When you look at the history of nu-metal it is a wonder that Ohio's Mushroomhead aren't more popular than they are. At the turn of the millennium the wider spectrum of metal was experimenting with pop, punk, funk, hip-hop, dance, industrial, goth, and glam. Considering the octet touched and all of these and more (sometimes within the confines of the same song!) they seemed like the perfect poster children for a new era of weird heaviness. Unfortunately things never quite clicked for them, and comparisons to certain genre heavyweights held them back from the superstardom they perhaps deserved. 2014 represents a reboot of sorts for the band with their new album The Righteous and the Butterfly. Original vocalist Jason “J Mann” Popson returns to the fold for the first time in a decade, as well as the inclusion of new members Church (guitar), Dr F (bass), and Roberto Diablo (drums).
The Righteous and the Butterfly
takes everything that made Mushroomhead unique in the crowded shark
tank that was the nu-metal era and rebuilds it from the ground up. It
is reboot and celebration of the past all in one. The album's
strength is in the interplay between Jeffrey Nothing and the
returning J Mann. Their 'beautiful beast vs beastly beast' double act
was one of the band's foundations and, as a long time fan, it is
great to hear that interplay return after two less than stellar
albums without it. What is strange is that the other vocalist in the
mix, Waylon Reavis, is still around which expands their already
intimidating line-up to an auspicious nine members.
Default single 'Qwerty' is flat out
ridiculous. It is a great song that carries the ludicrous slogan
“Fuck you / I had a bad day” like a badge of honor. The danger
here is that a causal observer might take a message like that
seriously. And that doesn't even touch on the ironic 'bass drops'.
But for the first time in the album 'Qwerty' shows us what having
three distinct vocalists can mean for Mushroomhead. Faux heavy metal
posturing aside, they still find time for some genuinely affecting
tracks. The double-headed 'Portraits of People' / 'Childlike' are an
honest and moving palette cleanser that opens the door for more
punishment that lies in wait just around the corner.
Mushroomhead are at their best when
they put the tough guy schtick aside and set about confusing the hell
of its audience. The groovy trip-hop strut of 'We Are the Truth' is
completely out of left field. Tracks like this certainly do better
than the straight-forward, but technically proficient thrashers ('Son
of Seven' is a prominent culprit). They're not bad per se but tend to
come across as uninspired. Never forget, this is a band that had the
balls to make angry carnival dance music, worship Mike Patton before
it was cool, and cover an obscure Pink Floyd track on their major
label debut. Needless to say they are creatively fearless. In what
might as well be a callback to XIII the album closes out with
a startling pop cover. This time instead of Seal's ubiquitous 'Crazy'
we are treated to a grimy, tongue-in-cheek rendition of Adele's
'Rumor Has It'. If we ever needed a clear sign that this band has no
problem having fun with their tough guy image, here you go!
The Righteous and the Butterfly
is a departure from the polished muscularity of their last few
albums. If anything it recalls the loose, unhinged vibe that XX
created so effortlessly in 2001. In true retrospective fashion, that
polish has not eroded entirely but it is certainly better contained
and implemented than it has been. Like the best of their previous
work, The Righteous and the Butterfly is a complicated album –
far more complex than the band's appearance would suggest. It is
harsh, quirky, and unfocused in equal measure.
Rating: A-
Recommended tracks: Qwerty, We Are The Truth, How Many Times
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