Mushroomhead
Savior Sorrow
Filthy Hands/MEGAFORCE Records
Two out of five Stars
When people get confronted by eight dudes all dressed up in weird costumes and freaky “predator-esque” masks (originally the masks were all different: ninja pig, mumra man, white paint guy, etc.-Slipknot’s masks share a shocking resemblance, check the Web for the juicy, feuding details), they’re scared stupid until their heads get decapitated or something.
But don’t worry. Mushroomhead won’t do that, and neither will its upcoming release, Savior Sorrow. Full of chugging riffs and baritone, throaty growls, Savior Sorrow elicits a much lighter feel than expected as it takes a softer approach on many tracks. As I’m sure most people know, ‘shrooms are hardly the gateway drug, but Savior Sorrow could just be a gateway CD into harder music for all of those who?well, just don’t get it. I’m talking about all those people whose hardest music download is Nickelback’s newest gumball single. (Uh-uh! No you didn’t!)
Yeah, just watch me.
But the reason I mention the lamester Nick-L-Back (as I call it) is that some of the best parts of Savior Sorrow resemble this awful, awful power group. The difference: Mushroomhead does it well with good, old-fashioned metal power.
What makes Savior Sorrow slump are the forays into different musical styles like nu-metal. Also, the electronic use doesn’t mesh well with the rest of the sound, and at times Mushroomhead’s new vocalist sings in a very emo style (the lyrics are pretty uninspiring, too), which can be like getting poked in the eye with a hot fork.
All I know is that when I listen to a serious band that looks like demons from the outer dimensions of space, I expect my innards to be taken out and/or the most cruel form of anal exploration this side of Saturn to occur.
On Oct. 6, Mushroomhead will be in Salt Lake City, so it still might occur, but with Savior Sorrow in tow, I think I’m pretty safe.