longtime fans alike.<\/p>\n

Despite Marrow Deep\u2019s powerful opening section and many high points, the album fails to fully engage throughout its sixty-five-minute runtime. Guitar solo aside, momentum begins to slip with \u201cOut Like a Lamb\u201d and fails to completely recover despite the propulsive \u201cIn the Ruins\u201d that follows. Key reasons for this are the largely indistinguishable slow acoustic verses of \u201cGolden Spires\u201d, \u201cA Vampire\u2019s Demeanor\u201d, and \u201cMoth and Bone\u201d. Though these tracks do double down on the melancholic atmosphere, by being grouped together they become tiresome. Sanders\u2019 repetitive \u201cThe Jackal!\u201d battle cry in \u201cThey\u2019re Coming For You\u201d grows increasingly grating with repeated listens. The album\u2019s closing and longest track, \u201cThe Three Fates\u201d, wraps up Marrow Deep with a whimper compared to the album\u2019s high-octane opening. While the guitar and keyboard back-and-forth would be a great addition to a live set, its placement at the end of an hour-plus album adds to the bloat that drags down the latter half of Marrow Deep.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Even though the list of guest musicians and vocalists is brow raising, the appearances rarely pay off: Josh Homme\u2019s (Queens of the Stone Age, ex-Kyuss) isolated vocals that close \u201cSnakes for Dinner\u201d dim the theretofore blazing track; Clutch\u2019s Neil Fallon\u2019s demented sermon on closing track \u201cThe Three Fates\u201d is a jarring distraction; and the four-stringed-god himself Geezer Butler\u2019s opening to \u201cThe Vanishing\u201d is completely detached from the rest of the track. Rather than adding to the experience, these guest appearances detract from the album\u2019s ultimate impact.<\/p>\n

Marrow Deep is easily the band\u2019s most progressive album since Crack the Skye, though lacking in cohesion. While there are plenty of the massive sludgy riffs that longtime fans crave, the album\u2019s back half suffers from inconsistency and bloat. Despite the excessive runtime and numerous flaws, Marrow Deep is nonetheless a triumphant statement from Mastodon, persevering through the haze of grief following Hinds\u2019 departure and passing. While unlikely to rival their classics, Marrow Deep provides another opportunity to revel in the band\u2019s resilience and another solid addition to their remarkably consistent discography.<\/p>\n

Recommended tracks: Barbarians Blood, Snakes for Dinner, In the Ruins, Moth and Bone
You may also like: \u00dcga B\u00fcga<\/a>, Anciients<\/a>, Dvne, Boss Keloid<\/a>
Final verdict: 7\/10<\/p>\n

Related links: Bandcamp<\/a> | Facebook<\/a> | Instagram<\/a><\/p>\n

Label: Loma Vista Records<\/a><\/p>\n

Mastodon is:
\u2013 Troy Sanders (bass, vocals)
\u2013 Bill Kelliher (guitar)
\u2013 Brann Dailor (drums, vocals)
\u2013 Nick Johnston (guitar)
\u2013 Jo\u00e3o Nogueira (keyboards, synthesizer)
With guests:
\u2013 Ben Koller\u00a0\u2013 percussion on \u201cBarbarians Blood\u201d
\u2013 Joshua Homme\u00a0\u2013 additional vocals on \u201cSnakes for Dinner\u201d
\u2013 Nate Newton\u00a0\u2013 additional vocals on \u201cA Vampire\u2019s Demeanor\u201d
\u2013 Randy Blythe\u00a0\u2013 additional vocals on \u201cA Vampire\u2019s Demeanor\u201d
\u2013 Joe Duplantier\u00a0\u2013 additional vocals on \u201cThe Vanishing\u201d
\u2013 Geezer Butler\u00a0\u2013 bass guitar on \u201cThe Vanishing\u201d
\u2013 Neil Fallon\u00a0\u2013 additional vocals on \u201cThe Three Fates\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n