When news broke yesterday about ex- Mastodon guitarist Brent Hinds’ untimely death in a motorcycle accident at age 51, the first source most of us in the metal media relied upon was Atlanta News First. Their account of what happened fueled the rest of the day’s coverage, which goes to show the importance of local news in today’s day and age.

Brent Hinds, the former lead guitarist and vocalist of acclaimed Atlanta heavy metal band Mastodon, died following a motorcycle accident.

Brent Hinds, founding member and former lead guitarist of Grammy-winning heavy metal band Mastodon, has died following a motorcycle crash in Atlanta, Georgia. He was 51.