Mushroomhead made a stop for their 30th Anniversary Tour in their home state of Ohio in Columbus at The King of Clubs. Supporting Mushroomhead was Fleischkrieg, Kurt Deimer, and Hellzapoppin’ Circus Sideshow! It made for an absolutely wild metal time!
Up first was Fleischkrieg (which means “flesh war” in German), hailing from Las Vegas, is a brutalwave industrial band that claims to have intent to “rip off as many Neue Deutsche Harte German bands as possible”. Their music centers around the controversial topics of the paranormal, aliens, & UFO’s. Led by Richard Cranor who is also their songwriter – they have a very Rammstein-esque sound, mixing synths and electronic undertones with intense metal riffage with Thomas Crawford on guitars, Eric Bergen on bass, and Nick Mason on drums.
After our faces were melted and the blood got pumping, the second supporting act was Kurt Deimer. Also a native Ohioan, Kurt comes from Cincinnati. He is a singer-songwriter, but also an actor (who has starred in a role opposite Michael Myers in Halloween (2018). He also is making his own movie that will be upcoming called Hellbilly Hollow (which he also stars in). His mission is to “Work Hard, Rock Hard, Play Hard, and Spread Positivity”. Bordering hard rock and heavy metal with a bit of a country feel to it, Kurt was joined on-stage by drummer Dango Cellan (also a drummer for notable names such as Scott Stapp & Sonicflood), guitarists Sammy Boller & Brandon Paul, and bassist Brendan Hengle. His music is meant to inspire others, and wants to inject respect, dignity, and kindness into the metal music scene. As someone that has struggled with and overcome addiction in his younger years and battling anxiety, he has a story to tell that he is sharing with others.
The third supporting act isn’t really a “band” per-se. They used a lot of heavy metal & rock as soundtrack to their circus sideshow act. Hellzapoppin’ Circus Sideshow was an absolute sight to behold. They are named after a 1930’s Broadway musical that became a movie in 1941. While they’re considered “extreme” for some of their acts (they have trouble keeping a social media presence due to some of their stage acts), they are a horror circus for all ages. Led by Bryce “The Govna” Graves, Hellzapoppin’ Circus Sideshow offers magic illusions, sword & razor swallowing, drilling holes in faces, and even a half-man!
Willow Lauren (illusionist, stuntwoman) says that while they’re there to entertain, they have a much greater purpose and want to inspire everyone to do the impossible in each of their lives (but not to replicate the “impossible” shown on stage, for VERY obvious reasons).
The Govna & Willow were joined on stage by Short E. Dangerously, a man standing 3’3″ – featured in Ripley’s Believe It or Not, a half-man doing incredible hand-stands and dangerous stunts such as smashing cups, a dangerous game of roulette, as one of them has a large nail hidden underneath.
Also sharing the stage was Dan Sperry, the “anti-conjurer” of magic. He is a shock illusionist who has traveled the world and been featured on America’s Got Talent and Penn & Teller. Inviting a girl on stage, they masterfully levitated a table around and off the stage and back again, and made doves appear from nowhere!
Last, but far from least, the headliner of the night, and the reason we’re all here… MUSHROOMHEAD celebrating their 30th Anniversary with this exemplary tour!!
They’ve had a lot of members over the years, with the only remaining original member being Steve “Skinny” Felton. Current members are listed as being Skinny, J Mann, Gravy, ST1TCH, Dr. F, Roberto Diablo, Rawk, and Jenkins. Jackie, who toured with the band since 2014, was part of the band through the “A Wonderful Life” era, singing songs like The Heresy, but took a hiatus shortly after. For this special tour though, Jackie came out on stage to sing and even joined us photographers in the pit for a little while to capture the band when she wasn’t needed!
Mushroomhead formed in 1993 in Cleveland, Ohio – I have previously seen Mushroomhead live about 19 years ago at a small venue that has since been closed, but one of Ohioan metal fan’s fondest memories – Peabody’s Down Under.
Being deemed one of the most unique and adventurous alternative metal bands, Mushroomhead spans many genres of rock & metal, and embodying the avant-garde music scene. They’ve combined melodic rock, alternative metal, industrial metal, nu metal, experimental metal, and even hints of rapcore for an intense heavy sound. Most of their imagery is designed to be shocking, reminiscent of horror films – wearing costumes and masks, purposefully playing smaller and darker venues, and using lighting to create a surreal stage presence. They were meant to be a side-project for their members, going incognito and using the costumes and masks to not be immediately recognizable. They also are known for their water-drumming, setting up one at each end of the stage, in which all percussionists in the band use throughout the night.
They covered a range of their songs, from the ever-popular Qwerty and Bwomp to the new songs like A Requiem for Tomorrow and The Heresy.
