Mushroom Songs

Okay, what do we have here? I found it at the library trying to find some more music by Hank Shermann, and of course I had to check it out. Except for the 2 albums he released with Fate, I can't think of anything bad that man's ever done, and the same thing goes for this overlooked gem!

1. Inzane
Inzane is the first track (why it's spelled with a z instead of an s, I can't figure out. It's just plain stupid!!). A midpaced heavy track with a cool guitar lead and a cool solo. The melody is pretty good too. I had to listen to it a few times to get used to the vocals though. Richard Ploughman sort of rapsings this songs (if that makes any sense to you..?), but once you get used to it, it's actually pretty cool. Ploughman is a, to me) totally unknown singer. I don't know anything about him, but this guy's actually got a pretty cool heavy metal voice. It's obvious that he knows his roots like Rob Halford. Anyway, Inzane is a pretty good opening track. (8/10)

2. Natural Born
Next up is the song about the natural born killer. Nice easy going verse and cool headbanger chorus with a little catchy singalong line :-) cool! (9/10)

3. Out of Control
Starts with a short yet breathtaking solo by mr. Shermann and then turns into a serious headbanging heavy metal monster with lyrics about the ongoing war shit. Definitely a cool track! (9/10)

4. The Mushroom Song
This song starts with a funky guitar riff and the verse is actually also pretty funky. Chorus is rocking and catchy. "Burning, but I feel no pain. Burning yet I see no flame". Nice guitar playing by Shermann and Andy La Roque (who plays a cool solo). (8/10)

5. Move Over
Well, this is a Janis Joplin cover (I didn't hear the original 'till later. This one is a little better) and I gotta give it some credit for being quite catchy but it really isn't such a great piece of music. Gutrix plays it in a funky version and makes it better than the original (though I still prefer the version that Cinderella recorded in the late 80's). Okay track (7/10)

6. Water
Water is a short bass-instrumental. It's actually nice with a little break. It gives you time to breathe a little before the next track (6/10)

7. Hell to Pay
Okay, this song is the closest thing to Mercyful Fate we're gonna get on this album. A fast paced heavy metal track completely sprung out of the 80's Really cool (9/10)

8. Sky's the Limit
This track is a track that I personally would vote for as being THE ULTIMATE heavy metal track of the 90's. Really really awesome! Cool rhythm, cool bass, neat guitar playing, tremendous wah wah soloing, weird lyrics and a great vocal performance by Ploughman. Cool middle section where the instruments all sort of melt together into one. So fucking awesome this one! (10/10)

9. Seven Falls
A short guitar instrumental that gives you another chance to take a break before we're going into the final songs of the album. A little better than Water. (7/10)

10. Exciter
WARNING, my comments on this track may seem a little blasphemic to some people.
Exciter is of course the classic track by Judas Priest. It's always been a great song, but I've got to say that I've never heard it being performed SO FUCKING AWESOME as Gutrix does it here. It's recorded live at some club in Gothenburg and it's obvious to anybody that the band really have listened a lot to the original version to get the solos and everything else in the song right. And despite Gutrix being a one-guitar-band, you never notice that the other guitar is missing. It's unbelievable and really difficult to say, but Priest can't play this better than Gutrix!! (10/10!!)

11. Crazy
Okay, I read somewhere (metal-archives??) that this is a Stray Cats cover. That might be true. I've never heard anything by the Stray Cats. I never even heard about the freakin' band before! But this is really a killer! Some sort of bluesy heavy metal with some of the best guitar solos that Hank Shermann has ever done + another really amazing vocal performance by Richard Ploughman! (10/10)

12. Bolivian Mountains
Okay, the last track is the third instrumental track of the album and fortunately it's the best of the 3! It starts with the bass playing some licks and becomes sort of a bass & drum duel. All of a sudden Hank Shermann sets in for his final solo of Mushroom Songs and afterwards the bass & drum duel continues a little before going down for the finish. Really an amazing instrumental track!! (and yes, if you're not into instrumental tracks, it might get a little boring and repetitive since this track lasts more than 6 minutes, but what do I care?) Absolutely amazing album closer!!! (10/10)

This album shows that even when trying to change his musical style a bit, Hank Shermann is one of the TRUE masterminds of heavy metal (and I can't help but wonder what this would have sounded like if Michael Denner had been in the group). I recommend this to everyone who wanna listen to some nice heavy metal where the tracks don't sound alike (and it's actually worth getting just for the astonishing Exciter cover!!).