Mastodon Album Inspired By Head Injury

Nick CracknellOctober 8, 2008, 11:36 GMT

Mastodon axeman Brent Hinds has revealed that the band's upcoming fourth album is more mellow because of a serious head injury he sustained.

Hinds had a bust up with System Of A Down bassist Shavo Odadjian after the 2007 MTV VMAs, which left him with a brain haemorrhage that caused severe vertigo for several months.

"I was dizzy for eight months," he told Rolling Stone. "During those months, I just sat with my acoustic and a little marijuana, and wrote all the music. I wanted a more melodic, easy-listening situation, and that definitely came from having head trauma".

Bassist Troy Sanders added: "Musically and lyrically, this is the record we'd be writing if we weren't going to exist tomorrow. We don't feel like we have to do a certain type of record to please a certain group. We're free to change".