Back at the start of the new millennium the American Alternative Metal scene was crafting a fresh identity for itself. Accomplished with the mainstream introduction of bands that had eye-catching imagery (masks, make-up, jumpsuits), leading this charge was Slipknot, Mudvayne, but also Mushroomhead. Often lumped together in the same pot of chaos, the decades to follow have included fan feuds over which came first, but in truth, the darkly theatrical imagery is where the three acts similarity begin and end. All quite unique to one another, if you want to look at the history deeper, Mushroomhead perhaps has the most interesting.
Out of Ohio, Mushroomhead roots date back over thirty years now and includes several independently released albums between 1995’s self-titled and 1999’s M3, before their bigger mainstream exposure around 2001 when they signed on with Universal Records to re-release/re-record the compilation XX. It was here a much broader audience were awakened to what Mushroomhead were all about, followed by major national and international tours which included a place on 2002’s Ozzfest. Nonetheless, the band continued to strike interest with their unique brand of Metal on subsequent releases such as 2003’s XII, 2006’s Savior Sorrow, as well as later on with 2014’s The Righteous & the Butterfly. Truly a very independent thinking group of musicians, Mushroomhead have continued to march to the beat of their own drum, do what they see fit artistically, while also note being afraid to change up their lineup. In fact, the infrastructure of the band has seen quite a few shifts over the years, but all of which resulted in a fresh sounding record each time out.
In short, Mushroomhead features nine active members, led by long standing Drummer Steve “Skinny” Felton. Joining him you have Robert “Roberto Diablo” Godsey (drums, percussion), Ryan “Dr. F” Farrell (guitar, bass, keys), Jackie LaPonza (vocals), and Steve Rauckhorst (vocals), all with extended service in the band. However, with these pieces in place, Mushroomhead’s return in 2024 with their new album Call The Devil finds a list of new components added to the machine. Leading them you have alumni Guitarist Dave “Gravy” Felton, returning for the first time in twelve years, plus Joe “Jenkins” Gall (guitar), Scott “xtriker” Beck (vocals) and Aydin Kerr (drums, percussion) putting a notch in belt on their first studio recordings with the band.
A whole lot to compute, adding another wrinkle to Mushroomhead’s new album is it comes almost four years after the release of 2020’s A Wonderful Life. That album, debuting at #2 on the US Current Hard Music Albums chart and #8 on the Current Rock Albums chart, was the first full-length with LaPonza as a solid full-time member, and let us just say this was a game changer. Introducing a whole new dynamic, A Wonderful Life was a startling collection of songs that proved that the band were still breaking new ground. Fast forward, on August 9, 2024 Mushroomhead released Call The Devil through Napalm Records, and it also looks to cause a stir.
Consisting of thirteen tracks, Call the Devil very much picks up where A Wonderful Life left off, but not with its own distinctive qualities. Full of some intense heaviness, there are also the darker aspects of Mushroomhead’s sound immersed in many of the tracks. In all, the album plays out with plenty of bold moments, but perhaps the biggest unfold in the epic opener “Eye to Eye,” the haunting aspects of “Fall in Line,” the straighter forward “We Don’t Care,” the must-listen “Prepackaged,” and nightmarish “Hideous.”
Overall, the vocals of Rauckhorst, the newly added xtriker, as well as x-factor LaPonza, mesh well together where the cleaner and more harsh sections do not sound out of place. This stated, the heaviness of this album is quite pronounced and thankfully the band’s avant-garde approach remains ever-present in many corners of theatrical terror. A worthy follow up to A Wonderful Life (which is a must listen should you have missed it), Cryptic Rock gives Mushroomhead’s well-crafted return with Call The Devil 4 out of 5 stars.
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