Mutants (Sargent House) is album number three from Stephen Brodsky’s heavy, quirky and often colourful side-project Mutoid Man. And much like his work in Cave In, the music Brodsky creates with Mutoid Man encompasses a whole host of influences, to create a myriad of sounds.
The band began as project born from the jam sessions between Brodsky and Converge drummer Ben Koller way back in 2012, and built a cult following as they delivered the albums Bleeder (2015) and War Moans (2017), playing handfuls of shows here and there also with former bassist Nick Cageao.
For Mutants, Brodksky and Koller have drafted in former High On Fire’s Jeff Matz to take over on bass, and the new look trio have come up with the band’s finest work to date. As a song-writer Brodsky is arguably in the golden age of his career, following up on one of 2022’s albums of the year in Heavy Pendulum (with Cave In), with this new record that is expertly crafted with strong vocal hooks, and a succession of the most infectious and complex guitar riffs you’re going to hear in 2023.
The record opens with ‘Call of the Void’ and a squealing off-kilter guitar which gives way to a teasing bassline and probably the most commercial Foo Fighters – esq chorus on the album. Human drumming machine Koller delivers an extraordinary mix of percussive styles on ‘Frozen Hearts,’ as he absolutely clatters his drums during the hardcore tear up during the verse, which then gives way to an incredibly quirky Queens Of The Stone Age style chorus.
And the QOTSA similarities don’t end there as Mutoid Man channels that idiosyncratic vibe perfectly throughout while taking their music in a far heavier direction with plenty of vocal screams to compliment Brodsky’s clean singing. ‘Siren Song’ kicks off with a chugging riff and real seventies Zeppelin vibe bubbling underneath as the bass and lead guitar blend beautifully, while on ‘Graveyard Love’ Brodsky jumps forward a decade, delivering eighties hard rock style vox on the chorus, which break up the high octane thundering bassline and insane guitar work of the verse.
The crazy musicianship and Brodsky’s virtuoso riffing continues throughout ‘Siphon,’ ‘Memory Hole’ and ‘Demons,’ with the latter an absolute peach of a sub-three-minute workout. While they go slow and sludgy on the long Karma To Burn style instrumental intro to ‘Unborn.’ Before closing with ‘Setting Sun’ the only track to come in over five minutes, a track that takes its time to build from more of a psychedelic opening into a galloping rhythm and one of the strongest chorus hooks on the release.
Mutants asks the question of just how Brodsky is going to play this material live and sing at the same time, but anyone who’s seen a Mutoid Man or Cave In show knows he’s got it in him. The songwriting is sublimely delivered with impressive arrangement throughout … and this is a record that just gets better on repeat listening!
Buy the album here:
9 / 10
ABSTRAKT_SOUL_