Metal, Hardcore, Indie, Rock
The “Hellfest Open Air” festival in Clisson, France, has a long history of paying tribute to late rock and metal icons as well as its former performers, as per theprp. A brand-new statue honouring pioneering heavy metal legend Ozzy Osbourne was formally installed on the festival grounds earlier this week. As it happens, there are other fallen metal icons who have received new honours this year besides the Prince of Darkness. This year’s exhibit also has an elaborate stained glass homage to former Mastodon guitarist and vocalist Brent Hinds, which was previously displayed by guitarist Bill Kelliher of the same band. Hinds, who was a free-spirited rock ‘n’ roller to the end of his life, was sadly killed in a motorbike accident on 20 August 2025. When he passed away, he was 51 years old.
Hinds participated in Fiend Without a Face, West End Motel, Giraffe Tongue Orchestra, and other groups in addition to spending decades with Mastodon. Mastodon recently released their newest track, “Your Ghost Again,” as a musical tribute to Hinds, who had severed company with the band in an acrimonious split months before his death.
Upcoming shows by Mastodon:
⚫ = Headlining show
= with Loathe
Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, Mastodon is an American heavy metal ensemble that came into being in the year 2000. For a remarkable span of 24 years, the band’s core members — Troy Sanders on bass and vocals, Brent Hinds on lead guitar and vocals, Bill Kelliher on rhythm guitar and backing vocals, and Brann Dailor on drums and vocals — maintained their consistent lineup until Hinds’s departure in March 2025.
