Mastodon’s Bill Kelliher on Nick Johnston’s Role in Next Album

Will guitarist Nick Johnston be part of the next Mastodon album? Guitarist Bill Kelliher addressed Johnston’s status where the band’s next album is concerned during a recent appearance on the Sixty Scales and the Truth podcast (heard below).

Back in March, the band revealed that they had parted ways with guitarist Brent Hinds after 25 years together. The announcement came just as the band had a show scheduled at Tool’s Live in the Sand festival and they were able to pull in Ben Eller, a popular guitarist who built a following on YouTube, to fill in. But Eller’s appearance was a one-off and when they returned to the stage for their first tour, Nick Johnston was holding down the spot.

Johnston has since continued to tour with the band, which raises the question of his involvement beyond the live stage. Mastodon have been working on the follow-up to 2021’s Hushed and Grim album. So where does Johnston fit into the equation?

What Bill Kelliher Said About Nick Johnston’s Involvement on Their Next Album

Mastodon have yet to name Johnston as an official member of the band, but it does appear that his work will be featured on their next album and potentially beyond.

“He is freaking good. And more importantly he’s just very humble. He’s very extremely excited to be where he is with us and he fits right in with us,” guitarist Bill Kelliher told the Sixty Scales and the Truth podcast. “He’s quickly adapting to fitting right in with us. We’re writing together like crazy and he’s always just so excited. He’s like a kid in a candy store when he goes onstage.”

Later in the chat, Kelliher revisited Johnston’s role with the band moving forward on their next record.

“We’ve got like 20-some ideas … so we’ll demo the stuff at my house, we bring it to my studio with my engineer and we bring in Nick and Joao [Nogueira], the keyboard player, and we start jamming the song and say, ‘You wanna add something? Please add whatever you want in here.'”

He added, “I feel like the stuff I’ve written, mostly Brann [Dailor] and me, it’s really good. It still needs the touch of the other guys, but there’s also these whole new songs that Nick is bringing in. He’s like, ‘Hey, I got this whole song.’ [I’m like], ‘Cool, this is great.’ So it’s a combination of both. It won’t be until the next record after this one until I think it’ll be more Nick being in there.”

“He’s going to be in the new record for sure, yes. But he’s writing like crazy, I’m writing like crazy … we’re just so full of energy.”

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Kelliher even went on to clarify Johnston’s “fit” on the new record, revealing that much of the material they are working on was in the works prior to his arrival. “It’s a little lopsided still because he’s only just joined the band, but it’s still going to be fucking awesome. I’m so excited. Everything we’ve been demoing is incredible.” That said, the guitarist shared that he feels it will be a more four-way division on the album that follows the current one they’re working on.

Mastodon’s Bill Kelliher on the Sixty Scales and the Truth Podcast

Where Can I See Mastodon?

While Johnston has appeared with the band through their 2025 touring, there will only be one more opportunity to see them this year. The band is playing a Nov. 15 show at New Orleans’ Lakefront Arena with Acid Bath, Power Trip, Amigo the Devil and more. Ticketing info can be found through the band’s website.

No other tour dates are currently listed, but you can expect to see shows start popping up once a new album is announced.