Thursday 19 December 2013

Mutoid Man - Helium Head EP (Review)



Album Type : EP
Date Released : 29/11/2013
Label : Magic Bullet Records

Helium Head, track listing :
1). Gnarcissist 02:32
2). Scavengers 02:48
3). Scrape the Walls 02:11
4). Friday the 13/8 02:38
5). Sacriledge 02:00
6). Lost in the Hive 02:13
7). The Manimals 02:29

Bio :

The energy these MUTOID MAN guysnaturally create when they jam-out is almost unspeakable. A jacked-up album firing on all cylinders as well as a few nitro tanks and rocket boosters opened to the max, Helium Head is like classic rock on bath salts and a case of energy bars. One envisions Brodsky’s hands literally combusting as prog-fueled rock leads and hammering riffs reduce speaker cabinets to smoldering piles, his soaring vocals carrying not just an appropriately harmonious clean edge but also bringing out some of that searing wrath only the earliest of Cave In’s catalog will document. And Koller’s ridiculously intense, rabid percussive attack is of course in top form, unstoppably up-tempo and plied with more textured fills than all of Interstate 95 in both directions.

“To come up with all this stuff, Ben and I riffed-out at a rehearsal space in Brooklyn for about a year” explains Stephen Brodsky. “The material picks up from where we left off with the Cave In Shapeshifter/Dead Already cassingle, written with Ben in the band. The two of us ran with that sound and formula and took it as far as we could go.”

The Band :

Stephen Brodsky
Ben Koller

Review :

There has been much fanfare surrounding Mutoid Man of late and deservedly so.  The band, made up of drum god and Converge sticks-man Ben Koller, Cave-In’s Stephen Brodsky and bassist Nick Cageo, have unleashed a propulsive, adrenaline fuelled and hook laden record with Helium Head.

Taking the kinetic energy of Converge and early Cave-in, the intricacies of 70’s prog and Torches pop-sensibility, Mutoid Man have crafted a record that refuses to let you go from the first track.

Throughout the album Brodsky treats us to a feast of off kilter and psychedelic riffage, whilst Koller tirelessly unleashes a whirlwind of percussion, never resting on his laurels for a second. Brodsky’s feral scream peppers the albums heavier moments while his unmistakable singing voice takes centre stage on the records hookier moments, reminding everyone that Cave-In should have been the biggest band on the planet in late 90’s and early 00’s.

Away from the conceptual and emotional shackles of their main bands, the most striking thing about Helium Head is how much fun the two main contributors seem to be having. Allowing their breakneck riffage and hook-tastic melodies to intertwine over the seven presented tracks leaves barely enough time to take breath or over-analyse the complicities of the music, allowing for maximum fun and also great replay value.

Make no mistake, Helium Head is a fantastic and well balanced effort, shining a light on a seldom scene side of two well-known veterans of the scene. Sit back, relax and let Mutoid Man taker you away to some place more fun. 

Words by : Richard Powley

You can buy it here



For more information :
http://www.magicbulletrecords.com