Mushroomhead – XIII

MUSHROOMHEAD
XIII
Released 2003 (Universal)

Track List:
01. Kill Tomorrow
02. Sun Doesn’t Rise
03. Mother Machine Gun
04. Nowhere To Go
05. Becoming Cold (216)
06. One More Day
07. The Dream Is Over
08. The War Inside
09. Almost Gone
10. Eternal
11. Our Own Way
12. Destroy The World Around Me
13. Thirteen

Band:
J Mann – vocals
Jeffrey Nothing – vocals
Bronson – guitar
Gravy – guitar
Big Benis – bass
Skinny – drums
Shmotz – keyboards
DJ Stitch – samples

Additional Musicians:
Jens Kidman – additional vocals (7)

Production:
Produced by Steve Felton.

Review:
Nu-metal; I find it all so predictable. Sing a verse, scream a chorus, over lap with chugging down-tuned guitars and repeat. While most nu-metal bands employ this strategy until you contemplate suicide, at least Mushroomhead once in awhile show some actual musical ability. In fact if you threw Pantera and The Cult into a blender and hit ‘chop’ you might end up with Mushroomhead.

  “Nowhere To Go” and “One More Day” resist the urge to fall into the screaming pattern and the results are mid-tempo songs that would have felt at home on The Cult‘s 1994 self titled album. “Almost Gone” shows that the band does have musical talent, with a cool guitar rhythm — if it wasn’t for the rap-like segments this may be the best song on the disc. The eight plus minutes of “Destroy The World Around Me” has some interesting moments. The pops and clicks of an old vinyl LP are a neat addition to weird, but entertaining, mostly instrumental “Thirteen”.

  Mushroomhead do have talent, but sadly it is awash with mediocrity a lot of the time. The vocal similarities to Ian Astbury are uncanny at times, but just not utilized enough. I suppose to make money these days in music you have to stick with the trend that is ‘in’ — but I’m close-minded and stuck in the late 80’s. You will have to be far more open-minded then I am to fully enjoy XIII. Mushroomhead can be found at mushroomhead.org.

Reviewed by Skid for Sleaze Roxx, January 2004.

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