Mushroom Head - Savior Sorrow
It is safe to say that Mushroomhead have never had it easy. Being passed off as another Slipknot clone would spell trouble for most bands but the Cleveland industrial metallers have continued to make a career of being the underdog. With their debut on seminal label Megaforce Records, Savior Sorrow is the long awaited follow up to commercial smash hit XIII.
Opening with the juggernaut, '12 Hundred' new vocalist Waylon slips into the role well from his predecessor J Mann. '12 Hundred' has the chugging groove of Meshuggah whilst having a sub-industrial twist at the same time.
'Simple Survival' is the more stereotypical Mushroomhead that the fans would be aware of. The dual vocal presence is still there, with the almost ghostly vocals of co-singer Jeremy Nothing clash against the brutal vocals of Waylon. 'Damage Done' certainly flaunts the Meshuggah and Fear Factory who the latter have shared stages with over their ten year plus career. 'Burn' is a savage track that has the industrial edge not out of place on a Ministry or Slipknot album.
Not every track is perfect on the album though,' Save Us' is a weak effort seems to be an attempt at a power ballad. Despite having a creepy piano line echoing through the song 'Just Pretending' seems a little uncomfortable and a little two dimensional from a band that claims to incorporate atmospheric elements into their sound. As creepy as they sound Jeremy Nothing's vocals are a tad grating and begin to sound almost unnecessary after a while.
Though this album has the odd flaw, it is all round a solid record that will attract those that like their music twisted.