Mutoid Man "Mutants"
When Mutoid Man came crashing out of the gate back in 2013, the Brooklyn trio’s combination
of basement punk’s zero-fucks-given energy, classic metal’s over-the-top showmanship, and
prog rock’s musical gymnastics had a seemingly unstoppable momentum. Riding on the success
of their debut EP Helium Head (2013), the band took on a manic work ethic over the next four
years, cranking out two full-lengths, Bleeder (2015) and War Moans (2017), touring relentlessly
across the US and Europe, and becoming something of a de facto house band for esteemed
New York metal venue Saint Vitus along the way. With tour dates supporting acts like
Mastodon and Danzig, it appeared that Mutoid Man’s entry into the upper echelon of heavy
metal heroes was inevitable. However, life has a way of complicating things, and between line-
up changes, an exodus from Brooklyn, a slew of other musical projects, and, ya know, a
pandemic, the band was put on hold in the midst of their ascendancy. But after a six-year
recording hiatus, Mutoid Man are back to reclaim their throne with their third full-length album
and most mindboggling effort yet, Mutants.
Guitarist/vocalist Stephen Brodsky (Cave In, Old Man Gloom) and drummer Ben Koller
(Converge, Killer Be Killed) have always excelled at crafting their own unique brand of frenzied,
hyper-focused, dynamic, and deliciously excessive fretboard-savvy metal. Take two players who
were raised in the hardcore world and who quickly surpassed the technical requirements for
playing even the more sophisticated spins on that sound, and then make them playfully push
each other into more outrageous and catchy territories, and you have a rough approximation of
the Mutoid Man sound. But with new bassist Jeff Matz (High on Fire, Zeke) in tow, you now
have a trifecta of prog-level players approaching metal with punk irreverence on Mutants.