Mushroomhead to release 9th studio album "Call the Devil"
Following the breakout success of their eighth studio album and Napalm Records debut, 2020’s “A Wonderful Life”, Cleveland, OH, USA 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" Felton, as 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, Epica, 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.
Mushroomhead mastermind 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.”
Check out the video for Fall In Line below:
Resulting in debuts at #2 on the US Current Hard Music Albums chart and #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 Gravy, proving 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 Mushroomhead, while 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 Gravy, the 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 will be available in the following formats:
2-LP Gatefold Marbled Red/Black Die Hard Edition w/ 12inch and Booklet, Slipmat, Record Butler, A4 Artprint (limited to 400 worldwide)
CD Digisleeve, Booklet + "Call The Devil" T-Shirt Bundle
2-LP Gatefold Black
CD Digisleeve
Digital Album
The album is available to pre-order HERE
And to top it off…. Mushroomhead are hitting the road this summer too having recently announced a slew of tour dates. We saw Mushroomhead onboard Thekla in Bristol about a year ago and they were sensational. We’ll be heading to the Birmingham show to bring you the news ! UK / EU shows confirmed so far listed below:
EU/UK 2024 Tour
w/ Dymytry* & Silenzer**:
09.08.24 DE – Bochum / Rockpalast Bochum *
10.08.24 FI – Kotka / Dark River Festival
11.08.24 UK – Southampton / EngineRooms * / **
12.08.24 UK – Birmingham / O2 Institute2 * / **
13.08.24 UK – London / O2 Academy Islington * / **
14.08.24 NL – Haarlem / Patronaat * / **
15.08.24 DK – Sullingen / Reload Festival
16.08.24 CZ – Moravsky Krumlov / Rock Castle
17.08.24 PL – Warsaw / Proxima *
18.08.24 PL – Kraków / Klub Kwadrat *
19.08.24 DE – Berlin / Cassiopeia *