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\n\tBrent Hinds, the co-founder of acclaimed Atlanta heavy metal group Mastodon<\/a> who played with the group for 25 years before his departure earlier this year, died on Wednesday. He was 51.<\/p>\n \n\tBrian Jost Reents, Deputy Chief Medical Examiner Investigator of the of the Fulton County Medical Examiner\u2019s Office, confirmed Hinds\u2019 death to Rolling Stone.<\/em> According to local news outlet Atlanta News First<\/a>, Hinds was killed in a motorcycle accident in Atlanta when his Harley Davidson collided with a SUV.<\/p>\n \n\tThe Atlanta Police Department added that the accident occurred around 11:35 p.m. \u201cUpon arrival, officers located an unresponsive male who was involved in the collision,\u201d the report stated. \u201cThe male appeared to be operating a Harley Davidson during the time of collision. Medical personnel pronounced the male deceased.\u201d A preliminary investigation concluded that the driver of the SUV \u201cfailed to yield while turning left and collided\u201d into Hinds. \u201cThe investigation remains active at this time.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tHinds co-founded the Grammy-winning group in 2000 with bassist Troy Sanders, guitarist Bill Kelliher, and drummer Brann Dailor. In March, the band announced that they parted ways<\/a> with the guitarist. \u201cWe\u2019re deeply proud of and beyond grateful for the music and history we\u2019ve shared and we wish him nothing but success and happiness in his future endeavors,\u201d the band wrote.<\/p>\n \n\tThe lineup of Hinds, Sanders, Dailor, and Kelliher recorded eight studio albums together over the past 25 years, including their 2002 debut\u00a0Remission<\/em>, 2009 mainstream breakthrough Crack the Skye,<\/em> and their most recent LP, 2021\u2019s\u00a0Hushed and Grim<\/em>.<\/p>\n \n\tLeviathan<\/em>, the band\u2019s critically acclaimed 2004 album, was named one of Rolling Stone<\/em>\u2019s 100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time<\/a>, with single \u201cBlood and Thunder\u201d earning a spot on the 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Songs of All Time<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cMastodon were like sailors as we drove around and played basements and clubs for years,\u201d Tailor told\u00a0Modern Drummer<\/em><\/strong><\/a> of Leviathan<\/em>. \u201cWe were on a quest for something that might not even be there, and we were sacrificing a lot by leaving our families and friends behind. It was a mixture of Ahab\u2019s craziness and Ishmael\u2019s lust for life and adventure.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThe listener is buffeted by surging waves of guitars, guttural screams and relentless squalls of drum fills,\u201d Rolling Stone<\/em> wrote of the album. \u201cDeeper tracks like the fully unhinged \u2018Megalodon\u2019 and the slow-building opus \u2018Hearts Alive\u2019 only drag us deeper into Mastodon\u2019s dark sound and vision.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThey won their first Grammy in 2018 for Best Metal Performance for \u201cSultan\u2019s Curse.\u201d The group earned six Grammy nominations total, including Best Rock Album for 2017\u2019s Emperor of Sand.<\/em><\/p>\n