Artist: Mushroomhead
CD: The Righteous & The Butterfly ( May 13th, 2014)
Label: Megaforce Records
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It’s been 20 years, but Mushroomhead still powers on! On May 13th they released their 8th album titled The Righteous & The Butterfly, aptly so as a dedication to their original guitarist, J.J. Righteous and the band’s former photographer (and drummer Steve “Skinny” Felton ’s wife) Vanessa Solowiow, both who sadly passed away way too soon.
This is a moment of growth for the band, as this album marks the return of vocalist J Mann and the debut of new guitarist Church and bassist Dr. F.
From their press-release, Skinny states that, “This album damn near wrote itself. With J mann’s return, this album is a fresh twist on a familiar vibe. It’s also the first album with Church and Dr. F. They brought in fresh blood while keeping the integrity of the band’s sound and vision intact. This is the 20th year of Mushroomhead and this album is us getting back to our roots.”
Excellent! With precedence such as this, we at RockRevolt had to put an ear and pen to it!
The eighth album from Mushroomhead opens with “Our Apologies”, a heavy hitting song with alternating tempos that move between rapid fire to sticky head banging grooves. The vocals are quasi secondary to the meandering timing, as they blend in to become more rhythm section than actual melody or harmony. “How Many Times” creeps up next with industrial and exploratory sonic streams, and dreamy soundscapes. The song fuses electronic synths into smooth vocals that glide over the digital expanse created by the electronic framework. Just as we depart the dream left from “How Many Times”, “Devils Be Damned”s eerie spoken words open into a rapidfire beat, supplying the bones for the heavy vocals to burst forth like a tsunami, then pull back again to allow for reintroductions of secondary and tertiary onslaughts. It then glosses over with smooth vocals which reinforce the original refrain.
I enjoy when music can paint pictures and transport listeners to places in their minds. The first single released off this album, “Qwerty“brings us to an evil carnival, opening up with circus flare where synths drive the song, painting it with pipe organ menace. The vocals sing up with an ugly “I had a bad day” from Jeffrey Nothing as the ring master. Oh yes, this circus is dripping with whatever Mushroomhead is spewing.
Just as we exit the BigTop, “Portraits Of The Poor” are painted for our ears. Cinematically, this song pairs piano with the warbly vocals and digital effects of Mushroomhead , creating a dichotomous song that redefines the term ballad, but proves to become the perfect song to open into “Childlike”. Again, a softer song that brings in guitars that sit shotgun to the vocals. I would love this song, as the refrain is interesting and climactic, unfortunately at the apex of that climactic wave is a sample of baby laughter that has a jarring effect. (That is a personal dislike though. Baby laughter sampling in ANY song is awful in my opinion – as plushies, sharks, and bananas, baby sampling is of the devil).
Almost as if we had been listening to two completely different records the second half of the album is significantly heavier than the first, commencing with “This Cold Reign” a polar opposite to all the previous pieces. This song is powerful from start to finish, vocals harsh and beats taking hold, forcing your head to bang along. Jeffrey’s tenor pops in occasionally, bringing back that Mushroomhead sensibility. To offset that barrage we just experienced, “We Are The Truth” provides an initial balance to the remainder of the album. Featuring Jackie Laponza from Unsaid Fate, her vocals breathe a new energy into the cauldron of this album, as the female vocals paired with the Mushroomhead trademark sound, along with a solid grooving beat, make this song a personal standout favorite. With strong syncopations and powerful vocals which power the refrain, allowing the verses to compliment and become plentiful, this song is made to satisfy old and new Mushroomhead aficionados alike.
Once again, we begin to see another shift in styles beginning with “Son of 7”. Wailing guitars introduce us to a waning rhythm that is followed by an explosion of heavy vocals supported by a wall of a drum beats backed into synths and electronic soundscapes. Pianos are reintroduced underneath the vocals in “For Your Pleasure”. As Jeffrey tells us that this is “For Your Pleasure and For Your Pain” the song becomes more complex, using that guitar to become part of the mix and allowing it to assist in carrying the vocalists across towards the heavy beats. The vocals are altered towards the climax, and the song bursts forward into its reprieve. Ominous guitars open “Worlds Collide“, which slides into a heavier musical offering, featuring an impressive musical display. “Worlds Collide” features the vocalists harmonizing, pairing vocalists to explore the synapses between the varying rhythms, guitar work, refrains, and original eeriness. Jeffrey’s vocals (and even though I’m not a fan of his voice by any means) are showcased nicely within this song.
With insectile clicking paired with piano and solo vocalists “Graveyard Du Jour”conjures horror imagery effectively, and delivers the unsettling mental images that Mushroomhead is targeting. Not as heavy or abrasive as the previous songs, this song moves in a more cinematic and elegant direction (if you care to call this band elegant). The album comes to a wrap with “Out of My Mind”, a song with more classic sense of metal, allowing guitars to take over and solo it out. I personally call this the end of the album, because it does mark the end of all original Mushroomhead songs, but there is one more song that is just really cool (I’m at a loss for flamboyant words to describe it. It’s just cool.)
The Mushroomhead cover of Adele’s “Rumor Has It”
This is definitely a MUST hear. Adele is an amazing singer – but by no means is she metal…UNTIL NOW. When non-metal songs are brought over from mainstream top 40, it is always interesting to hear what metal artists can do, and rarely does it disappoint. “Rumor Has It” should have been a metal/industrial song from the beginning. The original song showcases the amazing vocal prowess of Adele, and here it does the same. If you had never heard this song before, you would have thought to yourself, “Wow! This should have been the FIRST single dropped!” What I would not give to see this song performed live! Like I said, it’s just cool.
If Mushroomhead is moving to diversity and complexity, they’ve hit a homerun with The Righteous & the Butterfly. It’s interesting to listen to. We love seeing J-Mann back in the saddle, and its great to try to fantasize about what this group, legendary for physical presence and showmanship, could potentially take this live.
I give it 3.5 skullz.
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By: Alice Roques, RockRevolt Magazine CoFounder and Managing Editor
RockRevolt™Magazine has proudly saved over 11,000 trees to date by publishing in digital format-SAVE THE PLANET-ROCK THE WORLD!
Check out Mushroomhead’s upcoming tour dates!
Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival (Coldcock Whiskey Stage):
7-05-14 in San Bernadino, CA at San Manuel Amphitheatre
7-06-14 in Mountain View (San Francisco, CA) at Shoreline Amphitheatre
7-08-14 in Auburn (Seattle), WA at White River Amphitheatre
7-09-14 in Boise, ID at Idaho Center Amphitheatre
7-11-14 in Phoenix, AZ at Ak-Chin Pavilion
7-12-14 in Albuquerque, NM at Isleta Amphitheatre
7-16-14 in St Louis, MO at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
7-17-14 in Detroit, MI at DTE Energy Music Theater
7-18-14 in Milwaukee, WI at Eagles Ballroom
7-19-14 in Indianapolis, IN at Kilpsch Music Center
7-20-14 in Chicago, IL at First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
7-22-14 in Mansfield (Boston), MA at Xfinity Center
7-23-14 in Saratoga, NY at Saratoga Performing Arts Center
7-25-14 in Toronto, ON at Molson Amphitheatre
7-26-14 in Burgettstown (Pittsburgh), PA at First Niagra Pavilion
7-27-14 in Hartford, CT at Xfinity Theatre
7-29-14 in Darien Center, NY at Darien Lake
8-01-14 in Camden, NJ at Susquehanna Bank Center
8-02-14 in Scranton, PA at The Pavilion At Montage Mountain
8-03-14 in Bristow (Washington, DC), VA at Jiffy Lube Live
8-05-14 in Atlanta, GA at Lakewood Amphitheatre
8-07-14 in Oklahoma City, OK at OKC Air Park
8-09-14 in Dallas, TX at Gexa Energy Pavilion
8-10-14 in The Woodlands (Houston), TX at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion)
