Mushroomhead at the Rust Belt -- October 22.
Tuesday, October 22, 7 p.m.
The Rust Belt, 533 12th Avenue, East Moline IL
Famed for their avant-garde sound and horror film-inspired imagery that features masks and costumes, the alternative-metal musicians of Mushroomhead headline an October 22 concert at East Moline venue The Rust Belt, their August release Call the Devil hailed by New Noise Magazine as "intense and riveting, with ballads and mind-blowing bangers for the loyal fans and new listeners."
One of the most unique and adventurous metal bands working today, and revered for their stunningly theatrical live shows, this innovators of Mushroomhead forged new ground in the rock world and influenced many other bands to push the envelope and bring art into rock. Formed in the early-1990s in Cleveland Ohio, the band’s combination of metal, rock and atmospheric elements has struck a chord with thousands of fans worldwide. Mushroomhead have been performing incognito since 1993, when drummer Skinny founded the band. Because the group was initially meant to be a side-project, the performers wore masks to go unrecognized, but after only a few shows, they developed a rabid and loyal fan base in Cleveland. Mushroomhead released their self-titled debut album independently in 1995, and it went on to became an underground hit, leading to Superbuick in 1996 and M3 in 1999, all released via underground street efforts.
After Mushroomhead felt its image and hyper-melodic, heavy style of music was being diluted by other bands jumping into this space, the band started to change their look to reflect nothing else out there. After a brief stint on Eclipse Records, a move to Universal Records saw the release of XX (a combination of the past independent releases) in 2001 and XIII in 2003, the latter album selling more than 200,000 units in the USA alone. Mushroomhead then released Savior Sorrow for the pioneering rock label Megaforce Records in 2006, and when Beautiful Stories for Ugly Children arrived in the fall of 2010, it debuted at number 44 on the Billboard charts.
It can be said that Mushroomhead’s musical ascendance was a singular, original, aesthetic of eight guys decked out in matching jumpsuits and artsy masks, playing unbelievable, unsettling music. No other band was wearing masks and jumpsuits and purveying this type of ultra-melodic, ultra-dynamic music at the time – Mushroomhead sounded like nothing else. The band’s merging of metal, atmospheric elements, rock, and theatrics mixed with a punk DIY attitude has inspired and spawned other bands. Even though Mushroomhead’s music is rock-leaning in thought, the group remains firmly committed to pushing the envelope and trying new things, and influences range from the driving rhythms and breakneck turns of Pantera to the dark melodies of Faith No More to the atmospheric stylings of Pink Floyd ... but all done in Mushroomhead style.
Mushroomhead brings their national tour to East Moline on October 22 with additional sets by Upon a Burning Body, There Is No Us, and Mind Incision, admission to the 7 p.m. concerts starts at $34.75, and more information and tickets are available by visiting TheRustBeltQC.com.
