“…creepy, dark, melodic, and absolutely evocative. Fantastic comeback.”
— Rock Hard (IT)
“With this opus, Mushroomhead consolidates its reputation in the metal scene.”
— My Rock (FR)
“…one of the more fascinating nu-metal songs of the year.”
— Consequence (US) on “Fall In Line”
American masked metal masters MUSHROOMHEAD recently announced their brand-new, upcoming ninth album, ‘Call The Devil’, out August 9, 2024 via Napalm Records. 30 years into their groundbreaking history, the band shows no signs of slowing down, proving innovative without losing sight of their trademark sound and imagery.
Following the album’s hard-hitting first single, “Fall In Line” – which Revolver dubbed “groove-heavy” and Consequence called “a pummeling barrage of industrial metal” – today, MUSHROOMHEAD unveil their second new nü metal-laden single “Prepackaged”. The song shines as one of the band’s heaviest new offerings, cementing their renown with massive riffs, aggressive growls, and a catchy chorus.
MUSHROOMHEAD mastermind Steve “Skinny” Felton says about “Prepackaged”:
“‘Prepackaged’ turned out extremely heavy, aggressive and haunting. Full of dark sonic textures. Both the video and the song are delightfully dark, foreboding, and unrelentingly grim.”
Resulting in debuts at #2 on the US Current Hard Music Albums chart and #8 on the Current Rock Albums chart, and with the unveiling of the band’s first woman vocalist, Jackie LaPonza, MUSHROOMHEAD introduced a whole new slew of accessible, hard-hitting anthems on the “artistic breakthrough” (Loudwire), ‘A Wonderful Life’, and have only aimed to expand on it with their ninth auditory onslaught.
Returning after a 12-year hiatus, longtime guitarist Dave “Gravy” Felton – who performed on several of the band’s biggest albums and is credited as a primary songwriter on classic anthems like “Along The Way”, “Sun Doesn’t Rise” and “The Dream Is Over” – contributes his trademark skills to two ‘Call The Devil’ album tracks. The album once again features production by band mastermind/drummer Steve “Skinny” Felton, as well as the return of Matt Wallace (Faith No More, 3 Doors Down) on mixing, also recognized for his work on MUSHROOMHEAD’s iconic album ‘XIII’. The album is also the band’s first to feature mastering from Jacob Hansen (Volbeat, Epica, Arch Enemy).
Bursting with ominous intensity, album opener “Eye To Eye” launches with warning sirens and a grooving riff provided by Gravy, proving the band wastes zero time with filler on ‘Call The Devil’. Eclectic tracks like the emotive, surprisingly jazzy anthem “Emptiness”, dramatic carnival creeper “UIOP (A Final Reprieve)” and haunting “Hallelucination” showcase the more experimental side of MUSHROOMHEAD, while heavy burners such as the gripping “Prepackaged”, charging and melodic “Hideous” and aggressive drum-forward “Torn In Two” cement the band’s lauded metal renown. Featuring guitar work and writing from Gravy, the winding, dark “We Don’t Care” proves to be a future live favorite with its chanting chorus and earworm hook as vocalists Steve Rauckhorst and Jackie LaPonza split leadership duties. ‘Call The Devil’ brings the cinematic, signature style of musical mastermind and bassist/keyboardist Ryan “Dr. F” Farrell to the forefront, exploring piano-driven balladic auras and compelling with eerily Vaudevillian three-part vocal achievements on songs like “Decomposition”, “Grand Gesture” and “Shame In A Basket”, eventually veering into welcomed bizarre territory with album closer “Doom Goose”.
