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 has 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.”
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 its groundbreaking history, MUSHROOMHEAD shows no signs of slowing down, proving innovative without losing sight of its 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’ Track List:
1. Eye To Eye
2. Fall In Line
3. Emptiness
4. We Don’t Care
5. UIOP (A Final Reprieve)
6. Prepackaged
7. Decomposition
8. Grand Gesture
9. Hallelucination
10. Hideous
11. Torn In Two
12. Shame In A Basket
13. Doom Goose
INKcarceration Festival 2024
07/19/24: Mansfield, OH @ Ohio State Reformatory
USA 2024 Tour
w/ Upon a Burning Body, There Is No Us, and Mind Incision:
10/04/24: Buffalo, NY @ Rec Room
10/05/24: Hampton Beach, NH @ Wally’s
10/06/24: Worcester, MA @ Palladium Upstairs
10/08/24: Leesburg, VA @ Tally Ho
10/09/24: Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom
10/10/24: Lititz, PA @ Mickey’s Black Box
10/12/24: Pittsburg, PA @ Preserving Underground
10/13/24: Cincinnati, OH @ Bogarts
10/15/24: Grand Rapids, MI @ The Intersection
10/16/24: Belvidere, IL @ Apollo Theater
10/18/24: Green Bay, WI @ Epic Events Center
10/19/24: Joliet, IL @ The Forge
10/20/24: Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
10/22/24: Moline, IL @ The Rust Belt
10/23/24: Bloomington, IL @ Castle Theater
10/24/24: Columbus, OH @ The King of Clubs*
10/25/24: Flint, MI @ Machine Shop
10/26/24: Cleveland, OH @ Agora Theater*
*No Upon A Burning Body
MUSHROOMHEAD are:
Steve Rauckhorst – Vocals
Scott Beck – Vocals
Jackie LaPonza – Vocals
Dave Felton – Guitar
Joe Gall – Guitar
Ryan Farrell – Guitar, Bass, Keys
Aydin Kerr – Drums, Percussion
Robert Godsey – Drums, Percussion
Steve Felton – Drums, Percussion, Keys, Vocals
