ALBUM REVIEW: A Wonderful Life – Mushroomhead

It’s been a long six years for MUSHROOMHEAD fans who have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Cleveland chart-toppers first offering since 2014’s The Righteous and the Butterfly. The wait has been met with some trepidation however within the fan base as they have been apprehensive about who would be filling the void left by long time vocalist Jeffrey Hattrix, and keyboardist Tom Smitz, who have both featured on every album since their self-titled release way back in 1993. Guitarist Tommy Church also vacated the band in 2018.

With their past conflict with similarly masked juggernauts SLIPKNOT these days featuring as much beef as a vegan’s banquet, MUSHROOMHEAD are free to build their own path to rebirth by playing their own game of band member musical chairs. In fact, their only current member left from their original line-up is drummer Steve ‘Skinny’ Felton who also produced the album. Skinny has created a crisp and polished record that while sounds incredibly clean, never sacrifices the aggressiveness that explodes throughout the album.

The bands are well known to dabble in various genres throughout their catalogue and A Wonderful Life is no different. A Requiem For Tomorrow opening with a choir is an interesting initiation into the record but it doesn’t last long until the track unveils into an industrial metal powerhouse, led by long-term vocalist J Mann with his signature rasp flowing over melodic synths.

It’s not until track two, Madness Within, though where we see the entrance of the newly appointed vocalists Steve Rauckhorst and Ms Jackie. It’s a mid-tempo horror infused lullaby and shows that they clearly fit in nicely within the ranks but the track itself never feels like it ever gets off the ground. Lead single Seen It All is an arena-sized anthem with an earworm chorus that could be easily chanted by the metal masses. Its structure is simple but it’s in its simplicity where the track truly shines and isn’t over-complicated by an accumulation of tempo changes or miscellaneous sounds.

Ms Jackie shows off her skills in the brooding and haunting The Heresy, exclaiming “We Feed The War Machine” on repeat. It’s another catchy number that will no doubt be popular with fans and potential fans alike. It’s a standout track that brings Jackie to the forefront but is juxtaposed with J Mann’s signature bark. What a Shame and Pulse can’t keep up the momentum and end up becoming lost in a sea of decent but lacklustre songs that are scattered throughout the 17 track (including the four bonus tracks) album. Proceedings are picked up again thankfully for Carry On, another Ms Jackie prominent number that shows once more that MUSHROOMHEAD are highly capable of creating gigantic swirling hooks that capture the listener’s attention and keep it even after the final notes ring out.

Fans of old school MUSHROOMHEAD should look no further than tracks The Time Has Come and I Am The One, providing long time listeners of the band with their signature stomp and aggression thrust back into the limelight. The latter features a dark and menacing build throughout the keys-lead verses that explode into a gut-punching shout-a-long chorus. The tempo is again switched again for The Flood, which doesn’t feel like it takes off until it’s emphatic conclusion. It leads into the longest track on the album in Where The End Begins, a slow-burning slog that fails to keep your interest for its full runtime while you’re waiting for it to burst into life.

The album is full of twists and turns that don’t always pay off and it tends to lack flow and cohesion. What it does do well however is show the band refreshed and reinvigorated while still keeping aspects of their staple sound. The guitars are down-tuned but filled with melody while drums hit hard and are punchy throughout. The bass is audible and bounces hand in hand with the groove-laden riffs. Nothing is flashy here, but the musicianship is on point.

Overall, A Wonderful Life is a well-produced but ultimately jarring album featuring a multitude of personalities. Unfortunately for MUSHROOMHEAD, it’s an opus that suffers from quantity over quality with its filler tracks and lengthy runtime fighting head-on against it’s well crafted anthemic powerhouse ragers. However, therein lies a lot of potential with the latest member additions proving they are worthy of their place in the band, ushering in a new era of MUSHROOMHEAD that should have fans eager to hear the next instalment in the saga of the masked metallers.

Rating: 7/10

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A Wonderful Life is set for release on June 19th via Napalm Records.

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