Following the breakout success of their eighth studio album and Napalm Records debut, 2020’s “A Wonderful Life”Cleveland, Ohio- based masked metal masters MUSHROOMHEAD return with 2024’s cinematic “Call The Devil” — laying waste to any preconceived notions of where the band is headed in their third decade of reign.
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” Feltonas 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, EPIC, ARCH ENEMY).
Alongside today’s announcement, MUSHROOMHEAD have revealed the album’s hard-hitting first single “Fall In Line”with an unnerving music video offering a first-person look at the band’s new masks, featuring design elements and sculpting by Jordan Patton and guitarist Joe Gall. The track pummels with electro-industrial injections and spine-tingling keys, boasting a twisting vocal attack balancing both brutal and melodic sounds from vocalists Scott Beck and Jackie LaPonza.
Steve “Skinny” Felton says about “Fall In Line”: “One of my favorite things about the ‘Fall In Line’ video is the use of the color red. It’s a powerful and emotional color palette. ‘Fall In Line’ was actually the last song we recorded for the LP. It came together really fast. Upbeat, aggressive and fun.”
Resulting in debuts at No. 2 on the US Current Hard Music Albums chart and No. 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.
Bursting with ominous intensity, album opener “Eye to Eye” launches with warning sirens and a grooving riff provided by gravyproving 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 MUSHROOMHEADwhile 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 gravythe 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”.
Steve “Skinny” Felton says about the album title: “We played around with a few different album titles, and apparently ‘Shout At The Devil’ was already taken… so we figured we’d just try calling.”
30 years into their groundbreaking history, MUSHROOMHEAD show no signs of slowing down, proving innovative without losing sight of their trademark sound and imagery. “Call The Devil” boasts everything from bangers to ballads, providing a strong variety that every heavy music fan will have on repeat!
“Call The Devil” track listing:
01. Eye To Eye
02. Fall In Line
03. Emptiness
04. We Don’t Care
05. UIOP (A Final Reprieve)
06. Prepackaged
07. Decomposition
08. Grand Gesture
09. Hallelucination
10. Hideous
eleven. Torn In Two
12. Shame In A Basket
13. Doom Goose
MUSHROOMHEAD recently announced a slew of tour dates. See below for all currently booked performances.
Jul. 19 – Mansfield, OH @ Ohio State Reformatory (INKcarceration Festival)
2024 European tour with DYMYTRY* and SILENZER**:
Aug. 09 – Bochum, Germany @ Rockpalast Bochum *
Aug. 10 – Kotka, Finland @ Dark River Festival
Aug. 11 – Southampton, UK @ EngineRooms */**
Aug. 12 – Birmingham, United Kingdom @ O2 Institute2 */**
Aug. 13 – London, United Kingdom @ O2 Academy Islington */**
Aug. 14 – Haarlem, Netherlands @ Patronaat */**
Aug. 15 – Sullingen, Denmark @ Reload Festival
Aug. 16 – Moravsky Krumlov, Czechia @ Rock Castle
Aug. 17 – Warsaw, Poland @ Proxima *
Aug. 18 – Kraków, Poland @ Klub Kwadrat *
Aug. 19 – Berlin, Germany @ Cassiopeia *
2024 USA tour with UPON A BURNING BODY, THERE IS NO US and MIND INCISION:
Oct. 04 – Buffalo, NY @ Rec Room
Oct. 05 – Hampton Beach, NH @ Wally’s
Oct. 06 – Worcester, MA @ Palladium Upstairs
Oct. 08 – Leesburg, VA @ Tally Ho
Oct. 09 – Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom
Oct. 10 – Lititz, PA @ Mickey’s Black Box
Oct. 12 – Pittsburg, PA @ Preserving Underground
Oct. 13 – Cincinnati, OH @ Bogarts
Oct. 15 – Grand Rapids, MI @ The Intersection
Oct. 16 – Belvidere, IL @ Apollo Theater
Oct. 18 – Green Bay, WI @ Epic Events Center
Oct. 19 – Joliet, IL @ The Forge
Oct. 20 – Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
Oct. 22 – Moline, IL @ The Rust Belt
Oct. 23 – Bloomington, IL @ Castle Theater
Oct. 24 – Columbus, OH @ The King of Clubs*
Oct. 25 – Flint, MI @ Machine Shop
Oct. 26 – Cleveland, OH @ Agora Theater*
* No UPON A BURNING BODY
MUSHROOMHEAD es:
Steve Rauckhorst – Vowels
Scott Beck – Vowels
Jackie LaPonza – Vowels
Dave Felton -Guitar
Joe Gall -Guitar
Ryan Farrell – Guitar, Bass, Keys
Aydin Kerr – Drums, Percussion
Robert Godsey – Drums, Percussion
Steve Felton – Drums, Percussion, Keys, Vocals
Last year, Steve “Skinny” Felton told cleveland.com about MUSHROOMHEAD‘s longevity: “All I can say is that we have been very blessed to be able to do this. Whether it’s 10, 20, 30 years — pretty much any time at all — anyone who gets to do this for any length of time knows how blessed and lucky and fortunate they are and to really soak in that.
“If there’s a secret, it’s to wake up every day with the goal of figuring out how to make your band, brand or artwork a little more accessible,” Felton he said. “To have an opportunity to create art with multiple people — to have their attention, time and creativity for a while — while chasing that creative element, staying inspired, believing in yourself and being true to your art is what does it, from my point of view.”
Photo credit: SK1
