UNDERRATED ALBUMS: MUSHROOMHEAD- XIII

It happens all the time. You come across a band that on the surface doesn’t really peak your interest for whatever reason. It could be a song, the band name, their style and more. The fun part of it all is over time, your previous expectations begin to dissipate and you give that band a chance and the end result is quite surprising.

Only a few weeks back I was out driving and put on one of those similar artists stations on Apple Music. While winding through canyon roads, a song came on that struck me. I didn’t have the who’s playing screen on so I didn’t know who it was. But this song was quite the heavy melodic treat. When I got to a place to stop, I went back to check who it was and to my absolute surprise it was a band I was not expecting. The song was “Sun Doesn’t Rise” by Mushroomhead. Yes, I was that surprised too. It’s been years since I heard this song and probably the same amount of time since I actually last listened to Mushroomhead. Needless to say, what came next was listening to the album XIII which the song is from. The end result led to…

“Wait?! This is Mushroomhead?!! Oh damn, maybe it’s time to give them a second look.” Before I went into this album, I made sure to put aside any pre conceived notions I had about the band and went in with fresh ears. The end result is that XIII is a really really good melodic heavy album. There are elements of the time with some “nu-metal” styles but, there is way more to take away from this album and band. Throughout the album, piano is a vital and prominent instrument that propels certain songs and moments in a delicate but menacing nature. The down-tuned riffs, while they do have some nu-metal flair, you’d be surprised to hear that it’s actually more in line with Meshuggah style djent-y guitar riffs and rhythms. The album itself is hyper-focused and you hear the amount of effort being poured into XIII. As this is the bands “major label debut” the need to go full on here paid off quite well.

The way the album plays out feels very cohesive with each part being there on purpose. The 13 tracks on this album bring about a variety of styles fused together, different moods and interesting arrangements and structures. Without giving the albums away, this track by track rundown will guide you to listen to the album!

Starting XIII is “Kill Tomorrow” which out of the gate kicks things off in a great way. Then “Sun Doesn’t Rise” really takes it to another level. Really this is one of those songs that makes this an underrated record. “Mother Machine Gun” is one of the standout songs on here. The intro blends so well into how the songs continues. The melding of styles on this song is a good idea of the progressive nature of where things are headed. “Nowhere To Go” has a ballad sensibility and a great push and pull aspect. “Becoming Cold” is a track that feels like a throwback to some of the bands earlier material in the M3 era.

“One More Day” is another treat of a piano driven song. “The Dream Is Over” is a heavy stellar track that has a very deep sludgy style. “The War Inside” is the companion of the previous. Rght in the middle of the record is a left and right hook to the head. “Almost Gone” goes further into the sludge territory and gives the album a song that is a true deep cut. The last three songs “Eternal,” “Our Own Way,” and “Destroy The World Around Me” play out like three chapters of a book that you are eager to get to so you know how things are going to end and what possible direction will come next. Closing out the album is “Thirteen” an instrumental track continues on that leads to a secret song, a cover of “Crazy” by Seal.

The band themselves have chops and write good songs. The vocal combination of Jason “J Mann” Popson and Jeffrey “Nothing” Hatrix sounds stellar. Each have their own style and character in their voice which makes their back and forth and chemistry really be present. Drummer Steve “Skinny” Felton propels the songs with an ignited spirit. As the bands main producer too, Skinny knows the band inside and out. Jack Kilcoyne aka Pig Benis, has a mighty bass tone that feels like it could have been a part of Crowbar. Dave Felton aka Gravy, like Benis, has a great sludge style of guitar playing as does other guitarist Bronson. And Stitch on turntables/samples giving the songs an added texture.

At the end of the day, when you take away the gimmick aspect, the band name, the stage names, you have a really quite good band. Mushroomhead really are a solid band. To be an entity back from 1993 till now, shows there is something here. Each of their albums has it’s own moment. XIII just had something else to it that makes it what it is. This is a really great example of an underrated album that got the brush off just because of some silly media crap. Listen to what you want and like. And while you are at it, give Mushroomhead’s XIII a spin!

By: Brian Lacy

MUSHROOMHEAD- XIII:

BAND OF THE WEEK: GERBIL

The way the younger generation has been inspired and influenced by what came about during the previous generation has been very interesting to see come to life. The bands that have been able to create music that feels like a throwback but, also put the right spin on it, are the ones to watch. Which brings us to the band of the week.

A few weeks ago at part three of The Cobalt Presents 5 Year Anniversary show, there was a band that played and really turned up the volume and that band is Gerbil. Don’t let the name fool you, this band has teeth. While the 90’s alternative/indie rock is prevalent, the way Gerbil injects a bit of funk, rock, pop and a scoop of ska into their songs is the part that gets you.

The youthful fun energy Gerbil has is infectious when you see them live. Each member brings their own influence to the fold and its plays out in such a great way.

Gerbil Online HERE

Gerbil- Stubborn:

Gerbil- Heart To Heart:

Gerbil- Sheldon (Acoustic):

THE SCORE: JOHN CARPENTER- REVENGE; FROM CATHEDRAL

Scoring films and John Carpenter are a match made in film and scoring delight. For years now, John has not only written and directed some of the coolest and best horror and Sci-fi films. His score work has long been regarded and influential to so many.

Currently, John Carpenter is releasing his first original graphic novel entitled, Cathedral. And since it’s John Carpenter it’s more than just that, it’s an audio/visual companion project. The album’s soundtrack finds John Carpenter and longtime band mates Cody Carpenter (synths) and Daniel Davies (guitar) providing the soundtrack for an elevated, spine tingling, dark and ominous experience. Each track on the album aligns with a chapter of the graphic novel, with liner notes guiding listeners through the story. 

The soundtrack is signature Carpenter with a more metal leaning sound and tone. “Revenge” hits at both and includes a few fun twists that peaks your interest.

Cathedral is out now and the soundtrack is out on August 07, 2026!

Revenge:

Cathedral Soundtrack/Score:

ANTICIPATED ALBUMS: OCEAN SLEEPER- PEACE WHEN I’M DEAD

Discovering a new band that you don’t expect is one of the best things. It could be a riff, melody, lyric, or random part that connects. No matter what it is, the feeling of finding a new band to enjoy is something else. With that in mind let me introduce you to, Ocean Sleeper.

Hailing from Australia, the home of the one and only Silverchair (yes, I know there are plenty of other Aussie bands. Silverchair was fucking awesome)! Ocean Sleeper formed in 2016 and have been honing their metalcore meets post-hardcore sound since. Now on their second album, Peace When I’m Dead, Ocean Sleeper have upped the stakes.

Armed with songs that evoke emotion, a heaviness that makes you bang your head and a crisp melodic sensibility, Ocean Sleeper will keep you awake and demand your attention. The most recent single “My Forever Drug” is addictive as it’s catchy but deep. When the chorus hits, it soars. You just have to listen. The title track “Peace When I’m Dead” screams urgency right out of the gate. “Break The Cycle” hits like broken glass against the wall. The impact of this song really gets your blood pumping.

Peace When I’m Dead arrives August 21 via Rise Records. Be on the lookout for Ocean Sleeper!

My Forever Drug:

Peace When I’m Dead:

Break The Cycle:

ALBUM REVIEW: MACHINEKIT- BODY WITHOUT ORGANS

The thought of experimentation and exploration within music swings like a pendulum. Each side has its own distinct sound and feel just like Machinekit’s new EP, Body Without Organs. In a fun metaphorical sense, perhaps each organ that is missing represents the style of the music.

Across five intense and almost primitive songs, Machinekit mastermind, John Rojas, emits a mixture of electro-punk, jazz, industrial, doom, and darkwave all in a raw nature. This is where the primitive sense comes in. The vocals tear through skin and pull at your own organs. The way the songs have a visual impact gives the EP an even darker and tortured feel. The instrumentation here is direct and given a clear mission to teeter the line of precision and avant-garde.

When a release like Body Without Organs arrives, it might take a minute to fully grasp what is happening. Go with it! As each song pulls you in a twist, there’s more to uncover with each listen.

Review By: Brian Lacy

Machinekit- Body Without Organs:

LIVE REVIEW: THE PRETTY RECKLESS AT THE WILTERN

For quite a while now, The Pretty Reckless have been a really great rock band. One of those bands that has not gotten the due they deserve. Now five albums deep and showing all the signs of a well oiled rock band, they arrived in Los Angeles on sizzling Friday July 31, 2006 to a sold out Wiltern Theater.

At 9:00 the lights went down and a roaring crowd got louder and louder as Logan Nickolic (guitar), Jaime Perkins (drums), Mark Damon (bass) and the absolutely underrated Ben Phillips (lead guitar) took the stage. Then one of the loudest indoor audience pops I’ve heard in a long time exploded as singer Taylor Momsen hit the stage. Without a second more to wait, The Pretty Reckless stormed into a stirring performance of “Death By Rock And Roll.” The next batch of songs went back to their first two albums and upped the stakes of the evening. Just as you thought it was going to hit a more mellow tone in the set, the fantastic and heavy “For I Am Death” made the walls of the Wiltern seem like they were shaking. The onslaught of great rock continued with bangers “When I Wake Up” and Love Me” both and the former from the new album, Dear God.

Then came the moment when the show went for a more solemn tone as “Devil In Disguise (Michelle’s Song)” was played. It’s one of those songs that when you know what it’s about, really hits different. Then the vibe picked up with the title track off the record as well as two more songs from the new album. Then came a trifecta of absolute unbridled rock with “Make Me Wanna Die,” Heaven Knows,” and “Going To Hell.” Each of these songs had the crowd eating out of the bands hands. The fun jamming during the songs really helped to showcase the band as great players and how damn good they are. The way the crowd sang back at the right moments was astounding. For the encore the very melodic rocking song “About You” was played with special guest guitarist Pat Smear.

The Pretty Reckless are truly a great band that deserve more recognition for being a great rock band. They have a no frills approach to their music and songs that makes the music speak for itself. Taylor Momsen has a terrific rock n roll voice and can wail like the best of them! The band definitely needs more recognition as well. One of the tightest bands I’ve heard and seen. Each plays with a vigor that emits heavy rock. Ben Phillips especially needs to be on the lists for rock guitar players!! The Pretty Reckless are here and are guaranteed to put on one hell of a great rock show!

Overall Rating: 9/10

Review and Photos By: Brian Lacy

The Pretty Reckless Setlist:

01) Death By Rock And Roll
02) Since You’re Gone
03) Follow Me Down
04) Miss Nothing
05) For I Am Death
06) When I Wake Up
07) Love Me
08) Devil In Disguise (Michelle’s Song)
09) Dear God
10) Dark Days
11) Spell On You
12) Make Me Wanna Die
13) Heaven Knows
14) Going To Hell
ENCORE:
15) About You (with Pat Smear on Guitar)

The Pretty Reckless Photo Gallery:

SONG OF THE WEEK: LVX- SUPPLICANT

The evolution of electronic music has made for some truly intriguing and interesting music. When you hear an artist of band in this genre that really hits you, it’s a different feeling than that of a metal or rock band. It’s filled more with a pulsating and ethereal vibe. And on the latest release from Justin Hanson aka LVX, is just that and more.

“Supplicant” is a track that explores a haunting cinematic universe mixed with a prog sense that has tinges of post punk and goth. The real drums give it a very human feeling that strikes at the right chords to make a very intimate and intense track. The additional guitar parts courtesy of Paul D’Amour adds an extra layer of depth to “Supplicant.”

LVX is one to keep your ears and eyes on! I know I am!!

LVX- Supplicant:

LIVE REVIEW: BUSH AT VENTURA COUNTY FAIR

When the chance to see a band you’ve been into for well over thirty years in your “backyard,” you make that happen! On Wednesday night July 29, 2026 around 7:30pm at the Ventura County Fair, Bush took the stage set against the ocean and coastal backdrop of Ventura, California.

Opening the set was the always fun and classic “Machinehead.” Personally I’ve always thought this song has a great impact and energy to be a choice opening song. Then came “Bullet Holes” one of their newer songs from excellent album, The Kingdom. This is another great riff song and you might have heard it in John Wick 3! Next up was from their most recent album, the quite good, I Beat Loneliness, the anthemic “We’re All The Same On The Inside.” It was funny to watch crowd go absolutely silent because they weren’t familiar with these songs. Pretty much anything after Razorblade Suitcase was the cut off point for probably 99% of the crowd. Yes, myself and friend/podcast co-host Justin were the 1% that DID know these songs. Then back to a song some knew in “The Chemicals Between Us.” If you haven’t listened to the underrated The Science Of Things album, you should change that. The Land Of Milk And Honey” was next off their new album. This one was quite the live song that really upped the level than the studio version. From there a large crowd pop hit as the heavy distorted intro riff of “Everything Zen” launched like a rocket. Followed by two more newer really solidly good tracks from The Art Of Survival. “Identity” and “May Your Love Be Pure. A fun sing-along with the crowd came with “Glycerince.” I know that songs is super played out but, when you see it played live and the crowd sings it really loud back, that truly shows how timeless it is.

The next five songs were all from their latest three albums The Kingdom, The Art Of Survival and I Beat Loneliness. “Heavy Is The Ocean” is a fantastic song. While it is a track one (from The Art Of Survival), putting it in the latter part of the set was a real treat. “More Than Machines,” “Human Sand” and “Flowers On A Grave” rocked with the latter song leading Gavin from the stage all the way to the bleachers to sing with the crowd. Closing out the main set was “I Beat Loneliness” and if you haven’t heard this song, thats another one to rectify. What a song and what a way to end that part of the set. After a short breather, Gavin returned to the stage alone to begin a solo version of the classic “Swallowed” from my all time favorite Bush album, Razorblade Suitcase. The new arrangement adds to the already “heavy” nature of the song. To end the night out were classic crowd favorites “Little Things” and Comedown.” The latter of which has become quite the end of the show song with extended bridges and outros that show off how terrific the band of Chris Traynor, Corey Britz and Nik Hughes are.

Bush is still one hell of a live band. They are still putting out quality albums and songs that deserve your attention. I’m not kidding. Go check out the three newest albums, and you can thank me later. Even now as I write this, It’s still a bit of a trip to have seen Bush at the Ventura Fair. Gavin Rossdale sounds amazing. His voice like him hasn’t aged! The amount of energy he’s had from the beginning to now is passionate. One of the things about Bush now that I really like is that they don’t rest on the nostalgia of the band. As you can see there are only a handful of classic songs played and the majority was all new. And when you have albums and songs like they have put out the past few years, it’s best to keep it that way. I look forward to what comes next from Gavin, Chris, Corey and Nik.

Overall Rating: A

Overall Rating For The Crowd: C_ People need to actually care about the band you are seeing live!

Review/Photos By: Brian Lacy

BUSH SETLIST:

01) Machinehead
02) Bullet Holes
03) We’re All The Same On The Inside
04) The Chemicals Between Us
05) The Land Of Milk And Honey
06) Everything Zen
07) Identity
08) May Your Love Be Pure
09) Glycerine
10) Heavy Is The Ocean
11) More Than Machines
12) Human Sand
13) Flowers On A Grave
14) I Beat Loneliness
ENCORE:
15) Swallowed
16) Little Things
17) Comedown

BUSH PHOTO GALLERY:

SONGS IN FILM: THE SMASHING PUMPKINS- DOOMSDAY CLOCK IN TRANSFORMERS

Back in 2007 when the Michael Bay Transformers movie was about to come out, it was a big deal. Technology in film had finally reached a point where a live action Transformers movie would actually look good and hopefully be good as well. The end result was a decent movie that gave us all Megan Fox!

The soundtrack to the movie though is probably better than film. The Smashing Pumpkins, Linkin Park, Idiot Pilot, HIM, The Used, Disturbed and more. The Smashing Pumpkins song featured was “Doomsday Clock” from their very underrated 2007 album, Zeitgeist. When it’s used in the movie it’s in a very great spot and its riff heavy intro is a great use of the song in an action scene.

Enjoy this great song from The Smashing Pumpkins!

The Smashing Pumpkins- Doomsday Clock In Transformers (2007):

The Smashing Pumpkins- Doomsday Clock:

ALBUM RANK UPDATED: SEVENDUST

For well over 30 years and 15 albums now, Sevendust has been a consistent force in rock music. There is no denying the impact they’ve had on so many bands that came after them. By mixing heavy riffs, hard charging rhythms, melody and soul, Sevendust truly carved their own niche in the rock music world. What’s even more interesting is how much the creative juices flow with this band. It’s currently 2026 and Sevendust just released their 15th studio album and it’s a very welcome return to form that made them the titans they are. With that all in mind now, here’s the Audieclectica Definitive Album Rank for Sevendust.

ALBUM RANK: SEVENDUST:

15) CHAPTER VII: HOPE AND SORROW:

14) TRUTH KILLER:

13) NEXT:

12) BLOOD AND STONE:

11) TIME TRAVELERS AND BONFIRES:

10) ALL I SEE IS WAR:

09) BLACK OUT THE SUN:

08) KILL THE FLAW:

07) ONE:

06) COLD DAY MEMORY:

05) ALPHA:

04) SEVENDUST:

03) ANIMOSITY:

02) SEASONS:

01) HOME: