MASTODON's TROY SANDERS On GEEZER BUTLER's Guest Appearance On 'Marrow Deep' Album: 'What A Cool Moment'

In a new interview with Iain McCallum of Australia's I Was Gonna Ask About That, MASTODON bassist/vocalist Troy Sanders was asked if he felt "like a 13-year-old child again" when he and his bandmates got BLACK SABBATH co-founder Geezer Butler to record the bass intro to the song "The Vanishing" from their upcoming album "Marrow Deep". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We all did, and we all still do. I was recently asked, speaking of just solely on the bass guitar, someone says, 'What's the highlight of this album for you on bass?' And I said, 'Well, the highlight wasn't me,' and it's really cool to say that.

"What a cool moment," Troy continued. "We were lucky to tour with BLACK SABBATH, 2005, on the Ozzfest in the States. Geezer name-dropped us in his book that he wrote two years ago, and that blew our minds. And then to be invited to [the] 'Back To The Beginning' [event in Birmingham] last year was an absolute dream come true. So through management, we reached out to Geezer to see if he wanted to collaborate in any capacity, and he came back and said yes. So for all of us it's just, like, go back in time and say, 'The guy from BLACK SABBATH that writes all the lyrics, he's gonna be on your album.' So not just my head would've exploded, but all five of us."

Asked if he and his MASTODON bandmates get inspired by the guest musicians who appear on their albums, especially people like Butler and QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE's Josh Homme, Troy said: "Yeah. Anytime we reach out to one of our friends to collaborate, it's because, number one, we're inspired by them. Number two, we've befriended them along the way, with touring and crossing paths at festivals and whatnot. And number three, yeah, it's like a full-circle thing. If we've been inspired by you, we write a part that sounds like, 'Oh, hey, that sounds like Neil Fallon from CLUTCH. His voice could be there. Let's ask him.' Or, 'Here's another part that maybe Josh Homme could do something cool with. Reach out and ask him.' So it's a great compliment when we reach out, ask a friend if they are willing and able to collaborate with you, and they say yes, and they take time and energy out of their own lives and schedules and go to a studio and knock something out and send it back. Yeah, it's one of the greatest compliments, actually."

This past July, Troy told Bass Player magazine about Butler's guest appearance on "Marrow Deep": "We wanted him to hear where the record was going and see if anything inspired him, and he sent back this incredible bass solo that became the introduction to a song called 'The Vanishing'. It's a very SABBATH-inspired track. It's definitely the bass highlight of the album. And I'm completely happy saying that."

Sanders added that Butler's bass section was recorded remotely.

"Everything went through management," Troy explained. "We've never actually met face to face. At the SABBATH show at Villa Park [in July 2025], it was a madhouse in the SABBATH area, so the idea of trying to go back there just didn't feel right.

"We're hoping to finally meet when we're touring the States later this year because he'll be near one of our days off. If we can actually sit down together, that'll complete the whole circle."

"Marrow Deep", which will arrive on August 28 via Loma Vista Recordings, also features contributions from CONVERGE's Nate Newton and Ben Koller, as well as LAMB OF GOD's Randy Blythe, GOJIRA's Joe Duplantier and CLUTCH frontman Neil Fallon.

"Marrow Deep" marks MASTODON's first full-length effort without founding guitarist/singer Brent Hinds, who was fired from the band in March 2025 and died five months later in a motorcycle accident.

"Marrow Deep" was co-produced by MASTODON at the band's own West End Sound in Atlanta with Patrik Berger (Lana Del Rey, Charli XCX) and Kurt Ballou (HIGH ON FIRE, CONVERGE) and was mixed by Andrew Scheps (Adele, BLACK SABBATH, METALLICA). "Marrow Deep" is also notably the group's first full-length to feature new guitarist Nick Johnston alongside significant contributions from keyboardist João Nogueira.

MASTODON will celebrate the "Marrow Deep" release with the upcoming "The Poisonous Weapons Tour", a nationwide run of dates with support from DEAFHEAVEN and ALCEST. Kicking off September 16 in Orlando, the trio of bands will cut their way across the full country before closing out October 24 at Sick New World Dallas.

Sanders, Kelliher and Dailor remembered Hinds in a recently released documentary titled "The Mastodon In The Room". In the emotional feature, the three musicians addressed Brent's passing directly, saying they wanted fans to hear their story after seeing the speculation and headlines surrounding his death.