Artist: Mushroomhead
Label: MegaForce Records
Release: 2010
Length: 49:32
Rating: 3.5/5
The opening track Come On, which kicks off the album, was also picked as the first single, and for good reason. Of everything on the album, Come On is the one that delivers the point, the anthem. With its in-your-face choruses it could easily be the intro theme for all sorts of sports/wrestling events. Come On will draw in plenty of listeners with its heroism. It’s not the most resonant track, but it’s enough to open the door for Mushroomhead. The album has plenty of inconsistencies and just as many run-of-the-mill alter-metal moments. But what can you do? Like anywhere else, there have to be some gems of music in there too. Nobody’s perfect. Even Burn the Bridge shows some quirks of its own, with the drums and guitar playing out of sync at moments. But then you’ve got tracks like I’ll Be Here, where the chorus has children’s voices singing “la-la-la”, which makes for a creepy atmosphere. Meanwhile there’s Harvest the Garden, packed with Skinny’s off-the-wall drum beats. The whole thing is a mix of tempos across the album that never repeat themselves. One moment we get The Feel, considered the sexiest track on the album, and the next we get Darker Days, where guitar riffs flash right before our eyes. And to top it all off, there’s the closing track Do I Know You?, which again has creepy moments courtesy of the children’s voices.
The lyrical approaches differ throughout the album, and the clichés that infected Come On aren’t enough to overshadow the hidden intelligence of the track. The chorus of that same song is nothing new. Screaming and singing at the same time, but the two have their own distinct moments (“I’ve got my hammer, duct tape, Visqueen; I know that nobody believes me; I’ve got something to say; Born in my bloody reign”). On the flip side we have The Harm You Do, which is supposed to be an ode to those who died in Holes in the Void (“Come take your part in the haze; Days remembered in vain; Dreams forgotten, depraved; So many fallen away”). No arguing with that. The guys earned themselves a big plus here.
To everyone who is or ever was listening to Mushroomhead: don’t judge too quickly. The album really is a little different, but it still stands on the old foundations. It’s also made for everyone who likes to connect emotionally with the music they listen to. Lots of samples and keyboards plus the band’s one-of-a-kind lyrics still make them what they’ve always been, and let’s hope they stay that way. And as their former frontman J Mann would say, or rather scream: “Never Let It Go!”
Lineup
Jeffrey Nothing – vocals
Waylon – vocals
Gravy – guitar
Pig Benis – bass
Shmotz – keyboards
Skinny – drums
ST1TCH – mixing desk, samples and electronics
Lil’Dan – percussion
Production
Steveâ€Skinnyâ€Felton
Tracklist
1. Come On
2. Inspiration
3. Slaughterhouse Road
4. I’ll Be Here
5. Burn The Bridge
6. Holes In The Void
7. Harvest The Garden
8. The Harm You Do
9. Your Demise
10. The Feel
11. Darker Days
12. Do I Know You?
