The eighth album of Mushroomhead, ‘A Wonderful Life‘, is here. It all started all when the band started to pop up in my recommended list on Youtube. It looked really cool, but I hadn’t taken the time yet to listen to it. When a friend recommended me to listen to ‘The Heresey’, I finally clicked the link. And man, am I happy I did that. The members of the band are all dressed up in a sinister, industrial style. The music is calm, yet strong. It surrounds you and you simply can’t avoid it. 

This is the first album where we see new singer Ms. Jackie and Mr. Rauckhorst. On top of that we have returning singer J mann.

When my search for more continued, I came across ‘Seen it All’. This time, the band worked more with masks than just make up. Although ‘just make-up’ is not the right word. It’s extremely detailed and it gives the words the right visual effect. This song shows a bit more power than the previous one. The vocals show a rough side and the guitar is more aggressive.

The videos are amazingly done and obviously cost a lot of time and effort to make. You can watch the ‘making of’the videos on Youtube if you want to get a sneak peak behind the scenes. Let’s get to the rest of the album. I’m curious to hear what this album came to tell me.

It starts of with ‘A Requiem for Tomorrow’. A church choir starts of the song with beautiful high harmonies. After that the full band kicks in with heavy guitar and powerful voices. It goes straight into the catchy drumbeat of ‘The Madness’. Then the vocals fill the void.

‘What a Shame’ has a ‘circus’ melody as I like to call it. A sinister circus. One where you know the creepy clowns are just around the corner. Slow vocals support the slow, but sturdy guitars. Next song ‘Pulse’ starts of with a piano sound and the calm voice of Ms. Jackie. The intro makes you wonder what comes next and you guessed it: powerful vocals and slow guitar strums that could blast through walls.
‘Carry On’ gives me a more futuristic feel with the synthesizer melody in the song. Again followed by deep and slow vocals that make its statement again. My personal favorite ‘The Time Has Come’ has a faster drumbeat and a more sped up riff. Yet the feeling remains the same and it fits right into the album. 

I love the little details of this album. Every little detail contributes to the strong image this band has. For example, the little bird sounds in the beginning of ‘Seen It All’. Sometimes the songs are sung with whispering voices, sometimes they scream. It all matches the atmosphere of these songs. Combined with the visuals in the music videos, this album is one hell of a statement. After a few songs you get the hang of the album. Slow strums, deep vocals, powerful words. Yet it doesn’t get boring. The songs have other instruments that guides it to the end. It creates a different feeling within the same sinister atmosphere. 

I also like to point out the controversy here. The album is called ‘A Wonderful Life‘, yet everything is very sinister and dark. It puts your mind into a questionable state. An album that blasts though your heart, be it with the guitar blasts or the subtile elements in the song. This will be heard.  

Release date: June 19, 2020
Label: Napalm Records
Tracklist:

1. A Requiem For Tomorrow
2. Madness Within
3. Seen It All
4. The Heresy
5. What a Shame
6. Pulse
7. Carry On
8. The Time Has Come
9. 11th Hour
10. I Am The One
11. The Flood
12. Where The End Begins
13. Confutatis
14. To The Front
15. Sound of Destruction
16. Another Ghost
17. Lacrimosa