Mushroomhead is an eight piece industrial metal band that formed in 1993 from Cleveland, Ohio. Their music was really popular in the area and they were probably the first group besides KISS to wear masks/make up. Slipknot brought the idea out later, and now people compare Mushroomhead to Slipknot. They are alike in a few ways. They have eight members in the band, and they both wear masks. That is about it. Anyway on to Mushroomhead. They have released a few EP’s before making a full debut album, entitled "XX". That CD is a combination of the songs from their demos that they released until 2001. This CD, entitled "XIII" is Mushroomhead's second major release on a major record label company. It is my favorite CD by them. J-Mann has left the band after this release, I believe.
Mushroomhead is (for this album):
Skinny - Drums
J-Mann - Lead Vocals
Jeffrey Nothing - Lead Vocals
Shmotz - Keyboards
Pig Benis - Bass
Gravy – Guitar
Bronson - Guitar
Stitch - Samples
XIII (released 2003)
Kill Tomorrow starts us off and they know exactly what they are doing. Jeffrey nothing can sing really well and J-Mann can rap just as good as any rapper today. It is done really well. The keyboards are done well and the samples can be heard. This is an example of when the whole band can actually play together (slipknot ..cough cough……). It is a great album opener and welcomes you into the CD.
Sun Doesn’t Rise is the only single off of the album. Let me say WOW, this song kicks major ***. J-Mann does some great rapping and the vocals are split evenly. The guitar and Keyboards are heard really well. The bass plays its part in the song.
Mother Machine Gunstarts us off with a catchy piano intro that leads into a heavy rock song. It is done very well. The end of the song just amazes me as well. This is more of J-Mann's song because you hear more rapping and screaming. The different version of the intro (piano) is played with an instrument that I don’t know, but it sounds really cool and blends in well with the song. The outro is all keyboard effects and sounds like a concert.
Nowhere To Go is a slower paced song, and it slows things down a bit (imagine that). Jeffrey Nothing sings really well on this song. It starts to get repetitive after a while, but it is a tune that will get stuck in your head. The keyboard effects go well with the guitar.
Becoming Cold is one of the hardest songs on the album. It is Jeffrey singing really high and J-Mann rapping really fast. The keyboards are used well, just like in every Mushroomhead song. It blends into
One More Day, which is the ballad of the album, as the piano and how they sing the song give that away. It is done well.
The Dream Is Over is rapped really well by J-Mann and that is mainly all it is. Screaming and Rapping. It sounds like something Slipknot could pull together. It is well done, but gets repetitive really fast.
The War Inside also sounds a lot like Slipknot, but shows the better side of it. It starts our with J-Mann rapping softly,
Quote:
“How could such potential go unrealized
The natives speak in tongues and tangled truths while chanting
diatribes
Somewhere deep down in the subconscious wrapped in riddles lies
The meaning of this life we try to find but only lose our minds”.
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It kind of explains itself. The band as a whole sounds incredible. The turntables are used really well, and the guitar isn’t that bad. One of my favorites on the CD.
Almost Gone gives you a 1980’s rock feel to it, as Mushroomhead experiences with many different styles of music. Jeffrey sings pretty good in this song. The guitar is very catchy and this song will grow on you. Especially the instrumental work. J-Mann does some great rapping around the 1:40 mark of the song. The bass is very audible in this song as well.
Eternal gives you another Slipknot feel, but done well. It again is just J-Mann most of the time just screaming and rapping, but done well. There isn’t anything really special about this song.
Our Own Way is a very good song, as the keyboard effects and the piano are what strike you here. They are done well, and the singing is tuned down a bit, having Jeffrey singing most of the time. The guitar is very catchy and it gives it a eerie feel, kind of like it is haunted. This is another one of my favorites on the CD. The end of this song leads into
Destroy the World Around Me, which is another one of my favorites. It is talking about a war situation, and is sung well. The instrumental work is done extremely well, and the singing is done even better. J-Mann and Jeffrey probably do their best on this song. It is the second longest song at 8:21, but seems short for being that long, and how well it is done.
Thirteen is next, and for about 5 minutes it is just calming, relaxing guitar line. A baby comes in with a cute laugh about halfway through the 5 minutes. The softest part of the CD, by far. But that leads into a cover of Seal's
Crazy. Can I say WOW again! This is just spectacular. The entire song is 9:21 but you want to listen to all of it.
Quote:
"["Lost and Crazy" in the background:]
But we're never gonna survive unless we get a little crazy
No we're never gonna survive unless we are a little crazy
I know we're never gonna survive unless we get a little crazy bit
No we're never gonna survive unless we go a little crazy"
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These are the lyrics to the chorus, and let me say I agree completely, if you know what I mean. Very well done. Another favorite of mine is this cover.
Pros
Use of instruments/band members
J-Mann’s rapping
Piano
Seal’s “Crazy”
Cons
Can get really repetitive
Some song sound extremely similar
No guitar solos, especially when there could have been some.
Recommended Songs
Sun Doesn’t Rise
Mother Machine Gun
The War Inside
Our Own Way
Destroy the World Around Me
Thirteen/Crazy
In my opinion it is one of the best industrial albums. Ever. Definately worth the $13. I give it a
4.5/5. Enjoy the CD. Hope you like the review
