For all their controversy, whether it be with Slipknot, their recent 'feud' with Slaves On Dope, their label brouhaha, masks, or whatever else, Mushroomhead are definitely survivors. Already having been together for around a decade, the band have released a string of albums, garnering them a deafening following in the Ohio region which pretty much exploded with the impressive sales of their last offering, the major label released "X X". But while the band have definitely made an impact throughout various avenues, through it all there has always been one group that has left a seemingly lasting impact on them. That band is none other than Faith No More and it should come as no surprise that this latest opus contains highly discernible traces of their work.

Moody, aggressive and ultimately a bit more streamlined, the modern metal approach taken on "XIII" usually results in melodic Patton styled vocals being traded off with aggressive chants and screams; chugging riffs; and ethereal keyboard parts. In essence this is nothing new for longtime Mushroomhead fans, yet "XIII" still does show some evolution from its predecessors. In fact, the first thing that sticks out upon listening to this release is just how cognent and flowing the song structuring has become. The material is just ultimately more focused and determined, boasting a distinctly polished feel. In turn, a greather emphathsis seems to have been placed upon melody and streamlining the songs into easily digested packages.

While this generally works in the bands favor, the blasts of creative electronics and breakdowns that were present on their earlier works seem all but gone on this offering; a decision which might leave some older fans a bit disappointed. Still, there's no doubt that "XIII" is a solid modern metal album, as it delivers track after track with a consistent rate of quality. In fact, at times there are even songs that border on sounding metalcore which should be more than enough to get the average metal lover whipped into a frenzy.

However, when it comes to innovation and uniqueness, "XIII" does feel a bit too tame and reliant upon the trails blazed by Faith No More to really leave a lasting impression, or even fully establish a trademark 'Mushroomhead' sound. Such shortcomings could be a bit of a problem for them at such a pivotal stage in their career, but given the quality of the material on hand here, it will likely be only the most jaded who take issue with it.