Mutoid Man Helium Head

They say it’s rare for something great to spring from evil intentions—but then again that line of thinking was developed long before Mutoid Man came about. Sharing a name with the quarter devouring boss featured in the 1990 arcade, etc. video game “Smash TV“; the usage of ‘Mutoid Man‘ as a moniker for this propulsive outfit featuring Cave In vocalist/guitarist Stephen Brodsky and Converge, etc. drummer Ben Koller is almost enough to retroactively forgive the game for all those blown allowances.

Yeah, we may never get our hands on the long rumored Converge and Cave In dream team pairing Verge In; but Mutoid Man unquestionably eases the pain. Their debut bow “Helium Head” is a high energy stampede of squealing proggy riffs, gutsy low end and a veritable cinderblock tornado of percussion.

Simply put, this is a tenacious unapologetic ripper of a record. The six tracks and lone cover included here are an adrenalized collection of Cave In‘s careening prog heft coupled with Converge‘s relentless drive. With no song crossing the three minute mark, nearly all tracks double as shots of aural adrenaline delivered right through the sternum.

Gruff bellows, Brodsky‘s detached vocal harmonies, a hurricane of riffs and a ferocious blitz of constant momentum ensure that no fan of either members primary outfits will go home empty handed. In fact, the only break comes in the form of the cover of “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood“, a song originally made famous by The Animals.

Appearing here as “The Manimals“, the track has been re-envisioned with meaty riffs and ample rawness; with the group fittingly gnawing it down to a grimy pulp. All while Brodsky remains charmingly faithful to the original vocal melodies.

Mutoid Man are about as rapid fire as you can get outside of grind and death metal, yet pack an endearing amount of substance into their condensed blasts. With a running length of just over 16 minutes, they’ve created a high intensity beating that doesn’t let up. It honors the pedigree and output of their relative day jobs as members of some of Massachusetts finest metal/hardcore vets and that is by no means an easy feat.