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 8th 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:
- Our Apologies
- How Many Times
- Devil Be Damned
- Qwerty
- Portraits of the Poor
- Childlike
- This Cold Reign
- We Are The Truth
- Son of 7
- For Your Pleasure
- Worlds Collide
- Graveyard Du Jour
- Out Of My Mind
- Rumor Has It
Website (s): www.mushroomhead.com