Lead singer Jeffrey Nothing, drummer Skinny and keyboardist Shmotz are the only consistent members of Mushroomhead since its formation in 1993, they have seen various line up changes over the years yet their alternative metal sound has not varied greatly. Their music has a traditional heavy metal sound merged with influences of experimental genres such as techno, new age and even hip hop at times. They have named Pink Floyd, Pantera, Nine Inch Nails and Rammstein as major influences on their music and style.
The band has released all seven of their major albums on the Dirty Hands label, their first appearance on the US album charts came in 2003 with 'XIII' which peaked at #40. Their highest charting position to date is the 2014 album 'The Righteous & The Butterfly' which debuted at #20 and also topped the US Indie and Hard Rock charts.
The band is known for having an ongoing feud with Ohio metal band Slipknot mainly induced by their fan bases. There are similarities with the two bands stage personas including the use of masks and costumes. It seemed to conclude in 2009 after both sides stated in interviews they had no problem with each other and claimed the feud was mainly down to their fan bases' loyal nature. In 2010 when Paul Gray of Slipknot died Mushroomhead responded with a post on their Myspace page reading: "R.I.P. Paul Gray, This feud needs to end. Much Love and Respect to the guys in Slipknot".
US alt-metal band Mushroomhead’s long career has been rather unfairly overshadowed by their reported feud with Slipknot, which mainly stemmed from their joint penchants for theatrical costumes (rumour has it that Slipknot stole their look from Mushroomhead, who were then forced to change up their trademark appearance). Although both bands play a form of demented heavy metal, in truth they occupied different space; there is and has always been room for both bands.
Formed in 1993, Mushroomhead – who have always had a rotating lineup and can feature up to nine members at one time – were initially lumped in the nu-metal pile, but they really make a more interesting fusion of industrial metal and Faith No More-esque experimental metal. I have only seen them live once: at Ozzfest, Donnington Park, in 2002. The masked metal mob were touring their major label debut, XX, and delivered a riotous set (literally – the venue had reached capacity and the attendees stuck outside broke down the barriers and flooded in). Fronted by two charismatic singers, Jeffrey Nothing (clean Mike Patton-esque vocals) and J Mann (hard shouting vocals), who recently rejoined the band after nearly a decade in the wilderness, Mushroomhead smashed through tracks like ‘Before I Die’ and synth-laden hit ‘Solitaire/Unravelling’ with demonic passion. Now the feud is well and truly over, there is talk of a Slipknot-Mushroomhead tour. That would be a spectacle worth seeing…
cliverozario
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