Mushroomhead, the band that has seen its share of conflict with Slipknot for their similar set up and garb, is back with a new record, new singer, and unfortunately, not enough consistently creative ideas. The independently released “Savior Sorrow” has some musically innovative moments that feature inspired hooks and melodies, but for the most part the songwriting does not make as big of an impression as previous albums. With “Savior Sorrow”, they frequently go astray from the promising sound by focusing on overly basic hooks that repeat themselves over and over again. While their down-tuned, up-tempo chords offer a dark and somewhat powerful feeling, they also become trite when that’s all you end up getting by the end of the song.

  “Savior Sorrow” concentrates on emotional, introspective themes, and the band is able to communicate their ideas effectively. While not all of the tracks stand out as being lyrically original, there are a few that deserve to be read a little closer. Mushroomhead have proved themselves in the past of creating songs that are immediately memorable and musically strong. “Savior Sorrow” does tend to get stuck on one guitar line too much of the time, but with the added extras like keyboards and sampling, the band still is capable of bringing something new to the table.

Grand Prize winner will receive an autographed Ibanez GRG170DXBKN electric guitar [see detailes]. 1st runner-up will get Mushroomhead’s duffle bag (includes survival pack, CD, poster, thong, etc.) 2nd runner up will get Mushroomhead’s “Savior Sorrow” CD & poster. Enter below! Winner will be announced Nov. 2nd, 2006 thru Ultimate-Guitar.Com website.