# Brann Dailor
**Brann Dailor** is an American musician, best known as the drummer, co-vocalist, and lyricist of the Atlanta progressive metal band Mastodon, which he co-founded in 2000 with bassist [Troy Sanders](https://www.edgepedia.org/troy-sanders), guitarist Bill Kelliher, and guitarist [Brent Hinds](https://www.edgepedia.org/brent-hinds)[1](https://music.apple.com/us/album/hushed-and-grim/1584124422) • [2](https://apnews.com/article/64bf2936826141287ef7a87b4845f068). With Mastodon he has won a [Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance](https://www.edgepedia.org/grammy-award-for-best-metal-performance) and, since 2025, has led the band's surviving lineup after Hinds's departure and death[3](https://www.grammy.com/artists/brann-dailor/12303/) • [4](https://themetallist.com/en/news/2026/07/mastodon-brent-hinds-marrow-deep/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Role | Drummer, co-vocalist, and lyricist of Mastodon (Atlanta, Georgia), which he co-founded in 2000[1](https://music.apple.com/us/album/hushed-and-grim/1584124422) • [2](https://apnews.com/article/64bf2936826141287ef7a87b4845f068) |
| Grammy Award | Best Metal Performance for "Sultan's Curse" at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards; six nominations in total, from 2007 to 2022[3](https://www.grammy.com/artists/brann-dailor/12303/) |
| Early bands | Began in early-1990s groups including Evisceration and the mathcore band Lethargy[5](https://notablepeopleproject.org/brann_dailor) |
| Key writing credit | Named "Blood and Thunder" as one of his favorite song contributions to Mastodon[6](https://loudwire.com/mastodon-brann-dailor-favorite-song-contribution-interview/) |
| Side project | Arcadea, a synth-metal project whose second album *The Exodus of Gravity* followed an eight-year gap[7](https://pocketmags.com/metal-hammer-magazine/issue-405/articles/brann-dailor) |
| Recent years | Lost his home to Hurricane Helene in 2024 and his mother, Michele Lawrence, in 2025; Hinds left the band in March 2025 and died in August 2025[8](https://www.musicradar.com/artists/bands/i-kept-seeing-him-out-of-the-corner-of-my-eye-mastodons-new-album-is-inspired-by-departed-guitarist-brent-hinds) • [9](https://montrealrocks.ca/mastodons-brann-dailor-is-still-seeing-ghosts/) |
| Latest album | *Marrow Deep*, Mastodon's first record after Hinds's death, released August 28 via Loma Vista Recordings[4](https://themetallist.com/en/news/2026/07/mastodon-brent-hinds-marrow-deep/) |
## Early life and musical family
Dailor is originally from New York, though the band he would co-found is based in Atlanta[10](https://www.villagevoice.com/mastodons-brann-dailor-remembers-his-new-york-city-youth/). Music ran through his family: his mother sang in a hard rock and metal covers band in the early 1980s, his grandfather, uncle, and aunt played in a band called Cinnamon Road in the 1970s, and his grandmother performed at Nashville's Grand Ole Opry in the 1950s[7](https://pocketmags.com/metal-hammer-magazine/issue-405/articles/brann-dailor).
His formal training was brief. He spent a short time in music school before dropping out and playing with a series of bands; his early development is described as an immersive, self-driven study of rhythm and technique across a wide spectrum of music[5](https://notablepeopleproject.org/brann_dailor). His career began in early-1990s bands such as Evisceration and the mathcore group Lethargy[5](https://notablepeopleproject.org/brann_dailor).
## Mastodon
Dailor co-founded Mastodon in Atlanta in 2000 with Troy Sanders, Bill Kelliher, and Brent Hinds[2](https://apnews.com/article/64bf2936826141287ef7a87b4845f068). The band's style draws on hardcore punk, 1970s progressive rock, and sludgy 1990s metal[11](https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/cbs-sf-talks-to-mastodon-drummer-brann-dailor/). From the beginning, Dailor's drumming stood out: a MetalSucks poll of modern metal drummers ranked him fourth in 2012, citing the fluid snare rolls of "March of the Fire Ants" from 2002's *Remission* and noting how his playing settled into serving each song as the band's songwriting matured[12](https://www.metalsucks.net/2012/03/27/4-brann-dailor-mastodon/).
**Songwriting and vocals.** Mastodon credits all music and lyrics to the band collectively, and Dailor has described a collaborative process in which the band finishes a song together once all members are heading down the same road[13](https://blabbermouth.net/news/mastodon-drummer-discusses-songwriting-process). His vocal role grew substantially over time. On the band's first double album, *Hushed and Grim* (2021), he described having accumulated many vocal ideas and lyrics that were near and dear to him[1](https://music.apple.com/us/album/hushed-and-grim/1584124422). His clean, melodic voice provides a counterpoint to the band's harsher tones[5](https://notablepeopleproject.org/brann_dailor).
Several of the band's defining records carry his personal imprint. *Crack the Skye* was inspired in part by the suicide of Dailor's sister when she was 14; the album wove an allegorical tale involving astral projection, [Stephen Hawking](https://www.edgepedia.org/stephen-hawking)'s wormhole theories, and the assassination of Rasputin[11](https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/cbs-sf-talks-to-mastodon-drummer-brann-dailor/) • [24](https://thequietus.com/interviews/mastodon-reveal-details-of-new-album/) • [25](https://www.loudersound.com/features/mastodon-crack-the-skye-album-interview-2009). *[Once More 'Round the Sun](https://www.edgepedia.org/once-more-round-the-sun)* he described as "quite literally, it means a year-in-the-life," with lyrics drawn from recent events rather than distant history[14](https://www.media.wmg-is.com/media/portal/media/cms/docs/201404/mastodon-once-round-the-sun-song-by-song-commentary--apr_1397762931458.pdf).
## Recognition
Mastodon's commercial and critical peak has coincided with Dailor's tenure. The band's album *The Hunter* won Best Album at the 2012 Kerrang! Awards, which Dailor accepted by video message[15](https://loudwire.com/2012-kerrang-awards-winners/). *[Emperor of Sand](https://www.edgepedia.org/emperor-of-sand)* was named Metal Hammer's album of the year for 2017 in the magazine's critics' poll[16](https://www.loudersound.com/news/metal-hammer-name-mastodons-emperor-of-sand-best-album-of-2017). At the [Grammy Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/grammy-awards), Dailor holds one win from six nominations: "Sultan's Curse" won Best Metal Performance at the [60th Annual Grammy Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/60th-annual-grammy-awards), following nominations for "Colony of Birchmen" (2007), "Curl of the Burl" (2012), "High Road" (2015), and *Emperor of Sand* for Best Rock Album (2018), and preceding a nomination for "Pushing the Tides" (2022)[3](https://www.grammy.com/artists/brann-dailor/12303/). Asked about such honors, Dailor has called music awards "a popularity contest," while adding, "Hey, I'll take a Grammy, that's cool"[17](https://www.metalsucks.net/2022/07/01/mastodon-brann-dailor-thinks-music-awards-are-a-popularity-contest-but-hey-ill-take-a-grammy-thats-cool/).
## Arcadea and other work
Outside Mastodon, Dailor leads Arcadea, a synth-heavy side project he describes as letting his "freak flag fly." The band's second album, *The Exodus of Gravity*, is a concept record set in a post-human universe five billion years in the future, and arrived eight years after their first release[18](https://www.revolvermag.com/feature/mastodons-brann-dailor-on-letting-his-freak-flag-fly-on-dancy-synth-heavy-project-arcadea/) • [7](https://pocketmags.com/metal-hammer-magazine/issue-405/articles/brann-dailor).
## Recent years: loss and *Marrow Deep*
The mid-2020s brought a succession of losses. In 2024, Dailor and his family lost their home to [Hurricane Helene](https://www.edgepedia.org/hurricane-helene); in 2025, his mother Michele Lawrence died[8](https://www.musicradar.com/artists/bands/i-kept-seeing-him-out-of-the-corner-of-my-eye-mastodons-new-album-is-inspired-by-departed-guitarist-brent-hinds) • [9](https://montrealrocks.ca/mastodons-brann-dailor-is-still-seeing-ghosts/). Hinds left Mastodon in March 2025 after 26 years in the band, and died roughly five months later, in August 2025, in a motorcycle accident[4](https://themetallist.com/en/news/2026/07/mastodon-brent-hinds-marrow-deep/). Guitarist Nick Johnston stepped in alongside the three surviving founding members[4](https://themetallist.com/en/news/2026/07/mastodon-brent-hinds-marrow-deep/).
The band channeled this period into *[Marrow Deep](https://www.edgepedia.org/marrow-deep)*, released August 28 via Loma Vista Recordings, its first album since 2021's *Hushed and Grim*[4](https://themetallist.com/en/news/2026/07/mastodon-brent-hinds-marrow-deep/) • [9](https://montrealrocks.ca/mastodons-brann-dailor-is-still-seeing-ghosts/). The lead single, "Your Ghost Again," released June 3, 2026, pays tribute to Hinds and to Dailor's mother, and was produced with [Patrik Berger](https://www.edgepedia.org/patrik-berger) and Kurt Ballou[19](https://pitchfork.com/news/mastodon-release-first-song-since-death-of-brent-hinds/). Dailor described the experience behind it: "When we were in the studio recording, I kept seeing Brent. I'd see him on my right holding the guitar because that's where he'd usually be. It's the same with my mom: I keep seeing them." He said, "I was just singing about what I was seeing, and I was seeing ghosts"[19](https://pitchfork.com/news/mastodon-release-first-song-since-death-of-brent-hinds/).
Unlike earlier Mastodon albums, which filtered personal tragedy through concept-album mythology, the lyrics on *Marrow Deep* are starkly direct, with the word "we" frequently overtaking the insular "I"[20](https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/mastodon-marrow-deep-album-interview). Dailor told NME that despite the bad terms of Hinds's departure, "I had hope that he was going to come back into the fold"[21](https://www.nme.com/news/music/mastodon-on-confronting-heartache-new-chapter-interview-brent-hinds-josh-homme-geezer-butler-3961826).
## Playing style and influence
Dailor is known for virtuosic, melodic drumming, and he frequently engages with the drumming community through clinics and interviews, discussing his techniques and philosophies[5](https://notablepeopleproject.org/brann_dailor). In 2025 he took part in Drumeo's "For the First Time" segment, in which noted drummers learn and perform a song on the spot[22](https://www.moderndrummer.com/consequence-news/2025/02/mastodon-brann-dailor-drumeo-weather-report-birdland/). Reporters covering the band have noted his famously explosive drumming as a pillar of the group's sound alongside Sanders's bass and Kelliher's riffs[23](https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/how-troy-sanders-unlocked-mastodons-biggest-bass-sound).
## References
1. [Hushed and Grim – Album by Mastodon, Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/album/hushed-and-grim/1584124422)
2. [Brent Hinds, former Mastodon singer-guitarist, dies at 51 in motorcycle crash, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/64bf2936826141287ef7a87b4845f068)
3. [Brann Dailor Grammy Awards and Nominations, Recording Academy](https://www.grammy.com/artists/brann-dailor/12303/)
4. [Mastodon Say Playing Brent Hinds' Songs Helps 'Keep His Music Alive' Ahead Of New Album 'Marrow Deep', The MetalList](https://themetallist.com/en/news/2026/07/mastodon-brent-hinds-marrow-deep/)
5. [Brann Dailor, Notable People Project](https://notablepeopleproject.org/brann_dailor)
6. [Mastodon's Brann Dailor Names His Favorite Song Contribution, Loudwire](https://loudwire.com/mastodon-brann-dailor-favorite-song-contribution-interview/)
7. [Brann Dailor, Metal Hammer Issue 405](https://pocketmags.com/metal-hammer-magazine/issue-405/articles/brann-dailor)
8. [Mastodon's new album is inspired by departed guitarist Brent Hinds, MusicRadar](https://www.musicradar.com/artists/bands/i-kept-seeing-him-out-of-the-corner-of-my-eye-mastodons-new-album-is-inspired-by-departed-guitarist-brent-hinds)
9. [Mastodon's Brann Dailor Is Still Seeing Ghosts, Montreal Rocks](https://montrealrocks.ca/mastodons-brann-dailor-is-still-seeing-ghosts/)
10. [Mastodon's Brann Dailor Remembers His New York City Youth, The Village Voice](https://www.villagevoice.com/mastodons-brann-dailor-remembers-his-new-york-city-youth/)
11. [CBS SF Talks To Mastodon Drummer Brann Dailor, CBS San Francisco](https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/cbs-sf-talks-to-mastodon-drummer-brann-dailor/)
12. [#4: Brann Dailor (Mastodon), The Top 25 Modern Metal Drummers, MetalSucks](https://www.metalsucks.net/2012/03/27/4-brann-dailor-mastodon/)
13. [Mastodon Drummer Discusses Songwriting Process, Blabbermouth.net](https://blabbermouth.net/news/mastodon-drummer-discusses-songwriting-process)
14. [Mastodon Once More 'Round the Sun song-by-song commentary, Warner Music Group](https://www.media.wmg-is.com/media/portal/media/cms/docs/201404/mastodon-once-round-the-sun-song-by-song-commentary--apr_1397762931458.pdf)
15. [2012 Kerrang! Awards Winners, Loudwire](https://loudwire.com/2012-kerrang-awards-winners/)
16. [Metal Hammer name Mastodon's Emperor Of Sand best album of 2017, Louder](https://www.loudersound.com/news/metal-hammer-name-mastodons-emperor-of-sand-best-album-of-2017)
17. [Mastodon's Brann Dailor Thinks Music Awards Are "A Popularity Contest...But Hey, I'll Take a Grammy, That's Cool", MetalSucks](https://www.metalsucks.net/2022/07/01/mastodon-brann-dailor-thinks-music-awards-are-a-popularity-contest-but-hey-ill-take-a-grammy-thats-cool/)
18. [Mastodon's Brann Dailor on letting his "freak flag fly" on dancy synth-heavy project Arcadea, Revolver](https://www.revolvermag.com/feature/mastodons-brann-dailor-on-letting-his-freak-flag-fly-on-dancy-synth-heavy-project-arcadea/)
19. [Mastodon Honor Brent Hinds in First Song Since Late Frontman's Death, Pitchfork](https://pitchfork.com/news/mastodon-release-first-song-since-death-of-brent-hinds/)
20. [How Mastodon survived two of the worst years of their lives, Louder](https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/mastodon-marrow-deep-album-interview)
21. [Mastodon on losing Brent Hinds and launching a new chapter, NME](https://www.nme.com/news/music/mastodon-on-confronting-heartache-new-chapter-interview-brent-hinds-josh-homme-geezer-butler-3961826)
22. [Mastodon's Brann Dailor on Drumeo's "For the First Time", Modern Drummer](https://www.moderndrummer.com/consequence-news/2025/02/mastodon-brann-dailor-drumeo-weather-report-birdland/)
23. [How Troy Sanders unlocked Mastodon's biggest bass sound, Guitar World](https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/how-troy-sanders-unlocked-mastodons-biggest-bass-sound)
24. [Mastodon Reveal Details of New Album, thequietus.com](https://thequietus.com/interviews/mastodon-reveal-details-of-new-album/)
25. [“It’s dangerous when you’re a kid shooting up drugs. Me and two other guys made it out alive. The others are dead or in prison”: How Mastodon transcended tragedy and trauma to make Crack The Skye](https://www.loudersound.com/features/mastodon-crack-the-skye-album-interview-2009)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Rock, metal, and popular-band musicians › Heavy metal › Heavy metal rhythm sections and instrumentalists › Heavy metal drummers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license