| The Righteous & the Butterfly | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 13, 2014 [1] | |||
| Recorded | 2012–2013 | |||
| Studio | Filthy Hands Studio | |||
| Genre | Industrial metal, [2] nu metal [3] | |||
| Length | 51:04 | |||
| Label | Megaforce | |||
| Producer | Steve Felton, Bill Korecky | |||
| Mushroomhead chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Righteous & the Butterfly | ||||
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The Righteous & the Butterfly is the seventh studio album by American heavy metal band Mushroomhead. It was released on May 13, 2014.
It is the band's first studio album since 2003's XIII to feature Jason "J Mann" Popson on vocals, and the last to feature Jeffrey Hatrix and Waylon Reavis on vocals and Tom Schmitz on keyboards. It is also their first album without Jack Kilcoyne on bass since Superbuick, and Dave Felton on guitar since XIII, as well as the first album to feature Ryan Farrell on bass, Robbie Godsey on percussion and drums and the only to feature Tommy Church on guitar.
Jeffrey Hatrix said about the members' departure: "We also parted ways with a couple of members who didn't share in the founding members' vision of what Mushroomhead was always meant to be. Pig and Gravy both saw our future in a far different way". [4]
The album title is a dedication to original guitarist John Sekula and drummer Steve Felton's former wife Vanessa Solowiow, both of whom had died in 2010 and 2013 respectively. [5]
In September 2012, Mushroomhead announced that they are currently in the studio working on new music via their Facebook fan page. It was said by Mushroomhead frontman Jeffrey Nothing that former Slipknot and current Painface vocalist Anders Colsefni is in the works to do a recording together in their upcoming studio sessions. The band entered their own Filthy Hands Studio in December 2012 to begin writing and recording their next studio album.
The album is the first and only to showcase all three male vocalists. Drummer Felton described it as "very energetic, dark and by far their heaviest album to date, just a fresh spin on the same old thing if you will. This is the first record with Church on guitar and Farrell on bass, so having those new writers on board you never know where it's going to go. For the old school fans there's a lot of flavorful elements in it so they will definitely enjoy it." [6] The album was revealed to come out around early 2014.
On August 16, Jason Popson confirmed his return to the band on his personal Facebook. [7]
Mushroomhead toured Australia for the first time as part of the Soundwave Festival 2014, in which they debuted the song We Are the Truth. [8]
On February 14, 2014, Mushroomhead announced a release date of May 13, 2014, of the album along with the title, The Righteous & the Butterfly. The album marks the return of Jason Popson. On April 15, 2014, clean vocalist Jeff Hatrix released the band's first unofficial single "Qwerty" on YouTube from his personal Facebook account, marking the first song featuring Popson since rejoining the band.
Music videos for "Our Apologies", "Devils Be Damned", "Qwerty", "We Are the Truth", "Graveyard Du Jour", & "Out of My Mind" were released.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| About.com |   [9] |
| Blabbermouth.net | 8/10 [10] |
| Campus Circle | B [11] |
| Mouth4music Magazine | [12] |
| New Noise Magazine | [13] |
| New Transcendence | 7.5/10 [14] |
| Screamer Magazine | 8.5/10 [15] |
| Shakefire.com | A [16] |
| The Front Row Report | 9.5/10 [17] |
The album received mostly positive reviews and is Mushroomhead's first album to reach the top 20 of the Billboard Top 200 chart in the United States, reaching No. 20, selling over 11,000 copies the first week. The album also, reached No. 1 in the Billboard Indie chart, their first album to do so. The Righteous & the Butterfly also, reached No. 5 in the Top Rock Albums and No. 1 in the Top Hard Rock Albums. [18] [19]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Our Apologies" | 3:24 |
| 2. | "How Many Times" | 4:50 |
| 3. | "Devils Be Damned" | 3:16 |
| 4. | "Qwerty" | 3:30 |
| 5. | "Portraits of the Poor" | 3:31 |
| 6. | "Childlike" (feat. Jus Mic of 10,000 Cadillacs) | 1:45 |
| 7. | "This Cold Reign" | 4:04 |
| 8. | "We Are the Truth" (feat. Jackie Laponza of Unsaid Fate) | 4:05 |
| 9. | "Son of 7" | 3:29 |
| 10. | "For Your Pleasure" | 4:12 |
| 11. | "Worlds Collide" | 4:19 |
| 12. | "Graveyard Du Jour" | 3:20 |
| 13. | "Out of My Mind" | 3:35 |
| 14. | "Rumor Has It" (Adele cover) | 3:39 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 15. | "We Are the Truth 3.0" | 3:43 |
| 16. | "Dope Ass Watt [Remix]" | 3:01 |
| 17. | "Watt (DG Mix)" | 2:34 |
| Total length: | 60:22 | |
Mushroomhead is an American heavy metal band from Cleveland, Ohio. Formed in 1993 in the Cleveland Warehouse District, the band is known for their avant-garde sound and horror film-inspired imagery which features masks and costumes as well as their unique live shows usually performed at smaller venues.
Superbuick is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Mushroomhead. It was released independently in 1996. Most of the songs were later remastered on XX which was initially released through Eclipse Records, then through Universal Records after some slight modifications and two additional songs. This is their first album with Pig Benis on bass and the last with DJ Virus on samples/programming. Previous bassist Mr. Murdernickel has songwriting credits for a few tracks, as revealed when the songs were recorded and released again for XX.
M3 is the third studio album by American heavy metal band Mushroomhead. It was released independently in 1999 on their own label. This was the final studio album with JJ Righteous and Dinner as band members. The album, alongside Mushroomhead and Superbuick, was reissued with alternate artwork in 2002. The songs "Before I Die", "Solitaire/Unraveling", "The New Cult King", "Xeroxed" and "Born of Desire" were later included on both the Eclipse and Universal Records versions of XX in 2001.
XX is a compilation album by American metal band Mushroomhead, released in 2001. It was originally released through Eclipse Records, where Mushroomhead took classic tracks and remixed them. XX was re-released on Universal Records in December of the same year. XX contains tracks from the band's three independently released albums: Mushroomhead, Superbuick, and M3.
Mushroomhead is the debut album from heavy metal band Mushroomhead. It was released independently in Cleveland, Ohio, United States in 1995. Some songs have been remastered on XX. Many of the songs contain samples from movies. This is the only album to feature the original line-up, as member Mr. Murdernickel would leave the band after the album's release, although he has songwriting credits on a few tracks on the next album. The album was re-pressed in 2002 along with Superbuick and M3 with alternate artwork, though some major retailers do not carry them. In 2001, the album had sold over 47,000 copies, a considerable number for an album not available in most chain stores and retail markets.
The Alter Boys is an American rock supergroup from Cleveland, Ohio. The band includes members of the bands Dog Fashion Disco, Polkadot Cadaver, Unified Culture, Mudfoot, Original Pranksta, Venomin James, and Mushroomhead. Also featured in the band was Ryan Dunn of the stunt show Jackass. They play in various musical styles and released their first album, The Exotic Sounds of the Alter Boys, in March 2005. They were signed to the Fractured Transmitter record label. However, in late February 2009, they were removed from the Fractured Transmitter site. Rotten Records re-released The Exotic Sounds of the Alter Boys in January 2009. Though they never broke up, Todd Smith has since stated that The Alter Boys are "dead".
Jason Jonathan Popson is an American vocalist and rapper for metal band Mushroomhead taking the stage name J Mann. Prior to his initial departure from the band he was identified by his face paint, which was based on the film Dead Presidents. Since 2014, he has worn a mask like the rest of the band.
David Felton, known professionally as Gravy, is an American guitarist who is best known as a member of the Cleveland, Ohio-based heavy metal band Mushroomhead. He currently plays in another Cleveland-based heavy metal band Space Chupacabra.
Waylon Reavis is an American musician best known for being a former vocalist for American heavy metal band Mushroomhead. He was in Mushroomhead from 2004-2015 and with them released three albums: Savior Sorrow (2006), Beautiful Stories for Ugly Children (2010), and Righteous and the Butterfly (2014). He has also performed vocals for the Cleveland-based band Tenafly Viper and the alternative rock band 3 Quarters Dead. Reavis starred in the 2011 movie horror 13th Sign
Steve "Skinny" Felton is an American musician, most notable for being the co-founder, leader, and drummer of metal band Mushroomhead. He was also the drummer of the bands Hatrix, (216), Tenafly Viper and Scelestus. His other projects include Detroit Ave and 10,000 Cadillacs with fellow Mushroomhead member Jason "J Mann" Popson. He has produced every Mushroomhead album and has directed most of their music videos.
Savior Sorrow is the fifth studio album by American heavy metal band Mushroomhead. It is their first release through Megaforce Records. This is the first Mushroomhead recording to not feature original vocalist Jason "J Mann" Popson and guitarist Bronson, who left the band in 2004 and 2005 respectively. The former is replaced by Waylon Reavis.
Hatrix is an American thrash metal band formed in 1989 and fronted by future-Mushroomhead lead singer Jeff Hatrix after his departure from Purgatory. First started with Dave Felton's former bandmate from his time in Centurion, Sam Romano on drums. He was replaced by Gary Estok in late 1989, who appeared on "Sins Of A Bastard Angel", the first song released by the band. In early 1990, they solidified the lineup that would last the rest of their career when Estok was replaced by Trëllebörg drummer Steve Felton, and Trëllebörg guitarist Marko Vukcevich was brought in as the 2nd guitarist for their live performances. The band has since released 3 cassette demos, one full-length album called "Collisioncoursewithnoplace" and a compilation of their first 2 demos that was released under several different names. They have had numerous compilation appearances since their first, "Sins of A Bastard Angel" on the Auburn Records compilation Heavy Artillery, released in January 1990. Hatrix played their first live show at the Phantasy Theater in Cleveland, at the Heavy Artillery Pre-Release Party on December 16, 1989. Hatrix is currently on hold. Hatrix re-united in 2003 for a stint of shows in the Cleveland area lasting until Summer 2004.
Jeff Hatrix, also known as Jeffrey Nothing, is an American musician, best known as the former clean vocalist for the heavy metal band Mushroomhead. His nickname comes from a scene in Blue Velvet. With a wide variety of face paint and mask designs, Jeffrey's most known look is that of a butcher. However, he revealed a new look in the music video of "Your Soul Is Mine", showing a tan skin mask that somewhat resembles the infamous Leatherface from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies. Two of his masks were made from face-molds of famous actors Christopher Lloyd and Bela Lugosi. His most recent incarnation is that of a mask resembling human hands. He is signed as a solo artist to Suburban Noize Records.
Pitch Black Forecast is an American heavy metal supergroup formed in 2005 with a lineup consisting of Mushroomhead frontman Jason Popson and ex-Strapping Young Lad drummer Gene Hoglan and former Integrity bassist Steve Rauckhorst, formed in Ohio in 2005 under the name Absentee. They released their debut album, Absentee, in 2008, which featured guest contributions from Lamb of God frontman Randy Blythe and Human Furnace of Ringworm.
Beautiful Stories for Ugly Children is the sixth studio album by American heavy metal band Mushroomhead. The album was released on September 28, 2010 by Megaforce Records. The first single from the album "Come On", was released on August 16, 2010. It is the band's final album to feature Pig Benis on bass and Gravy on guitar, and it is the only album to feature Lil Dan on percussion.
A Killer's Confession is an American alternative metal band from Cleveland, Ohio formed in 2016.
A Wonderful Life is the eighth studio album by American heavy metal band Mushroomhead. It was released on June 19, 2020, and is their first album to feature Steve Rauckhorst and Jackie LaPonza on vocals. It is also the first Mushroomhead album without vocalist Jeffrey Hatrix and keyboardist Tom Schmitz, the last album with sampler Rick Thomas and vocalist Jason Popson before his second departure, and the only full album with Tom Shaffner on guitars.
Call The Devil is the upcoming ninth studio album by metal band Mushroomhead. It is set to be released on August 9, 2024. The album is considered a continuation of their experimental and alternative metal style from previous album A Wonderful Life, deviating from early nu metal influences to form a more accessible record. It is the first album to feature guitarist Joe "Jenkins" Gaal, vocalist Scott Beck and drummer Aydin Kerr. In addition, it serves as the return of guitarist Dave "Gravy" Felton. It is produced by long-time member Steve "Skinny" Felton, mixed by Matt Wallace and mastered by Jacob Hansen. The first single released was "Fall In Line" on June 13, 2024.
Jacqueline "Ms. Jackie" LaPonza is an American singer best known for her work with Mushroomhead. She became prominent as the lead singer for Unsaid Fate in her early 20s. Her vocal style in Unsaid Fate was more aligned with typical hard rock aesthetics, however in Mushroomhead she is considered to be a continuation of Jeffrey Nothing's doom-influenced style. She has assumed many costumes throughout her career with the band, with elements from Victorian, industrial and typical Mushroomhead aesthetics.
