Mushroomhead, while certainly an interesting outfit, never really took off the way they should have. Maybe it was their well-documented visual similarity to Slipknot that has held them back all these years. Even though every album released has been strong they had a tendency to slip under the radar. Off the back of 2010’s fairly good Beautiful Stories For Ugly Children, the band’s main vocalist Nothing has released his debut solo album The New Psychodalia. It is a downright bizarre journey through the mind of this unique frontman. His larger than life persona and vocal versatility make him come across as a hybrid of Rob Zombie and Mike Patton.
Mushroomhead were always at their best when they were at their weirdest. I’m talking Seal covers, industrial rave parties, rapping about Charles Manson, etc. It is no surprise that is these same moments of madness that shine the brightest on The New Psychodalia. It all starts with a song called ‘Mnemerator’; a drum and piano piece that is smothered in rage. “She a Muppet / She lives in the studio / She’ll fuck your day up”. Perhaps moody, tripped-out music score is more your speed? Then listen to the harrowing ‘Darkseed’. The (almost) title-track ‘Psychodalia’ borrows heavily from classical guitaring, quaint prog rock, and classic rock bombast to make something dark and moving. For a short, sharp burst of angst metal give ‘Sin ‘O Cism’ a go. Unfortunately for every strong song there is another by-the-numbers nu-metal clunker around the corner. ‘Devil’ holds some promise until you realise that it is just a sketch of a full song. The tragic rap-rock hybrid ‘Enough’ would have felt dated ten years ago but is a guilty pleasure in the making.
The New Psychodalia shows off some interesting moves from Nothing and is a strong statement. None of this changes the fact that this is the solo album that nobody was asking for. When he’s on fire, he’s really on fire. When he falters, he falls hard.
Rating: C+
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