Mushroomhead
A Wonderful Life – Napalm Records
What a title given the situation we find ourselves in at the moment. Lockdowns, locusts and the unfolding environmental disaster have brought the word apocalypse to the fore. And yet there is hope and it’s through wonderfully creative acts such as Mushroomhead that a little glimmer of light can still shine bright. Sure they can’t fix things on their own but they can promote awareness and lift our collective spirits. So this new album even with its throaty vocals and darkness of theme is still the current pinnacle of where we are at in the arts. It grooves away, it punches hard and it makes you feel alive. There are some great twists too. ‘Carry On’ blends a more commercial vibe with what you’d normally expect. It’s a natural extension of the hugely successful ‘We Are The Truth’ that helped break the band to a new audience. Mushroomhead are moving their own personal goalposts but doing it at a pace that older fans will appreciate. With music like this around it really is still a wonderful life we live. Maybe they got the title right after all.
Review by Gary Trueman