Mushroomhead

The Righteous and The Butterfly

Jeffrey "Nothing" Hatrix – lead vocals

Jason "J Mann" Popson – lead vocals

Waylon Reavis – lead vocals

Tommy Church – guitars

Ryan "Dr. F" Farrell – bass

Steve "Skinny" Felton – drums

Robbie "Roberto Diablo" Godsey – drums, custom percussion

Tom "Schmotz" Schmitz – keyboards, samples

Rick "ST1TCH" Thomas – turntables, samples, programming, custom percussion

We are going to my backyard for this next review. Mushroomhead was established in 1993, but was considered a side project. To differentiate itself from the members' existing bands and to dispel any misconceptions about the group's sound and musical content, Mushroomhead used costumes, masks, and pseudonyms. They played their first show in 1993. In 1995 the band released a self-financed debut album, Mushroomhead, with their own record label, Filthy Hands Co. Although the line-up saw many changes throughout the 1990s, the band stayed active, steadily releasing music and gaining followers. In 1996, they released Superbuick. In 1999, Mushroomhead released M3, which was the final album self-financed and self-released by the band. In 2001 the band released a compilation album on an independent label that sold so well it prompted them to sign to Universal Records. In 2003 their major label debut was released which did well on the charts, but after a lineup change the band switched out labels in 2005. The next release, Savior Sorrow, hit stored in September 2006 and debuted well again. 2010 seen the next album, Beautiful Stories for Ugly Children, and now their 8^th album The Righteous & The Butterfly. The new album features 14 tracks that last nearly an entire hour. They get the album going with “Our Apologies.” The track opens up with a voiceover that they quick toss aside for some guitars. The vocals stroll in a few seconds later, but they are kind of hard to hear for a while. The drums sneak in right before the track explodes with screams and vocals running all over the place. The clean vocals are really strong while the screaming vocals toss in their two cents from time to time. The music just roars behind everything. “How Many Times” is a slower tune with lots of character. Don’t get me wrong, the track still hits hard and goes nuts, but the bulk of the track is a slower sound. The electronics are going off in the background while the drums and guitars are hitting like rapid fire. The track really demands your attention and I believe that this one will have fans lining up for it. “Devil Be Damned” brings back the mosh pit special. This loud onslaught that is brought forth in this track will have that pit going in an instant. Now there are some slower spots in this offering which helps hold the track together, but most of it is fast and out of control. I can see a lot of fans getting into this one. “Qwerty” is a slower track that offers up a pretty cool sounds set of vocals. The music is well put together as well as it draws a lot of attention from you. I actually really dug the arrangement, vocals, and music. It flows well together and other than the extreme vulgar lyrics from time to time it a solid offering. “Portraits of the Poor” is another slower track that introduces some piano work. The new addition will have you taking a step back at first, but then getting into it after awhile. I’m not sure how fans will take it at first as it might be one that they need to listen to for a while, but I feel that they will come around after a while. “Childlike” is a short track that offers up a lighter side of the band. The clean vocals are great sounding while the music sweeps behind them. It’s a nice little break in the middle of the album. “This Cold Reign” wraps up the first half of the album with an onslaught of vocals and music. The vocals are flying all over the place while the drums are attempting to stomp a mud hole in you. The guitars are pretty solid as well, but they are really in the back for the bulk of the song. They do have a nice little solo section, but the drums are still going nuts during the part. If you thought there were a lot of vocals flying around, “We Are The Truth” offers up even more. They include some female vocals in this one from time to time while the main set screams along. The drums are solid and you can hear every strike clearly. The guitars play around in the background while everything else carries forward. “Son of 7” opens up with a blast of guitars. It really grabs your attention and draws in for the vocals to finish you off when they come in. The vocals lay into you when they arrive with a powerful low tone. The drums also get into the mix while the guitars get the chance to shine in the track besides the intro. “For Your Pleasure” is a low key song with great gang vocals that are really clear and nice sounding tunes. It has a rap style to it in the beginning but, it does get heavy in places. There is a nice little mixture of styles in this one which keeps you around. “Worlds Collide” is a decent tune that old school Mushroomhead fans will really enjoy. The vocals are overlapping each other while the drums are hitting super hard and fast. They do change the rhythm up a couple of times throughout the track to keep you guessing. “Graveyard Du Jour” begins slowly, but does pick up the pace after awhile. It does flirt back and forth with the two tempos as it tells a dramatic story. The vocals really help with that aspect of the tune. “Out Of My Mind” turns the tempo back up with fast drums and multiple vocals flying around. Some of those vocals are kind of creepy, but they work extremely well with the tunes. I could get use to listening to this one with the technicality of the tunes and the vocals bouncing off each other. It’s a top track in my opinion. “Rumor Has It” wraps up the release with an industrial sounding track. There are a lot of creepy angles to this rendition of the track. It gives the song a whole new life and is actually something I would listen to over and over. This release is fairly good. There is a lot going on during most of the songs. The vocals are all over the place with different styles intertwined among each other. The music is complex and technical while shifting tempos. Everything fits together so well that you can tell that they took the extra time and really worked on every little aspect. There are several tracks that I can see being played by many fans while others might take a true hardcore long term fan. Some of the tracks will look great on the set list of a show.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Tracks to Watch:

How Many Times, Out Of My Mind, Rumor Has It

Track List:

1. Our Apologies
2. How Many Times
3. Devil Be Damned
4. Qwerty
5. Portraits of the Poor
6. Childlike
7. This Cold Reign
8. We Are The Truth
9. Son of 7
10. For Your Pleasure
11. Worlds Collide
12. Graveyard Du Jour
13. Out Of My Mind
14. Rumor Has It

Website (s): www.mushroomhead.com