There was a lot of drama with members of Mastodon right up until the tragic passing of former guitarist and vocalist Brent Hinds last year. What first seemed like an amicable split turned out to be a hostile breakup, with Hinds revealing, right before his fatal motorcycle accident, that he was kicked out of the band. Now, a year after his death, the feuding between Mastodon and Hinds' estate continues.
Last month, Mastodon released their ninth studio album Marrow Deep. It's the first album following Hinds' passing. Hinds did not contribute anything to the album's music, but his estate is suing for the band's use of his likeness to promote the project. According the The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, his estate is seeking compensation for this use and for his business share. A civil complaint was filed in Fulton County Court on Sept. 3.
The estate said, "Defendants selected and placed a recognizable image of Brent on the album cover of Marrow Deep and disseminated that cover to advertise, market, distribute, and sell physical albums, digital downloads and streams, merchandise, and related goods or services."
The lawsuit revealed that Mastodon issued a check for $80,000 to Hinds' estate "as an aggregate buyout of Hinds' interests." The band did not explain how this number was decided upon, and the estate has not cashed the check until further accounting is done.
The suit also mentions the estate's issue with surviving band members detailing Hinds' private life following his passing. This includes substance abuse accusations that might have led to him leaving the group.
