LORD OF MUSHROOMS – 7 Deadly Songs

Just when you started thinking every new Prog Metal band is a cheap copy of Dream Theater, Lord of Mushrooms releases their new groundbreaking album, 7 Deadly Songs. Based off the concept of the seven deadly sins, this conceptual album expands the Progressive horizons into new territories.

Elements of Jazz, Progressive Rock, Progressive Metal, AOR, and almost every genre of contemporary music can be found here, in a perfect blend. Although musically complex, the album appeals equally to music lovers and the “educated” music audience. Atonal passages, tritons, and every other sort of dissonance are present in Seven Deadly Songs, without loosing focus on keeping the listener interested and entertained.

For those looking for references, one could say that Lord Of Mushrooms’ main influences are Yes, Kansas, Boston, Toto, Dream Theater (obviously), and Symphony X, but that would be restricting too much the complex and complete music landscape created by the band.

This band’s rhythm section is tight and accurate, with guitar, bass, and drums working closely together to form a solid musical foundation. The vocals are exactly what they should be… not too much over the top, not too harsh, and not unique enough to drive your attention away from the instruments. The keyboards, while not exaggeratedly exposed, are of astounding virtuosity and good taste. Being the “sonic glue” of the vocal harmonies and the concise rhythmic section, they draw atmospheric lines while providing lead work equally well.

The first of the seven deadly sins based songs, “Pride,” flirts with all of their influences. While tending to a more AOR overall feel, the song switches easily from Metal passages to Hard Rock and Pop territory.

“Avarice” falls more into the Prog Metal prototype, and has lots clever keyboard passages. The rhythm section is again working perfectly together. The song has an overall feel that will sound familiar to Symphony X’s fans.

More on the heavy side, while still retaining the AOR styled melodies, “Envy” is the third track on 7 Deadly Songs. The funky bass work and the odd tempos shows off all the versatility found in their rhythmic foundation.

Atmospheric enough to sound like a video game track, “Anger” is more of the same found in the previous track. Obviously, that is not a bad thing at all. A highlight in this song is the Hard Rock-styled chorus.

The main ballad in 7 Deadly songs, “Sloth,” has nice piano lines, and a nice vocal melody. The weird solo is one of the passages in the album that shows off the band’s musical education background.

The most fun track on 7 Deadly Songs, “Gluttony,” has a chilled-down feel to it, with Funk being thrown in the style blend. This track is hugely influenced by the Hard Rock greats that inspired Lord of Mushrooms’ music. The organ work is true to style, and fills gracefully the harmonic spaces.

Back to the Heavy Metal mood, the closing track, “Lust,” is the heaviest track on the album. The keyboard work in this track reminds of Jordan Rudess’ latest work with Dream Theater, and that means total keyboard wizardry. Justice be done though, the guitar work is also a highlight here, along with the vocal harmonies.

After the seven deadly sins, we have the trilogy “Legend.” These three songs feel like an entirely different album. While still retaining the musical quality from the conceptual section of 7 Deadly Songs, a more experimental approach is taken within these compositions.

If you are into Progressive Metal, or even Progressive music in general, this album is a must have. It’s really nice to hear something that sounds new and fresh in the Prog genre. Lord of Mushrooms is one of the few bands trying to push the standards a little higher, and do something, that while not being entirely new, is very original.