The narrative surrounding Mastodon’s newly vacant electric guitar spot has taken a fresh twist, with Nick Johnston becoming the latest stand-in following Brent Hinds' departure.
In early March, the Atlantan prog metallers announced they had parted ways with founding guitarist Hinds. The news broke just days before Mastodon's appearance at the Tool in the Sand festival in the Dominican Republic.
Three days later, YouTuber Ben Eller was on stage with the band, having learned 17 songs in double quick time specially for the set. Though he went into the show expecting the worst, Eller was blown away by the warm reception his involvement got from the Mastodon community.
However, Eller has now been drafted out for the band’s latest run of shows, as Bill Kelliher continues his search for their next full-time recruit.
Enter Nick Johnston – a prog-minded instrumentalist shredder who has been conquering the guitar world with his signature Schecter Strat-a-like, and who has cemented his reputation as one of the finest guitar talents of his generation.
Owing to the apparent stylistic differences between Johnston's own music and Mastodon's back catalog, it makes for an interesting pairing indeed.
Johnston's first major solo album was 2016's Remarkably Human, and it put his tasteful but intricately virtuosic sound on the map, after he featured on Polyphia's Champagne. two years earlier.
He also guested on Periphery's Clear EP that same year, playing on The Parade of Ashes. Johnston has since played on Intervals and Scale the Summit tracks, and he released another album, Child of Bliss, last year.
Given Johnston's sheer virtuosity and versatility, Mastodon's selection – despite the genre gap – is incredibly astute, and going off footage of the band's performance at the Sonic Temple Festival on May 9, he certainly has the chops for the gig.
Dissecting his sonic DNA with Guitar World, Johnston has cited the likes of Pat Metheny, Yngwie Malmsteen, and Jeff Beck as key influences, and has previously spoken about how writing on a piano first can make his guitar playing more interesting.
“When you take away the guitar, your usual tricks and licks are gone. There is no comfort zone,” he says. “I find my guitar lives these days more like the icing on the cake. My favourite songwriter is Pat Metheny and he’s talked about it too, choosing to mainly compose on piano. You can really hear someone’s sense of harmony when you pull the shapes away.”
There will be factions of the Mastodon fanbase sad to see Eller, who smashed his one-off show with the band despite a mishap with a stage wedge, no longer involved. But there's no denying Johnston's suitability for the role, either.
As with Eller, the extent of Johnston’s involvement is shrouded in mystery, but it would be a surprise if he doesn’t at least see out their current tour with Periphery and Coheed & Cambria.
The future of the band, and who will come to fill Hinds’ spot permanently, remains to be seen, with Keliher happy to take an exhaustive approach to get the right player for the job.
“I’m as serious as a heart attack with Mastodon, he told Guitar World. “I’m not ready to give it up yet. So, we’re going to keep looking”
Hinds, meanwhile, has wasted no time in getting back on stage, and he has plenty more shows lined up.
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