If you live in Cleveland, Ohio and listen to anything heavy, you're probably familiar with the band Mushroomhead. I'm not a bragging about my hometown kind of guy, but here in Cleveland the band is fucking huge. Mushroomhead constantly sells out the same clubs and theatres that national bands have trouble with. They've been around for about five years now and they've gotten so much exposure that they're actually starting to get a little stale here in these parts.

It's hard for me to review this band because I liked them from the start and I think they are truly talented and original. Simply put, they are the best thing going here in Cleveland. The problem I have is that the fourteen-year-olds got a hold of Mushroomhead a few years ago, made the music their own and started ostracizing the rest of the metal community. I know that every fourteen-year-old (including myself way back when) has to find a band to latch onto and tell the rest of the world to fuck off, but it's just a shame that Mushroomhead has fallen into the ranks of other bands like Korn and Pantera. That is bands whose music I enjoy, but whose fans I hate. So I'm getting told I'm old and that I'm not aloud to listen to this music and I just smile because I know this is a phase every punk shit kid has to go through.

I try to put this all aside because it's the music the band should be judged on and musically Mushroomhead kicks ass. The band was originally a side project with members of other Cleveland bands getting together to have some fun. The masks that they wear onstage were originally intended to hide the identities of the members more than a show gimmick. The freedom of anonymity produced a band that is truly unique and very cool. The band has two vocalists. One is Jeffery Nothing and he sings in the classic eighties heavy metal style. He has a powerful clean singing voice and it registers very low in the cheese factor. The other vocalist, J Mann is your basic hard core screamer/rapper. J's anger and Jeff's emotional power make one hell of a combo. The band has two guitarists, Dinner and J.J., and a bass player, Pig Benis, who provide the strong rhythm foundation for the band while the keyboard player, Schmotz, is all the over place. Also, the drummer, Skinner, is a heavy metal drummer at heart, so even though at times this band might border on the whole cliché rap/metal thing, the drums are never hip-hop and have enough double bass to make any heavy metal fan happy.

I like Mushroomhead because I have an open mind and love all forms of music. I've often wondered why there were no bands that could blend classical, heavy metal and rap into one package. Mushroomhead does just that and instead of having to listen to three different musical genres to get your fix, you can listen to this band and let them push all the buttons. With all these elements running around in the mix, a band needs to have balance and this is where Mushroomhead truly shines. There are seven musicians in the band and none of them try to overpower each other. Every single aspect of the music is heard and has a chance to shine like an intricate dance, but no one steps on each other's toes.

Part of this may be the fact that the album was recorded at Mars Studios over in Streetsboro, Ohio and the producer there is a God. I have never heard better sounding albums (even from the big name bands) than the ones coming out of Mars Studios.

It's still amazing that this band has not received a major record deal. Some say it is because the major labels want them to soften their sound. Others say Jeff Nothing is still in contractual agreement with his other band, Hatrix. It might just be that they're doing to damn well without major label support. They sell out clubs night after night after night. Also, with three CD's to chose from, their CD profits have to be sickening. Why have a major label suck away a huge chunk of the money that is going straight into their pockets?

Whatever the reason, it looks like Mushroomhead CD's are starting to appear in Best Buy, meaning that the band has at least gotten a major distribution company. So, if you live outside of the Cleveland bubble area and you're looking for a truly great band, give Mushroomhead a try.