Cleveland’s newest hard rock spectacle is ready to make its mark. This hard rocking, intense and outrageous band has sold out every show since 1995, yet most people in Columbus haven’t heard of Mushroomhead.
This Cleveland-based band has raised the live-show-antics bar tremendously when its members spray fake blood on the audience from a hose or light the stage on fire for almost every show they play in the Midwest.
They play a brand of music that is not very popular.
It’s an extreme hard metal band with one singer screaming and the other singing listenable lyrics. They bring a live show to the stage that resembles the band Kiss with the band wearing make-up and masks while on stage.
Mushroomhead started in 1993 in East downtown Cleveland from a mixture of many different bands.
That is one reason why the band’s music sounds so different and interesting. It’s an interesting sound and not everyone’s cup of tea, but the music is professional and well crafted.
Mushroomhead is a very talented band and should make it big with their debut major record album “XX,” released May 8. They have released two independent albums prior to the new one, which sold incredibly fast in Cleveland.
The music of this group is so surprisingly good for a metal band that it’s almost a miracle. They have given metal a rebirth with their overwhelming originality and new sounds.
The band consists of Skinny on drums, Shmotz on keyboards, J Mann on lead vocals, Jeffrey Nothing on lead vocals, Pig Benis on bass, Gravy on guitar, JJ Righteous on guitar and Bronson on Samples.
They have toured the Midwest for many years, selling out shows in 2,500 seat venues, better than most nationally known bands.
The one thing that has kept Mushroomhead selling out concert’s consistently is the outrageous live show they put on. They push the limits of rock theater when they are on stage. The band has played with some of the biggest names in the business such as Marilyn Manson, Type O Negative, and Anthrax. They have headlined the “Cleveland World Series of Metal” four times since 1997.
One of the most interesting and original songs on the album “XX” is track number two, called “Bwomp.” It starts out with a techno beat reminiscent of the Mortal Kombat theme song bringing instant force and energy to the song. It’s an awesome song and one of the best on the CD.
Another cool song on the CD is “These Filthy Hands” which incorporates a piano with the hard metal of Mushroomhead. It’s an intriguing sound that works well with the band. It gives the band instant familiarity when you hear classic tunes on the piano.
Though the band sometimes forgets its skills and plays trash such as “Xeroxed,” a song that sounds like everything else in the world. It’s one of the worst songs and carries no originality with it.
The problem is Mushroomhead plays music that not many people will like except for hard core metal fans. The music is meant to be played loud, hard, and not all the time.
This band and album is not recommended for everyone – just fans that enjoy loud screaming and some hard metal with a touch of techno tunes and piano. Mushroomhead is something different and that’s special, but it’s hard to get past the wild sound it plays.
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