In a recent interview with Guitar World, Bill Kelliher spoke about the sudden departure of Brent Hinds from the Atlanta, GA-based sludge metal outfit Mastodon after 25 years with the band. The news broke just days before Mastodon was set to perform at Tool's Tool in the Sand festival in the Dominican Republic.

With Hinds’ exit, the band quickly tapped Ben Eller, a well-known YouTube guitar educator and long-time Mastodon fan, to step in and learn 17 songs in a very short span of time.

Kelliher shared his thoughts on the situation, addressing how the band's dynamics have changed and reflecting on the unexpected split that has rocked the metal world. With Mastodon fans still processing the departure, maybe Kelliher’s comments can help shed some light on the inner workings of the band.

What can you say about the legacy of Mastodon’s first 25 years with Brent? It’s been a fun, wild fucking ride, that’s for sure. We achieved a lot of things that I never in a million years would have imagined. There’s been Grammys, touring with our heroes, like Iron Maiden, Metallica, Motorhead, and Tool. I cherish all of that.

Like a marriage, sometimes people grow apart, and they get interested in other things. We wish nothing but the best for Brent in chasing his dreams.

You know, it’s amazing that we made it 25 years with the four of us. I mean, it’s like being married to three other dudes, traveling the world, trying to stay the course, and having everybody agree.

“That we managed to do it this long, I feel like that’s a feat in itself. You could never replace any of us because we [are the] the sum of four parts.