João Nogueira — known as Rasta — has been Mastodon's keyboardist since 2026, and is the first Brazilian to become an official member of the band. Born in Recife, Pernambuco, in 1987, he moved to the United States, where he built his career as a musician. His arrival marks a structural change. Since its founding in 2000, Mastodon had been a quartet of guitar, bass and drums, with three vocalists sharing the songs. After Brent Hinds's departure in 2025 and his death a few months later, the group chose not simply to fill the vacancy: it expanded to five members, adding alongside guitarist Nick Johnston an instrument the band had never permanently had. Nogueira also plays in The Claypool Lennon Delirium, the project of Primus's Les Claypool with Sean Lennon, and in Stone Giant — work in psychedelic and experimental territory that helps explain Mastodon's choice, given that the band's repertoire always had more affinity with progressive rock than with conventional metal. He debuts on Marrow Deep, the group's ninth studio album, announced for 28 August 2026.
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