Mastodon Drop Animated Video for “In The Ruins” From Upcoming Album ‘Marrow Deep’

Aug 14, 2026

Mastodon have shared the official video for “In The Ruins,” the latest preview of the Atlanta progressive metal band’s upcoming album Marrow Deep, set for release on August 28 via Loma Vista Recordings. The record marks the group’s first full-length without founding guitarist and vocalist Brent Hinds, who departed the band in March 2025 and died in a motorcycle accident several months later.

Marrow Deep was tracked at the band’s own West End Sound studio in Atlanta and co-produced by Mastodon alongside Patrik Berger (Lana Del Rey, Charli XCX) and Kurt Ballou (High On Fire, Converge), with Andrew Scheps (Adele, Black Sabbath, Metallica) handling the mix. It’s also the first Mastodon album to feature new guitarist Nick Johnston, with keyboardist João Nogueira contributing throughout.

“In The Ruins” emerged from a period of upheaval in the life of bassist and vocalist Troy Sanders, whose family home was severely flooded by Hurricane Helene, wiping out personal belongings and forcing the family into nearly two years of displacement. That stretch overlapped with the band grieving the loss of both Hinds and the mother of drummer and vocalist Brann Dailor, Michele Lawrence. The accompanying video, created by animation and VFX studio Hey Beautiful Jerk, follows a one-eyed creature named Frank as he wanders through flooded, crumbling landscapes that echo the song’s themes of loss and resilience.

The band shared a statement about the track:

“‘In The Ruins’ is inspired by the devastating impact of Hurricane Helene and the havoc it wreaked upon Troy and his family. The catastrophic storm severely flooded their home and destroyed personal belongings, leading to a nearly two year period of displacement that coincided with the whole band navigating the passings of Brent and Brann’s mother Michele. Yup, it’s another deep one, but ultimately it’s us channeling the loss into a powerful declaration of resilience and catharsis. We are lucky we have each other, and we are lucky we have you, our fans! We collaborated with animation wizards and long-time friends Hey Beautiful Jerk for this visual. We absolutely love it, here is some more about how it came about!”
– Mastodon

The studio, in turn, revealed the unusual origin of the video’s central character:

“The initial inspiration for Frank and the concept for ‘In The Ruins’ came to me when I was in the ER for 10 hours with the worst eye infection of my life. The pain was so bad it felt like my eye was revolting and wanted to escape my head. I had just talked to Brann about the meaning of the song and how it was inspired by his and Troy’s recent losses. The expression ‘picking up the pieces’ came to me and I sketched a very rough version of Frank on my phone, capturing the idea as fast as I could before my eye wanted to escape my face once again.”
– Hey Beautiful Jerk

Arriving five years after the sprawling Hushed And Grim, Marrow Deep finds founding members Brann Dailor, Troy Sanders, and Bill Kelliher emerging from a difficult stretch with renewed purpose. Drawing on the Three Fates of Greek mythology and the fragile threads connecting life, loss, and destiny, the album turns those recent hardships into some of the most ambitious and emotionally direct music of the band’s career. It follows earlier singles “Your Ghost Again” and “Snakes For Dinner,” the latter featuring Josh Homme’s first appearance on a Mastodon recording since he guested on “Colony Of Birchmen” from 2006’s Blood Mountain.

Reflecting on this new chapter, Sanders said:

“Bill, Brann and myself are thrilled that we still have the opportunity to do this, and we’ve got other members who are just over the moon to be in the band with us. That’s a magical feeling that makes us keep wanting to go to band practice. It’s reminiscent of the very beginning of our band, where all members are hungry, we’re united, and excited to get to work. And we’re thrilled to have the opportunity to do this record.”
– Troy Sanders

Across their career, Mastodon have landed nine albums on the Billboard 200 and earned six Grammy nominations, winning Best Metal Performance in 2018 for “Sultan’s Curse.” The band will celebrate the new album with The Poisonous Weapons Tour, a nationwide run with support from Deafheaven and Alcest, kicking off September 16 in Orlando and wrapping October 24 at Sick New World in Dallas.

Pre-order / stream Marrow Deep: mastodonrocks.com