Mushroomhead's New DVD a Visual and Audio Treat

Twenty-five years ago next month Mushroomhead donned their masks and took to the stage for the first time. A quarter-century later the band is stronger than ever, its by turns pummeling, eerie and haunting metal and heavy rock infused with industrial elements continuing to enthrall fans worldwide. Mushroomhead’s still growing fan base is reflected by its last album’s highest-ever chart positions for the band. “The Righteous & the Butterfly” (2014) hit No. 20 on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart and topped the Indie and Hard Rock charts.

In addition to expressing themselves through gripping, memorable, outstanding music, Mushroomhead is also committed to relaying its artistic vision to fans through the video medium. The band has captured the essence of its songs in videos that range from performance shots in various locations to mini-horror movies. As a treat for fans, Mushroomhead has collected these videos, as well as live and backstage footage in DVD packages.

Mushroomhead's latest DVD collection, “Volume III,” is out on Friday, Aug. 17. Highlights include the snowcapped “Our Apologies” and “We Are the Truth,” a fully realized zombie flick in four minutes. Festival footage, a trip to Russia and a fun commentary that you’d never expect round out the excellent package.

We recently spoke to bandleader/drummer Steve “Skinny” Felton about “Volume III,” the band’s approach to making music videos, its longevity and its plans for its first studio album in five years.

There’s no real outlet for music videos these days other than putting them out on your own. How important is it for Mushroomhead to make videos?

At the end of the day it’s like the rest of music and art; we're artists and we like to make stuff to express our artistry. Our videos are very much hands on and DIY. It’s easier to make videos these days on your own with good production value given the technology we have today. For example on “Our Apologies” the aerial shots were taken using drones. In the past you would’ve had to have a helicopter and a $100,000 budget to get those shots.

“Our Apologies” features the band playing in the snow and the vibe is cold and harsh. Winter seems to be a recurring theme in your videos. Why is that?

Being from Cleveland the cold is in our DNA. There’s something to be said for that environment and to me as an artist that cold represents a lot of tension. It's pretty but it's deadly all at the same time. It breeds well for some of the violent aspects of our music.

The video for “We Are the Truth” is especially terrifying, a horror flick condensed into four minutes. What was the thinking behind its creation?

We are huge horror movie fans and when it was time to do another video, we decided to do a tribute to “Evil Dead.” What people may not realize is that the band is in the video unmasked. We’re the actors in the cabin. People have told us, “the actors did really well,” without realizing it was us.

What attracted you to horror films?

As a kid it was just a product of the environment in the 70s. Horror movies weren't as widespread as they are now and had a great impact. Seeing “The Exorcist” or even “Jaws,” the suspense instilled fear and I saw how powerful an emotion it was. I linked that to strong emotional music. I loved Kiss and Alice Cooper, how they created emotion. It was very similar how excited I was to listen to music as to watching a horror film. I think Mushroomhead has that appeal and we play that out in our videos.

The live part of “Volume III” highlights Mushroomhead’s ferocity and energy onstage. What’s your approach to live shows? Are you calm or wound up before taking the stage

With us, because of the masks and makeup, the windup is natural. As you're putting on your wardrobe on you’re transforming into a completely different person. So back in the dressing room, long before the first note is played, we have a mindset to go out there and rock.

Do you come out of character right after a show or is there a wind-down period?

It depends on the show and the kind of tour. Sometimes you'll see us two hours after the show and we end up at the bar in costume with no masks. Sometimes the wind down is all night. Then sometimes you’re so exhausted you just pass out and wake up in your stage clothes. There are also definitely nights where you put on your normal clothes but your makeup is still on. You walk into a diner or convenience store and people look at you like you’re some kind of weirdo.

The DVD takes a lighthearted, fun turn when you have the child actresses from the videos do the commentary.

I did a lot of the post editing and directing and by the time it came to comment we set up mikes and talked about our own stuff and after listening to it it just didn't have any excitement. We wanted to get a fresh approach and thought, “we should have the girls do it.” It’s so genuine, the mind of a child. They’ll be talking about the video and then move onto to another subject.

You’ve been the constant in Mushroomhead for 25 years and have had many other band members come and go. Are the lineup shifts challenging?

It's part of the natural evolution. We’ve created so much good work with so many talented, awesome people, but not everyone can stay together forever. It’s about giving it your all when you're involved. Working with new people isn’t frustrating. It just presents more opportunity and different ideas.

Mushroomhead’s last album came out in 2014. Are you working on a new album?

We are, and right now it’s due out in mid-2019. It’s going to be similar to what you’ve heard in the past with the slow, creepy parts and the big, melodic choruses but in a way you've never heard before. The reason it will be five years between albums is that the last album (“The Righteous & the Butterfly”) did really great out of the gate and we wanted to get on the road and really push the record. We’ve been doing a lot of touring. The DVD documents the album cycle.

October marks 25 years since the first Mushroomhead show. What do you think when you reflect on making music for a quarter century?

It goes quick. When I stop and look back it's overwhelming. The goal is the same now as in the beginning: to try to make my band bigger. I wake up every day thinking about how to do that. We’re going to be celebrating 25 years when we tour next year. We’ll play the new songs but also a lot of stuff off the first album, then we’ll switch to playing more of other older albums in the set. We’ve got a good plan.