_XIII_

October 14, 2003.
XIII is unleashed upon the world. And the question is... is the world prepared? Are you? The purpose of this review is to hopefully give you more insight into Mushroomhead's latest album, and maybe even convince you into buying it. I'm not going to change how I feel about this album to make it sound better, or whatever. I'm going to write what I feel about it, and who knows, that might even be negative at some points. But this isn't propaganda bullshit, this is the real deal. I have been listening to this CD constantly since I got it, and I will be listening to it as I write this review... anyway, on with it!!



First Impressions: The first thing you'll notice about this CD is the theme. As its name (and cover art) would indicate, this album is not a romp through wonderland. This is far from happy or playful. This CD is the anti-happy, if I may say so myself. With song titles like Kill Tomorrow, Sun Doesn't Rise, Nowhere To Go, Becoming Cold, The Dream is Over, The War Inside, Destroy the World Around Me, and, of course, Thirteen, you know this isn't exactly optimism at its peak. Just read over those song titles again...(note that is not all of them) This is a portrait of a troubled band with some very dark feelings harbored inside. But it also definitely expands on this band's potential. Though maybe not as far as I think they are capable of going, it is definitely a good variety. But don't worry, hardcore Shroom-maniacs, they haven't even THOUGHT about forgetting where they came from. This album is heavy enough to quench any desire for classic Mushroomhead style. But this CD has an entire song (Thirteen) that is an instrumental of guitar and not a lot else... and there's no distortion in sight. But now I'm getting specific, so I think it's time to analyze each song separately:



We enter XIII with a blasting riff, with the lyrics "We can if we want to..." expressed by Jeff. Then they blast into a rapid chug-fest by the guitars and drums, with J Mann jumping right into the tearing beat with his angry yelling. After a bit of this, they get back to the intro, and the song continues to go back and forth between sonic melody and racing back into the intense blasts. I really like this song. It's very much the same formula as they have always used, and I'm not complaining. "Kill tomorrow, yesterday..." leads us the first step of the way into XIII's dark and dreary world. At this point, you can't really tell what direction the Shroom are going in with this album.... yet. It is, as I said, not too varied from the past formula, but it's good. Real good. Expect to hear this one in their live show.




As I said about Kill Tomorrow not really showing the direction they're taking, or how much they've expanded... This song does that job, and it does it very well. Definitely the obvious choice for the first single, this song shows very much a new band. They have grown and gotten more refined. Plus the production value feels higher on this one. She starts out with a nice tribal beat, merging surprisingly well with Jeff's familiar wailing. Then Mann comes in with a quiet but troubled rhyme sequence. Jeff hits us again, and then the fun begins. Mann starts into a hyper-rant, which starts with (and is interspersed with) some digital cutting, which makes his already rapid-fire voice even more of a slap to your easygoing face. Guitars, keyboards, drums, all playing an integral part in here with him. In between the vocal segments, you have no choice but to bob your head. I love it. I feel proud to be a Mushroomhead fan. At one point, the song slows a little, and we get back to our tribal drumming, with Schmotz providing a nice aura on keyboards. Then we get back to the song, at which point the music stops and J Mann finishes off, then everyone explodes back into existence and you have no choice but to want to explode right along (Reminds me a little of a part in Disturbed's song Voices...). Then the song ends and you want to go back, until you realize there are 11 more new tracks to hear!!




Mother Machine Gun, eh... Well, this song starts out with a nice little piano doodle with a nice tap tap tap of a very quiet hi-hat drum for a few seconds... then the noise breaks in with its chug chigga chigga chug chigga chigga beat. Jeff doesn't sound all that angry here, it's more of a depressed feeling. "Nothing to go on, to grow on, believe in, everything leaves me cold, too many promises, not even evidence of my soul now..." Like he feels empty and nothing is satisfying. J Mann of course comes in with his occasional BAM BAM BAM lyrics, but this is more a Jeffrey Nothing song. The keyboards give their little synth orchestra a little practice helping Mr. Nothing get into the high ranges. It sounds really good, but I wouldn't call it the most profound song on the album. It ends with the same keyboard doodle, then fades out with a bit of the ol' humming (ala Bwomp ending)




This one starts right out with a guitar and some twisting effects in it. It stops, Jeff comes in with a bit of a twisty quality in his voice as well... it's a bit hard to describe, and I might just be hearing things. But I think it sounds cool. J Mann comes in soon, and he's basically reading poetry. There's not any pissed off screaming in here... yet. The song kind of repeats the beginning form once or twice, then as J Mann is reading his lyrics, he starts getting pissed and he starts building and building until he reaches the pissed off point. Then he stops, and Jeff comes back in. The beat has become a much more rolling kind of thing, and it seems to be gaining a little bit of speed and intensity. Later, Mann again... not screaming. Song slowly fades out... but there's a cool little repeating voice thing later. There's nothin' left-there's nothin' left to lose with what we have-with what we have to do.... and it's kind of a double-voiceover kind of thing. It really sounds cool. The song ends with its title repeated. Then it finishes up with a little bit of an intro into the next song...




I'm not sure what the (216) is about... but my guess is that it's a reference to a couple of the members' other band venture... (216). I've tried to check them out a few times, but I can't really find any info about them online... J Mann for sure, and possibly another member or two, are from this band... anyway, maybe (216) wrote this song originally, then they adapted it to Mushroomhead. Ah well. This song starts out with a thump-thump-thump beat, with an interestingly structured guitar-part. At first, the vocals don't meld well with the music and it sounds kinda weird. But then they start to take shape and it's not so bad. "Give me a reason... to murder my idols." "Need something to believe in, but nothing comes close." "Everyday life takes its toll." Another depressing song... well, this CD's title does indicate bad luck... they're not a bunch of happy campers. But basically, this song continues with its same beat throughout its entirety. There is a bit of build up a little after the middle... where J Mann and Jeffrey Nothing have a kind of vocal duel. Both of them at once, just ripping it apart... sounds very cool. Quickly fades to nothing, with a little whisper from the effects (Stitch I would presume)... and silence for a few seconds, but you didn't think the song was over? It blasts back into action and ends with a slightly different beat. Not much to really say about this song..... not my favorite.




This is probably my favorite song on the album. I just love it. Starts out very similarly to 43, except it's not so high pitched. Piano playing the same descending 3-notes for a few seconds, then it gets more complicated when the guitars kick in. Jeffrey is going it alone here. The guitars come and go throughout, and they're usually doing a repeated chord progression that sounds very good. I just love this song. "You take me higher, than the lowest place yet." There's even another voice in here... it's a female, and she follows up some of Jeff's lines. "One more day to regret" and then the female voices chant "one more day, one more day, one more day to regret." I just friggin' love this song. Just... listen to it. It doesn't vary itself up all that much, but it really flows nicely and it's awesome. Oddly though, there is not a moment of J Mann present. It ends very quietly...then...




BLAM! J Mann with a bit of a pissed-off thing... After One More Day, with its great melody and dynamics... then this. Wow. This is the heavy shit we know we all like. Double bass is definitely present here. The guitars are muted and chugging away quickly. There's not a whole lot to this song that I really feel like talking about right now. It's pretty cool... and I can imagine moshing to this. Well... it's Mushroomhead. I can't help but mosh to them. This song is very angry, and in contrast to One More Day, there is no Jeff found in this song. Weird, man. It's not bad, but it's not the best. Moving on.




Weeeee! Starts out with unintelligible whispering, then kicks in with everything we've got. Jeff goes for a min, then when Mann comes in... the sound really gains richness. It just sounds like you're being washed with pure audio power right here. I can't describe it. For a few seconds, the song really gains power and makes you say "holy crap that's sweet." At least in my opinion...... hehe. The beat changes a few times, and everyone in the band is definitely at their peak in here. I like this song a lot. "Soulfully rages on" takes us out of the song... I'm losing steam, I am having trouble describing each song without boring myself with my crappy attempts to describe music with words. Uh oh. Sorry guys, but I'm trying!




This one starts out with a car revving its engine, sounds pretty nifty, then Skinny's like "hey hey here we go" and beats around on the drums for a few seconds before picking a direction for his beat. Then guitars. Then Jeff. Rinse and repeat. I like the dynamics here. The guitars are a lot more open than some of the other songs. Later, we get a J Mann little "rap" dealie (not like my beloved Bwomp though...). "Ashes to ashes, gas cans and matches" I love that part. He is doing a good job. They all are. They get their vocal punches in without swearing or using any stupid "I'll stab you in the face" crap. Really the shining point of this song is J Mann. When he comes in, everything sounds great. Wait for that part. Oh yeah. Song ends with a little bit of a jam feel in the guitars, and J Mann saying "wash it all away" quietly. Then some almost-silent humming by the keyboards.. you think they're gonna finish out a measure or something, but nooo....




This scared the SHIT out of me a couple of times... because the way the last song ends and this song begins, sounds like someone spliced the middle of a really loud song into the end of a really quiet song. It really jumps at you. This song reminds me of Xeroxed, only a lot faster. But later, Jeff comes in and changes that for a second. "I can't believe, anything you say" but he is faded out like he's being pushed out of the song for being too melodic. He breaks back in later, after more chugging and grinding. Later, a nice whistling buzz comes in and gives a weird buzzy vibe to everything... then it goes away, like Nothing. We have short, controlled bursts of double-bass all throughout this song.




Starts out with guitar... but... er... there's not any distortion on this guitar! AHH!! Weird. This is another really good song on this album. There's rhythm and Nothing's voice flows divinely. It repeats itself, but never gets too abrasive or loud. After the halfway mark of this song, Mann comes in and starts screaming. But the song doesn't blast into hyperdrive. Everyone stays with their former beat. "ARIIIISE!!!" repeated by Mann.... this song is very cool. Ends with the same humming and the guitar just fading out... piano hits a few times to seal the deal, and... it's over. I can't really think of more to say about this song, but it is by no means bad or lacking in any way.




Holy hell, check out the length of this song. Almost twice as long as the longest song before. Starts out with one of my favorite things, the sound of a marching army to provide the beat. Really a sweet beat, makes you proud to bang your head to it. "With a bloated sense of supremacy!" Mann ain't happy about something here... but when is he? ESPECIALLY on this CD. The beat slows down, and Mann comes in.. then we hear a loudspeaker telling us things about war and I can't really understand what else. For being so long, it doesn't seem long. It really gets through. The song keeps its pace, without really picking up too much, or getting too loud, or really that mad. The angriest part seems to be the beginning. The desperate lyrics are abundant, however... as with the rest of the CD. You get the feeling that Nothing is giving up hope... Then, a little before the 6 minute mark, the song comes more to life, and you get the feeling that he's decided to stand up and say "screw that" to it all. Interesting song, and it really belongs on this album. It doesn't sound too much like old Shroom at all. Some of the other songs do, but this one is kind of a new formula. And I like it. Ends pretty much with everyone just dropping out at once. There is a little bit of clicking with some industrial air-hissing, but that's about it.




Now this is very very very interesting. The whole song Thirteen is an instrumental. It's a little bit of guitars with a delay effect for an echo. Then there are the bagpipes in the back... it's very different. You'd never expect something like this out of the Shroom. They've also added a little bit of an effect to make it sound like it's being played through an old record player, with cracks and clicks every once in a while. Then the guitars drop out, and there's an eerie baby laughing noise.... then they keep that, and eventually it quits and we just hear the record spinning... the actual song Thirteen is only about 5:20 long. Then it turns into their cover of this song Crazy by Seal. I've never heard the original, so I can't judge it. It's just a really upbeat song. It's cool, cuz this whole CD has been so depressing. Then this last song is kinda bouncy. But I won't say anything else. Let it be a surprise to you. Maybe I shouldn't have said it was upbeat! Anyway... the final song here, which I had heard nothing about until this CD's final release... Treason! This song is kinda interesting. It has a nice beat, and it's kinda laid back. It doesn't go nuts, and it doesn't really sound like everyone's trying to please you. You get the feeling they're just hanging out, playing music. It's pretty cool. I don't really know if there's a message here, but it's all good, and seems to be all Jeffrey. "Blow it all away, just to see if anything comes back."

So that's XIII! But yeah... I'm out. In closing, this CD fuckin' rocks. I haven't quite decided if it rocks as hard as XX yet... cuz XX was a really badassed CD. Anyway, yeah. GET IT NOW. I love it, either way. And I'm sure I'll like it more the more I listen to it. But yeah.... I hope this review gave you a little more insight into the CD, and didn't just bore the hell out of you. And soon, I'll get my ass to work, and put the lyrics on here. Maybe eventually I'll even get around to resdesigning the bloody site! Anyway..... if you read this whole thing, I commend you!!!! And thanks a lot. I'm gonna go drink a cup of tea and listen to Britney Spears now. lol