Don’t let the junior-SLIPKNOT imagery fool you; MUSHROOMHEAD’s music is more akin to Euro-prog metal than your typical Ozzfest second stage act. Melodic progressions, subtle keyboard overtones (a la Devin Townsend’s OCEAN MACHINE), and vibrato-laden singing are the order of the day. But don’t think MUSHROOMHEAD aren’t heavy. The masked-troupe kick out the jams with heavy, galloping WHITE ZOMBIE grooves, calculated rap/rock, and aggressive screaming (MESHUGGAH screamer, Jens Kidman, even makes an appearance on “The Dream is Over”). Songs vary from midpaced to upbeat but unfortunately never getting as over-the-top as one might hope. Regardless, XIII all adds up as MUSHROOMHEAD manage to avoid the cheese factor by seemlessly weaving together a patchwork of Magna Carta metal behind a wall of downtuned guitars and mall-metal friendly nu-metal. (Universal Music)
