Complete List Of Mastodon Band Members

Feature Photo: Brandon Nagy / Shutterstock.com

Mastodon formed in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2000 and developed into one of the most distinctive American metal bands of the 21st century. Their music has drawn from progressive metal, sludge metal, hard rock, and psychedelic influences, with the band building its reputation through ambitious albums, intricate musicianship, and a rotating vocal approach. Mastodon released its debut album Remission in 2002 and went on to issue major records including Leviathan, Blood Mountain, Crack the Skye, The Hunter, Once More ‘Round the Sun, Emperor of Sand, Hushed and Grim, and Marrow Deep.

The band’s lineup remained unusually stable for roughly 25 years, with Brann Dailor, Brent Hinds, Bill Kelliher, and Troy Sanders forming the core associated with Mastodon’s first eight studio albums. Hinds left the band in March 2025 and died in a motorcycle accident in Atlanta on August 20, 2025, at age 51. Mastodon continued with a new lineup that brought guitarist Nick Johnston and keyboardist João Nogueira into the band alongside Dailor, Kelliher, and Sanders. That lineup recorded Marrow Deep, released in August 2026.

Brann Dailor

Brann Dailor has been Mastodon’s drummer and percussionist since the band formed in 2000. His highly technical playing became one of the group’s defining musical signatures, from the intensity of Remission and Leviathan to the increasingly melodic and progressive direction of later albums. Dailor also became an important vocalist within Mastodon, contributing backing vocals before taking on more prominent lead-vocal parts on albums such as Crack the Skye and later releases.

Before Mastodon, Dailor played in Today Is the Day and other heavy-music projects. Outside the band, he has also worked with the progressive rock project Arcadea. His combination of complex drumming, melodic instincts, and vocals has made him one of the most recognizable members of Mastodon.

Bill Kelliher

Bill Kelliher has been Mastodon’s rhythm guitarist since the band’s formation in 2000. His heavy riffing and precise rhythm work have been central to the group’s sound across every era, appearing on all of Mastodon’s studio albums from Remission through Marrow Deep. He has also contributed backing vocals and has been a major part of the band’s songwriting and arrangement process.

Kelliher’s playing is especially important to Mastodon’s ability to shift between crushing metal riffs, progressive structures, and more melodic passages. After Brent Hinds left the group, Kelliher remained one of the three founding members carrying Mastodon into its next lineup.

Troy Sanders

Troy Sanders has served as Mastodon’s bassist and one of its principal vocalists since 2000. His bass playing provides much of the low-end weight beneath the band’s dense guitar arrangements, while his deep and distinctive voice became one of the key elements in Mastodon’s multi-vocalist identity.

Sanders has appeared on every Mastodon studio album and has delivered lead vocals on many of the band’s most recognizable songs. Outside Mastodon, he has worked with other projects including Killer Be Killed. Along with Dailor and Kelliher, Sanders remained a founding member of the band following the 2025 departure of Brent Hinds.

Nick Johnston

Nick Johnston joined Mastodon’s touring lineup after Brent Hinds left the band in 2025 and became part of the group’s new recording lineup. His arrival marked the first major permanent guitar change in Mastodon’s history after roughly 25 years with Hinds and Kelliher as the band’s guitar team.

Johnston appears on Mastodon’s ninth studio album, Marrow Deep, released in 2026. His addition helped establish the band’s new five-member configuration with Brann Dailor, Bill Kelliher, Troy Sanders, and João Nogueira.

João Nogueira

João Nogueira first became closely associated with Mastodon as a keyboardist during the Hushed and Grim period. He contributed keyboards throughout the 2021 album and then joined the band’s touring operation, adding atmospheric and melodic layers that expanded Mastodon’s live sound.

By 2026, Nogueira had become an official member of Mastodon. He joined Brann Dailor, Bill Kelliher, Troy Sanders, and Nick Johnston in the lineup supporting Marrow Deep, giving Mastodon a permanent keyboard presence within the group itself.

Brent Hinds

Brent Hinds was a founding guitarist and vocalist in Mastodon and played with the band from 2000 until 2025. His lead guitar work, unusual phrasing, banjo-influenced ideas, and distinctive vocals were crucial to albums including Leviathan, Blood Mountain, Crack the Skye, and Hushed and Grim. His playing brought elements of Southern rock, country, psychedelia, and progressive music into Mastodon’s heavier foundation.

Hinds and Mastodon parted ways in March 2025 after 25 years together. On August 20, 2025, Hinds died at age 51 following a motorcycle accident in Atlanta. His eight studio albums with Mastodon remain a central part of the band’s history and sound.

Eric Saner

Eric Saner was Mastodon’s original lead vocalist during the band’s earliest period in 2000. He sang on the group’s nine-song demo, which Mastodon sold at early shows before he left the band after only a few months.

Following Saner’s departure, the songs from the demo were re-recorded with vocals by Brent Hinds and Troy Sanders. That shift helped establish the shared-vocal approach that became one of Mastodon’s defining characteristics.

Derek Mitchka

Derek Mitchka served as a touring keyboardist with Mastodon from 2009 to 2011. His keyboards helped reproduce the layered arrangements of the Crack the Skye era in concert, including the band’s full-album performances during that period.

Mitchka is also credited on Mastodon’s Live at the Aragon, recorded in Chicago in 2009, where his keyboards supported the band’s complete performance of Crack the Skye.

Mike Keneally

Mike Keneally was not a full-time member of Mastodon, but he made a notable studio contribution to Emperor of Sand in 2017. Keneally played grand piano, Moog, and Mellotron on the album-closing track “Jaguar God.”

Known for his extensive work with Frank Zappa and numerous progressive and experimental artists, Keneally’s appearance added another layer to one of Mastodon’s most ambitious recordings.

Check out more Mastodon articles on ClassicRockHistory.com.