Customer Reviews

Xiii

5 star:		(156)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Mushroomhead truly reigns from the topmost tier of rock and metal, taking an art that can quickly become repetitive and turning it into a mind-boggling sensation of multiple sounds blending into one astounding taste of ear candy.

The combination of vocals from Mann and Nothing never cease to intrigue me, one rough and the other melodic, but it is their ability to blend their differences so well that stands Mushroomhead out from the rest of the pack.

Overall heavy rock with metal fusion, there are surprises in XIII that will tickle your musical tummy and perk your ears up in interest. My absolute favorite song on the CD would have to be Sun Doesn't Rise, but its difficult to pick just one from this amazing collection of songs.

In Kill Tomorrow the treat is the tasty break in the song that provides a spectacular drum solo followed by rolling, crunching "railroad" guitars. Listen for the baby giggling in the background.

Mother Machine Gun starts out with a beautiful piano solo, that quickly melds into Mann's growling vocals, before being joined by Nothing's mellow metal-croon. Nowhere to go and One More Day have some interestingly dark, intense moods. The Dream is Over and The War Inside are a pure, driving metal fest, and I can't leave out the beauty of the classical piano sounds in Our Own Way, sending us the lyrical message to "Arise! From your failures, Traitors all await your final fall."

The synthesizer and drumming, marching mood in Destroy the World Around Me, with its building feeling of a premonition of dread, and don't forget to log in with your CD and pick up the copies of The Simpleton and Along The Way from Mushroomhead's website, a nice little bonus.

I don't know what to say about Thirteen. It stirs the beast inside me in pleasing and yet uncomfortable ways. I can honestly see myself sitting on a grassy hillock, a crisp breeze fluttering my hair, looking out over the valleys as the world ends around me.

That odd, Celtic feel brought to life with the guitar/synthesizer, as mournful as the sound of bagpipes rolling across fog shrouded Heaths. I feel like I am frozen, locked up rigid with longing, and forced to gaze into the abyss of my own mind.

And just when you think the music is going to release you, a child's laughter fills your headphones, and the beast spreads its wings to lift you up once more, the same tune but deeper and more sorrowful, sharply contrasting with the baby's giggling. A choir is brought in now, lifting up the highs while the bass pounds lower still, and eventually fades into nothing more than the sounds of a scratchy record on an old phonograph.

Then the song breaks into a remake of "Crazy" by a early nineties pop artist named Seal, taking something originally mediocre at best and cranking it into a modern rock masterpiece. Other bands have remade pop tunes successfully, like White Zombie's version of "Boogieman" and Dope's version of "You Spin Me Round", and Mushroomhead joins the ranks of those successful covers.

Really, don't let anyone say this song is boring. It is very un-metal, but a truly talented band should be able to move you in mysterious ways, and Thirteen moves me deeply inside, lightening the sludge as the base of my soul's pillar.

ENJOY!!

I have been waiting forever for this CD. Ive been a fan of the band for 3 or 4 years and I have seen them live 5 times. When this CD finally came out, I was so excited. Definitely worth the wait.

1. Kill Tomorrow - Starts off with a real chunky riff that gets you banging your head right off the bat. Then it Skinny starts attacking the drums while J Mann screams his head off. This is a sick song and a great way to begin the cd.

2. Sun Doesn't Rise - An awesome intro with sort of a tribal sounding drum supporting Jeffrey Nothings wailing. I really like the balance between the 2 singers on this song. Definitely a catchy tune.

3. Mother Machine Gun - I just love this song. Sometimes I will just sit there and listen to this song and then start it over and listen to it again and again. One of the sickest riffs. Definitely one you bang your head to.

4. Nowhere to Go - This song slows it down a little and then it builds up a bit in the end. This is a pretty good song, I haven't ever really heard much like this from Mushroomhead before. Jeffrey Nothing sings most of this song, much like the rest of the album.

5. Becoming Cold (216) - This is another fast, catchy song. I read a lot of reviews that think this song is the greatest thing in the world. I never really got into it all that much, but its still a good song, just not one of the best.

6. One More Day - At first I didnt like this song for some reason, but it has grown on me quite a bit. I would still rank this as my least favorite on the CD, but I do like it and I appreciate it as a softer song. Jeffrey sings the whole thing.

7. The Dream is Over - This is where the CD really picks up again. The dream is over is just a furious song. Perfect for driving your car into a wall. J Mann and Jens from Meshuggah sit there and scream at eachother. It sounds like they are ready to destroy eachother. This song gets my blood pumping.

8. The War Inside - Right after I get pumped with The Dream is Over, they throw the War Inside at me. By far the fastest song on the cd, maybe the fastest song Mushroomhead has ever recorded. Skinny is just awesome on this song. The chorus is great too, with J Mann and Jeffrey going back and forth at eachother. One of the best songs on this cd.

9. Almost Gone - This song has a totally different sound from a lot of other Mushroomhead songs. Thats one thing I noticed about XIII, they really have tried a lot of new things and a lot of it turned out great. There's a real catchy, southern sounding rif, until J Mann comes in with one of coolest parts in the cd, almost like a rap type of thing in the middle of the song. This is another standout on the CD.

10. Eternal - I can tell that they are really trying with this song to make it really heavy. It sounds sort of like Xeroxed. While I like this song a lot, its mostly just because it has a killer chorus. The rest of the song doesn't really knock my socks off or anything. But it does have a cool chorus.

11. Our Own Way - I really like this song because its creepy. It starts out with a clean sounding guitar, no distortion or anything, and the Jeffrey and Shmotz and everyone come in and just create this eerie vibe. A lot about this song is great, but I think it just needs a little something else and it would become one of their best songs.

12. Destroy the World Around Me - If this song was about 2 minutes shorter it would probably be my favorite song on the CD, if not my favorite song by Mushroomhead. There are 3 different parts of the song, the beginning with J Mann where there is a militant sounding beat. Then Jeffrey takes over and starts this desparate sounding singing. In the end it becomes a little more angry sounding and Jeffrey starts singing "Caught in the wave of the world around me." All 3 parts are sick, but I think the 2 differnt parts with Jeffrey could be cut back maybe a minute or so. ?This song is a really emotional song, almost a cry for help. I love it.

13. Thirteen / Crazy / Treason - Track 13, entitled "Thirteen," is actually three songs. Thirteen is just sort of a folk sounding guitar that has kind of a calming sound to it. It goes on like that for a little while and then it fades out, when it fades in, its similar, only somewhat more deranged. It sounds like the guitar is being played backwards and theres like a baby crying and darth vader breathing. I dont know, I usually fast forward so I can get to their cover of Seal's "Crazy." This song is just awesome. I dont know how they came up with this song to cover but they just took it and tore it to shreds. You would never knew they didnt write this song. The last song is "Treason" which is all Jeffrey again, and hes just kind of singing over this mellow, trippy music. Its pretty cool too.

Now I am no expert on rating Cds, but I do know that I really like this CD and so does everyone I have shown it to. One of the best in my collection.

In 1993, a group of eight musicians in Cleveland, Ohio created what was initially just a side project: to blend extreme music with a vaudevillian stage show. The result was the heavy metal band called Mushroomhead: J Mann (screaming vocals), Jeffrey Nothing (melodic vocals), Skinny (percussion & band founder), Shmotz (keyboards), Pig Benis (bass), Gravy (guitar), Bronson (guitar) and Stitch (samples). They are known for their distinctive masks and makeup, as well as their unique, well-balanced, dual-singer sound.

In the 1990's, Mushroomhead locally released four independently produced albums and opened for many well-known heavy metal groups (Marilyn Manson, Type O Negative, Anthrax, etc.). In 2001, they released their national debut album called "XX", which was a compilation of remixed songs from their first four independently produced albums. Now, Mushroomhead has released an entirely new album called "Xiii". With 13 songs totaling just over 1 hour of music, it is some of the band's best material yet recorded:

I. "Kill Tomorrow" (3:44 min, 5+ stars). An intense, guitar-laden beginning that features the vocals of both Jeffrey Nothing & J Mann. One of my favorite songs on the album.
II. "Sun Doesn't Rise" (3:13 min, 5+ stars). Jeffrey Nothing starts this song and is quickly joined by Skinny and J Mann before the guitars, bass and samples create an intense collage. One of my favorite songs on the album.
III. "Mother Machine Gun" (4:16 min, 4.5 stars). A soft piano-driven beginning gives way to very aggressive guitar and J Mann's vocals before being joined by Jeffrey Nothing. The intensity fades at the end for the piano and samples.
IV. "Nowhere To Go" (3:42 min, 5+ stars). One of my other favorite songs on the album, which features Jeffrey Nothing's emotional vocals accompanied by J Mann.
V. "Becoming Cold (216)" (4:25 min, 4 stars). Intense & fast, guitar & percussion driven song with the vocals of Jeffrey Nothing & J Mann riding on top.
VI. "One More Day" (3:36 min, 4.5 stars). A slower song that begins with piano accompanied by intense percussion blasts and featuring a duet by Jeffery Nothing & J Mann, who are later accompanied by a female studio chorus. The guitar & bass come and go.
VII. "The Dream Is Over" (3:15 min, 5 stars). An intense & heavy song featuring percussion, guitar, bass & J Mann's screaming vocals. (No Jeffrey Nothing vocals on this song.)
VIII. "The War Inside" (2:58 min, 5 stars). Very aggressive percussion drive this fast song with some intense vocals from Jeffrey Nothing and accompanied by J Mann's screaming vocals for the choruses.
IX. "Almost Gone" (4:01 min, 4.5 stars). A revving car engine starts this slightly slower, retro, guitar-driven song with vocals from both Jeffrey Nothing & J Mann.
X. "Eternal" (3:12 min, 5 stars). A more death-metal sounding song with tons of double-drumming, intense bass and J Mann's screaming vocals, giving way to more melodic sections with Jeffery Nothing's vocals.
XI. "Our Own Way" (3:40 min, 5 stars). A ballad-like instrumental beginning that features Jeffrey Nothing's melodic vocals, later joined by J Mann's screaming vocals.
XII. "Destroy The World Around Me" (8:21 min, 5 stars). A melodic, electronic, instrumental beginning giving way to J Mann's intense vocals accompanied by aggressive guitar & bass. The melodic beginning returns then returns with Jeffrey Nothing's vocals. Neither a fast nor slow song, but very intense.
XIII. "Thirteen" (12:04 min, 4.5 stars). An electronic, melodic introduction with the addition of crackling noises reminiscent of listening to an often-played LP. The melody briefly stops leaving only the crackling noises, then returns with the addition of a child's sounds. This goes on for 5 minutes, then only crackling is heard for about 30 seconds before the band returns with an updated cover of Seal's song "Crazy" from his 1991 self-titled album debut that includes many unique Mushroomhead additions.

Overall, I rate Mushroomhead's album "Xiii" with 5 out of 5 stars and is probably one of the best heavy metal albums released so far in 2003. If you love unique metal sound, I highly recommend this album.

I got into mushroomhead right about the time when XX came out. I loved that album and couldnt stop listening to songs like "the wrist" and "solitare unreavelling" and "born of desire" Mushroomhead came out with XIII and most every song is exacly like that. I couldnt stop listening to "eternal" if i tried.
Well this cd is so heavy and sweet im going to write sum stuff on every song...

1. Kill Tommorow - 10/10 Great open heavy and melodic
2. Sun doesn't rise - 11/10popular single great song (love the guitar (stuff) at the end
3. Mother Machine Gun - 11/10 Wow do i love this song.. explosive stuff.. my opinion one o the best on the cd .love the lyrics also "it's time to take a stand and defend your innocence. you cant slip thru the system exploiting interragance" kick ass song
4. No Where To GO - 10/10 not really into the slow stuff of music.. but mushroomhead does sumtin with this song tha makes me love it (same wit # 6) love jefrey voice in this one
5. Becoming Cold (216) - 10/10 heavy heavy stuff .. luv the lyrics luv the screamin/singin great song
6. One More Day - 10/10 sweet song.. again a slow slong for mushroomhead.. but the way they present it is jus great. back up vocals cool also sad song ends really softly
7. The Dream is Over - 11/10 HOLY GOD ! BANG mushroomhead bites ur (*) head off with a blast of energy that doesnt stop till the end. Heavy nuttin but screamin song love it 2nd best on album
8. The War Inside - 10/10 sweet song fast paced .. great screamin towards the end love the whisperin at the beggining
9. Almost Gone - 8/10 while i dislike this song allot because it is more of a strait out "rock n roll" sound in the middle of 2 kick () metal songs, i still find it to be an OK song. just one weak song on this album. actually the only
10. Eternal - Wow this i think is my fav. song .. great heavyness combined with melody and great minor guitar stuff. "Its definetly the heaviest song ever" right u are
11. Our own Way - 10/10 kind o slow/soft until "ARISE" "ARISE" "ARISE" good good song
12. Destroy The World ARound mE - 10/10 nice gutair .. not hard not soft . jus mushroomhead
13. Thirteen 10/10 omg happy rock? this reminds me of the day when i liked it... and wow do i love this (dunno y) coo lyrics different for mushroomhead

GREAT CD SHROOM KICKS IT LIKE NO OTHER CHECK THEM LIVE BEST BAND LIVE SWEET STUFF buy this cd u b happy

Yep, Mushroomhead is back, and they are in top form. Just when you thought they couldn't outdo their last album, "XIII" proves to be their finest effort as of now. This metal-industrial band is extremely successful at putting out hard-hitting songs, as well as very melodic and haunting tunes.

What's so great about these guys is that they do their absolute best to mix it up with every song; meaning that they make sure that every song has a look and feel of its own. I don't think I even came across one single song that sounded the same the others. They have heavy and intense songs; they have very melodic and soothing songs. There's some great yelling and screaming; there's some outstanding and hypnotic singing. Each song sounds fresh and unique without a single song sounding repetitive.

I really enjoy every track on this album, but my favorite songs are "kill tomorrow," "nowhere to go," "sun doesn't rise," "mother machine gun," "one more day," "the war inside," "almost gone," and "our own way." All in all, I think every song is fantastic. This is one of those rare albums where you don't have to worry too much about skipping track after track to listen to the "good ones."

Mushroomhead's "XIII" is an outstanding album that really stands out as one of the best to come out of 2003. It's dark, hard-hitting, intense, melodic and haunting. If you are a fan of their last album, chances are you will love this new one. For a great metal-industrial sound that has a fresh look and feel, Mushroomhead is the group for you.

Being in the rare position of having a few extra bucks to spend one day, I came across MTV's Headbanger's Ball. Now, I despise MTV and everythign that it stands for, but as a metal head I was intrigued by some of the bands that I had never heard of. So I took it home and put it it, and on that fateful day I came across "Sun Doesn't Rise."

I was amazed! How can a band put together somethign so heavy but so melodic? So energentic but so thoughtful? So haunting and so angry? Well, Mushroomhead did it, and they did it very, very well.

The first thing that I noticed was the vocals. I really, really like the singer who has that badass bark/rap/chant whatever-you-wanna-call-it....it's just plain awesome. And the guy who does the more "melodic" singing has a very distinct voice. Not to wax poetic, but it makes me think of a soldier going off to war, singing songs in a bar on the eve of battle. His voice would be mixed with anger, sorrow, and anticipation, but also would have a hint of bittersweet memorires of his past, and a careful anticipation of the future.

And the music! The riffs are perfect, having more crunch than a fresh-made bowl of Frosted Flakes. The samples help to give the rest an industrail feel (which works for me - I'm a big industrial fan.) And the drummer has to be one of the most badass guys ever to use a kick pedal.

There is energy here, real, palpable. You can almost hold it in your hand. This band represents what music SHOULD have, regardless of genre - energy and soul.

Peace

Mushroomhead, XIII (Universal, 2003)

Mushroomhead left RCA hot on the heels of this, their most popular album ever. Wonder why? (Maybe the complete lack of promotion on RCA's part, ya THINK?) It never ceases to amaze me that Slipknot have gotten huge using Mushroomhead's ideas (after Slipknot stole their onstage presence, Mushroomhead just remade themselves and kept going...), while the boys themselves toil on in relative obscurity. (And really, those calling them "derivative nu-metal" should perhaps take a quick look at recent history. So'called "nu-metal" didn't even EXIST in 1994; Mushroomhead are the band from which all else in the genre dervies. Now get over it.)

Mushroomhead's fifth album isn't really anything new from Mushroomhead. If you know their stuff, you know what to expect. The whole double-vocalist thing works nicer than it has since the first couple of Public Enemy discs, the industrial-blend thing (almost de rigeur for Cleveland bands, as Cleveland is one of the last places in America with a thriving industrial community) works, the first single is good, solid rock and roll.

But it's the second single that really makes this disc stand out. "Crazy," the Seal cover that sits at the end of the disc as one of its two hidden tracks, is a work of simple, beautiful wrongheadedness that couldn't have come off more right. One wonders if, somewhere in the world, Mr. Samuel is choking on a biscuit while hearing Mushroomhead covering "Crazy" for the first time. Brilliant cover of one of the nineties' best piece of pure pop brilliance. It's a recipe for success, and it works.

If you want to know where it all came from (and a good number of reviewers seem to need some perspective), you'd do well to pick up Mushroomhead or Superbuick first. For established fans and those who couldn't care less (but aren't going to make silly comments like "Slipknot rip-offs"), XIII is a fine piece of work you'll listen to more than once. *** ½

I tried this as my first taste of Mushroomhead when it was released as a recommended item from Amazon and got hooked immediately. The first impression I got was something like Faith Nmo ore, doing a far heavier sound and vocal arrangement. Probably due to the sound of my favorite track 'sun doesn't shine' - which is great.

The band makes hard rock music, with a keyboard - ala FNM (but they really don't sound like FNM at all) and run two vocalists - a rough yeller and a clear singer - must be a better description somewhere but that's as good as I can muster just now. What they are able to do is master, really master, the art of changing the songs character through it. Sun Doesn't shine is wonderful at it - it's well made and has a really great way of slipping for segment to segment. A lot of other songs on the record are great also. 'becoming cold', 'kill tomorrow' are good examples.

The hidden track also is fantastic - it's a cover of Seal's 'Crazy', works brilliantly with Muchroomheads arrangement.

To me a much better album than XX.

are some comparisons to Slipknot given the disguses but I can't see it in the music. I like both a lot but would not call them similar.

I remember when I first saw these guys, it was back some years ago on Mtv2, and I saw their "Solitaire Unraveling" video. Even though at that time I didn't listen to any kind of metal music I still liked them. About a year later I heard about the thirteen album coming out, and I really hadn't heard a single song except for solitaire unraveling, and took a chance. This cd opened up the "doors of metal and good music" to me. These guys don't get the full credit they deserve for their music. If I asked someone if they knew who Shroom was, most likely they wouldn't know, but thats their loss. But if I asked someone who Slipknot was, more likely than not, they could identify them. I'm not bagging on slipknot or anything I just think Mushroomhead is a better band altogether.
Other great bands to check out are Mudvayne, Disturbed, Lamb of God, Fear Factory, and of course Meshuggah.

I first discovered this band while walking around a show
and seeing a hesher stoner type guy wearing a Mushroomhead shirt,
my first reaction was "great.. another Mr. Bungle, Slipknot
mask wearing clone band" and thought nothing more. I was at
work last week listening to internet radio, and from a distance
i heard a totaly original sounding song which is rare these
days, i looked at the track list and it was Mushroomhead "Nowhere
To Go".. I went out that very moment to buy this CD.. I take back
everything for passing judgement before keeping an open mind.
Although i'm not a huge fan for the mosh metal style stuff they
do but the tracks "One More Day" "Nowhere To Go" "Our Own Way"
are probley some of the best, well written compositions ever
created by musicians.. I think more of these guys then bands i have loved my whole life.. I also thought Jefferey Nothing sounds a lot like Mike Patton at first, but the more I listened to
the vocal style there on two completly differen't plains..
BUY THIS ALBUM!!!!!!!!!!!!