CLEVELAND, Ohio – On Saturday, October 26, a Cleveland holiday-themed live music tradition will continue to induce headbang-worthy terror amongst the faithful as Cleveland’s own Mushroomhead stages its long-running and wildly popular Halloween show at The Agora.
Opening for the local legends are a quartet of national bands and Halloween Tour mates: San Antonio’s Upon a Burning Body and Phoenix-based There Is No Us, Mind Incision along with local bands Bittersweet Revenge and Psycho Plantation. Tickets for the 6:30 p.m. show start at $39.50 and are still available at agoracleveland.com.
Band mastermind, drummer, keyboardist and producer Steve “Skinny” Felton has been the one constant since the group first donned their signature masks and elaborate costumes 31 years ago. His supporting crew has included more than 20 bandmates over the years, nearly 30 if you count various touring members and dancers and jugglers. Some have come, gone and come again — but no matter who is underneath the masks during any given recording or tour cycle the result always sounds like Mushroomhead.
Fan-favorite singer, Jason “J Mann” Popson departed the band for the second time after its 2020 album, “A Wonderful Life,” and was replaced by Scott Beck. Additionally, touring singer and Cleveland native, Jackie LaPonza, is now an official member of the group and is featured throughout its latest album, “Call The Devil,” released in August.
The album is also the first to feature guitarist Joe Gaal and drummer Aydin Kerr. Another boon for fans is that popular guitarist, songwriter Dave “Gravy” Felton has brought his guitar and songwriting skills to a couple of tracks and is officially listed as a bandmember and presumably will be on stage at the Agora alongside his brother, who has returned to playing keyboards and the visually stimulating water drums on stage. Mushroomhead has also debuted a new set of masks for the new album and fall tour.
The album continues the band‘s exploration into a (slightly) more accessible side of their beloved mix of nu, industrial, alternative, experimental — but unmistakably “heavy” — metal. The music ranges from hard-rock radio-ready tracks such “Fall In Line” to the melodramatic, dark carnival sound of “UIOP (A Final Reprieve).”
The almost funky “Emptiness” — featuring some popping bass, pretty acoustic piano and clean melodic vocals — delves into the band’s deep Faith No More/Mr. Bungle/Mike Patton influence. There are also more traditional headbangers such as the dirty guttural vocals and serpentine, drop-tuned riffage of “Hideous” and the “prepackaged” and the epic and unsettling, start-stop, near 8-minute “Shame In A Basket.”
There’s even a bit of humor amongst all the dread with the short album-closing instrumental “Doom Goose” which sounds like the opening credits to a low-budget horror film of the same name.