Mastodon — Marrow Deep Album Review: Atlanta's Own Returns
Metal Nerdery Podcast — Episode 368 | Published September 10, 2026 | metalnerdery.com | @metalnerderypodcast
"It still sounds like Mastodon, but it's got some 70s/retro vibes…"
"If you like Mastodon, you'll like this. This is Mastodon 2.0…"
"They're riff shamans…"
"Terrible tragedy turns into beautiful art…"
"My ears are happy… I'm just hearing cool shit."
"It doesn't suck — you just grew out of it, it's not your thing, or they moved on without you…"
"Definitely a relaxer album, for sure…"
About This Episode
Very few bands in the history of recorded music have managed to maintain the same lineup for as long as Atlanta, Georgia's own progressive metal titans, Mastodon. After Brent Hinds' departure from the band in 2025 and the tragic permanence of his untimely demise which followed just a few months later, it seemed that after 25 years the band which Brann Dailor, Bill Kelliher, and Troy Sanders had launched with Hinds was finished.
Thankfully, the remaining three were able to transmute their tragedy into a new era for the band — introducing two new members in guitarist Nick Johnston and keyboardist João Nogueira — and crafting one of the most powerful comeback albums of all time with Marrow Deep, the band's 9th studio album and perhaps one of their most well-rounded and progressive records to date.
There are so many layers to this album that it's nigh impossible to digest it all in one single listen. With familiar sonic textures, elements, and themes spanning the entire Mastodon catalog — from Remission to Hushed and Grim — combined with the contributions of Johnston and Nogueira, Marrow Deep possesses an almost darker, 70s-flavored progressive quality. A mountaintop moment for Mastodon 2.0, and a genuine Album of the Year contender.
Album: Marrow Deep — Mastodon's 9th Studio Album
Released: August 28, 2026
Produced by: Kurt Ballou (Converge) & Patrik Berger
New Members: Nick Johnston (guitar) · João Nogueira (keyboards)
Special Guests: Neil Fallon (Clutch) · Josh Homme (QOTSA) · Geezer Butler (Black Sabbath) · Joe Duplantier (Gojira)
In Memory of: Brent Hinds (1974–2025) — "Terrible tragedy turns into beautiful art."
🎙 We'll Play Your Sh*t-tah! — The Fierce & The Dead
🎧 Featured Artist — The Fierce & The Dead
Song played: "Shake Hands and Exit" off the forthcoming album Regional Theatre — releasing September 11, 2026. "That's a great time to release an album… people NEVER forget when they get something on September the 11th." #NeverForget
FFO: Faith No More · Kyuss · Mastodon · Queens of the Stone Age · Soundgarden · Oceansize · King Crimson · Flaming Lips
Visit them at fierceandthedead.com and check out the album below:
Marrow Deep — Track by Track
01
Barbarians Blood
The opener. "The lyrics are a lot about loss… and tragedy…" Sets the emotional tone for the whole album.
02
Poisonous Weapons
Opens with a clip from The River's Edge. "And I felt so FUCKING ALIVE!" "It's progressive but it has a 70s vibe to it…" "All hail the weakest link!" "I love the midrange guitars… without the scoop…"
"It's progressive but it has a 70s vibe to it…"
03
Your Ghost Again
The first single. "Constantly reminded how good I'm not… how do they come up with that?" "They're riff shamans…" #Wheelerglyphics — see also the Metal Instrumentals episode for The Book of Sevens reference.
"They're riff shamans…"
04
Snakes for Dinner
"About 3:51…" — Josh Homme appears at the end. "Talk about haunting… that's haunting…"
★ Josh Homme
05
Out Like a Lamb
"This kinda has Blood Mountain & Emperor of Sand vibes to it…" "The songcraft is really, really good…"
06
In the Ruins
About Troy Sanders' family losing everything in Hurricane Helene. "It sounds like space… like a planetarium…" "There's a lot of texture on this album… what I like about it is it's very emotive." "This has got all the good elements: the heavy stuff, the grooving stuff, the melodious stuff…"
"Terrible tragedy turns into beautiful art."
07
They're Coming for You
Track 7 in The Book of 7s. "I was gonna say it's a lot like Dream Theater, but more listenable…" "That sounds like Deep Purple (see also Child in Time… specifically around 5:43)." "My ears are happy… I'm just hearing cool shit." #riffgravy
"My ears are happy… I'm just hearing cool shit."
08
Golden Spires
"See if you can count this next one…" "This one's pretty heavy… I think it's in 4/4." "I like the atmosphere that the keyboards give… and the fuzz on the bass."
09
Moth and Bone
"If YOU don't know what The Book of 7s says, then we're all fucked." ("Insert relaxers here…") "It's kind of a departure…" "It's guitar on one side and keyboards on the other."
10
A Vampire's Demeanor
"A lot of nice use of light and shade… soft and hard… dark and light…"
11
The Vanishing
"This has kind of a weird Kyuss vibe… like a mellower Kyuss… it's like night driving music… it's like stoner metal Mastodon… kinda." "The more we love, we suffer in it…"
★ Geezer Butler
12
The Three Fates
Neil Fallon (Clutch) comes in at 1:37. "I think the keyboards bring some things out… more and more metal bands are starting to embrace keyboards… that 70s vibe is kinda coming back…"
★ Neil Fallon
#RussellsReflections — Freaks on Parade
🎙 Russell's Reflections — Rob Zombie · Marilyn Manson · Orgy
"Can I speak upon the Zombie shirt?" — Russell's quick review of the Freaks on Parade Tour featuring Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson, and Orgy. "I'm gonna give you guys a quick review…" "He sounded good… his voice was great… I mean it was never good, but… you know what I mean?" #FreaksOnParade
#AskTheMetalhead — This or That: Album Covers & Food
🎙 Ask The Metalhead — Ep. 368
"Debut album covers — Iron Maiden self-titled or Black Sabbath self-titled?"
"For an '83 record — Holy Diver or Quiet Riot Metal Health?"
"For an '84 record — Metallica Ride the Lightning or Iron Maiden Powerslave?"
"For an '85 record — Iron Maiden Live After Death or Slayer Hell Awaits?"
"Tacos or Burritos?"
"Chinese or Japanese food?"
"Pizza or Wings… or Fried Chicken?" — "Fried chicken and ice cream!?"
Episode Timestamps
00:01"Which do you think is grosser? Boiled egg water… OR… hot dog water?" / "It's closer to broth…" / #inthemiddleofthenight / "I have a new problem… gunt sweat…" / WARNING: #listenerdiscretionisadvised / ***WELCOME BACK TO THE METAL NERDERY PODCAST IN THE BUNKERPOON CENTER FOR METAL EXCELLENCE!!!***
05:04"Can I speak upon the Zombie shirt?" / #RussellsReflections — Freaks on Parade Tour: #RobZombie · #MarilynManson · #Orgy / "I'm gonna give you guys a quick review…" / "He sounded good… his voice was great… I mean it was never good, but… you know what I mean?" / #FreaksOnParade
17:22***WE'LL PLAY YOUR SH*T-TAH!!!*** / #TheFierceAndTheDead — "Shake Hands and Exit" off Regional Theatre (releasing Sep 11, 2026) / #NeverForget / "That's a great time to release an album… people NEVER forget when they get something on September the 11th…" / Visit fierceandthedead.com
21:20***METAL NERDERY PRESENTS: MASTODON — MARROW DEEP*** / "It doesn't suck, you just grew out of it, it's not your thing, or they moved on without you…" / "It still sounds like Mastodon, but it's got some 70s/retro vibes…" / "If you like Mastodon, you'll like this. This is Mastodon 2.0…" / New members: Nick Johnston (guitar) · João Nogueira (keyboards) / Special guests: Neil Fallon · Josh Homme · Geezer Butler · Joe Duplantier / Produced by Kurt Ballou (Converge) & Patrik Berger
24:42Barbarians Blood — "The lyrics are a lot about loss… and tragedy…"
28:16"The next one opens with a clip from The River's Edge…" / Poisonous Weapons — "And I felt so FUCKING ALIVE!!!" / "It's progressive but it has a 70s vibe to it…" / "All hail the weakest link!" / "I love the midrange guitars… without the scoop…" / #inyourface
31:11"What's with The Book of Sevens?" / #Wheelerglyphics / If you're wondering where the 7s reference comes from, go check out our Metal Instrumentals episode… / "This was the first single…" / Your Ghost Again — "Constantly reminded how good I'm not… how do they come up with that?" / "They're riff shamans…"
34:10"How about some Snakes for Dinner? This one has some (Mr.) Josh Homme at the end…" / "About 3:51…" / "Talk about haunting… that's haunting…"
37:40Out Like a Lamb — "This kinda has Blood Mountain & Emperor of Sand vibes to it…" / "The songcraft is really, really good…"
39:40"This is about Troy's family losing everything in Hurricane Helene…" / In the Ruins — "It sounds like space… like a planetarium…" / "There's a lot of texture on this album… what I like about it is it's very emotive…" / "This has got all the good elements: the heavy stuff, the grooving stuff, the melodious stuff…"
44:26They're Coming for You — "Track number 7 in The Book of 7s…" / "I was gonna say it's a lot like Dream Theater, but more listenable…" / "That sounds like Deep Purple (see also Child in Time… specifically around 5:43)" / "My ears are happy… I'm just hearing cool shit." / #riffgravy
47:48"See if you can count this next one…" / Golden Spires — "This one's pretty heavy… I think it's in 4/4." / "I like the atmosphere that the keyboards give… and the fuzz on the bass."
50:11"The next one I really like… it's a change of pace…" / "If YOU don't know what The Book of 7s says, then we're all fucked." / Moth and Bone — ("Insert relaxers here…") / "It's kind of a departure…" / "It's guitar on one side and keyboards on the other…"
54:23A Vampire's Demeanor — "A lot of nice use of light and shade… soft and hard… dark and light…" / "On the last two tracks we've got guestesses… on The Vanishing we've got Geezer Butler…"
57:22The Vanishing (Ladies & gentlemen, Mr. Geezer Butler) / "This has kind of a weird Kyuss vibe… like a mellower Kyuss… I've heard some people say 'Elder'…" / "It's like night driving music…" / "It's like stoner metal Mastodon… kinda." / "The more we love, we suffer in it…"
1:01:14"Let me consult The Book of 7s…" / The Three Fates (featuring Mr. Neil Fallon of Clutch) / "Definitely a relaxer album, for sure…" / "1:37 is when Neil Fallon comes in…" / "I think the keyboards bring some things out… more and more metal bands are starting to embrace keyboards… that 70s vibe is kinda coming back…"
1:10:06#AskTheMetalhead / Album covers: Maiden debut or Black Sabbath debut? / "For an '83 record — Holy Diver or Metal Health?" / "For an '84 record — Ride the Lightning or Powerslave?" / "For an '85 record — Live After Death or Hell Awaits?" / "Tacos or Burritos?" / "Chinese or Japanese?" / "Pizza or Wings… or Fried Chicken?" / "Fried chicken and ice cream!?" / ***THANK YOU FOR JOINING US!!!*** / #untilthenext #outroreel
- Episode: Metal Nerdery #368 — Mastodon: Marrow Deep Album Review
- Album: Marrow Deep — 9th studio album — August 28, 2026
- Produced by: Kurt Ballou (Converge) & Patrik Berger
- New members: Nick Johnston (guitar) · João Nogueira (keyboards)
- Special guests: Neil Fallon · Josh Homme · Geezer Butler · Joe Duplantier
- The verdict: "If you like Mastodon, you'll like this. This is Mastodon 2.0…" — Album of the Year contender
- In Memory of: Brent Hinds (1974–2025)
- Featured artist: The Fierce & The Dead — "Shake Hands and Exit" off Regional Theatre (Sep 11, 2026)
- #RussellsReflections: Freaks on Parade Tour — Rob Zombie · Marilyn Manson · Orgy
- #AskTheMetalhead: Album cover This or That (5 rounds) + Food This or That (3 rounds)
- Book of 7s: Track 7 is They're Coming for You. Consult the Book accordingly.
- Grosser: Hot dog water. It's closer to broth. #neverforgot
Related Metal Nerdery Episodes
