Mushroomhead
XX

THE REVIEW

Mushroomhead made headlines a few years ago due to a dispute with the well-known nu-metal group Slipknot over the mask issue, which both bands share. Mushroomhead claims that they were wearing masks before the Des Moines group and that monopolizing the idea is absurd. Honestly, it seems like a stupid and unnecessary conflict to me because even before Slipknot and Mushroomhead, there were the face paint of Kiss or Mr. Bungle and Alice Cooper, so they didn't invent anything new in terms of look. Anyway, it's the music that counts, not stupid mask issues and similar nonsense, which is why I'm going to review what I consider the best album from these "fungus heads".
I was reluctant to assign the (de)genre nu-metal to the album "XX" because while Mushroomhead falls under that category, what they do is always a kind of crossover, but slightly different from the style of Korn, Deftones, or Slipknot itself. It's a post-thrash metal flavored with some rap vocals and a veil of industrial that hovers over all the songs. Reference groups to be clearer? Well, there's a bit of everything: Machine Head, Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, Sepultura with a hefty dose of NIN, Ministry, and experimental fierceness à la Meshuggah.

It starts with "Before I Die" which strikes with its excellent thrashy riff and its driving pace rich with the typical alternation between growl and clean vocals from the two singers, enriched by dark/industrial overtones. The following "Bwomp" is introduced by a gothic metal atmosphere followed by an industrial rock song equally influenced by NIN and Ministry, and at the same time by the groovier Korn. Interesting are the rap segments that complete the album's song that comes closest to "standard" nu metal. "Solitaire Unraveling" has a slow pace with an initial hip hop inflection that bursts into a warm and loaded groove metal chorus, though it is a very repetitive and basic track. "These filthy hands" might be the only touchpoint between Mushroomhead and the extra-experimental Slipknot of "Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat."; there's a bit of everything in this song: jazz, swing, post-thrash riffs, and hip hop. It's definitely original but diverges greatly from the rest of the album. Cadenced and angry post-thrash introduces "Never Let It Go", but again, it's a repetitive and predictable track. However, the central part composed of rap+metal+industrial is interesting. One of the most aggressive tracks is undoubtedly "Xeroxed", a song in the style of Cannibal Corpse and Deicide, or brutal death metal with thrashy echoes in the chorus. The rapid double bass used throughout the track is very powerful, an excellent song framed with synths at the finale.
The path changes significantly with "The Wrist", one of the best songs in the album, with a melodic piano introduction for a song with hefty and "agitated" guitars, if you'll allow me the term, and an engaging chorus. "Chancre Sore" is a great song of murky and violent industrial metal, expressing the anger that this group carries within. "The new cult king" recalls Korn's "Issues," especially for the vocals that resemble Jonathan Davis's. "Empty spaces" is an industrial/dark interlude song that leads us to the masterpiece of the album, "Born of Desire", a really hefty and "mean" crossover metal song that's halfway between Sepultura's "Roots" and Nine Inch Nails. "43" is another beautiful song that crosses Machine Head riffs alternating with Reznorian rhythms and a voice in the chorus screams that remind of Max Cavalera (ex-Sepultura, Soulfly). "Fear held dear" once again demonstrates the experimental drive that moves Mushroomhead, a song rich with syncopated drums, industrial keyboards, alternating violent/melodic vocals, and thrashy style riffs. Tribal drum rhythms à la Sepultura for "Too much nothing" turn out to be another of the great songs of this "XX", still crossover blending everything: the already mentioned Sepultura tribalism, typical nu grooves, pure thrash metal riffs, and the usual alternation between clean "rock/metal" vocals and growl set on aggressive rap. The outro is "Episode 29", a mix of drums and thrashy riffs with technological samplers; the album proper ends here, but after 27 tracks of 4 seconds of silence each (a bit like "Follow The Leader"), there's an alternative version of "Bwomp" on the 43rd track, about 3 minutes longer thanks to an added final part composed of rap vocals and industrial atmospheres, quite useless. Despite some interludes to avoid and some repetitive songs, this is a good album because it presents excellent songs and is pleasantly listenable from the first to the last note. Destined for lovers of modern metal!