Inside of the hot and sweaty, but friendly confines of the Machine Shop in Flint, Cleveland’s Mushroomhead put together their usual entertaining 70 minute set for the hundreds of fans in attendance. The band presented mostly newer material, such as the set opener “Damage Done”, and the current single “Simple Survival” early on, to a very receptive crowd. Older tracks such as “Bwomp” and the highly melodic “Sun Doesn’t Rise” got strong treatment from new lead singer Waylon, who mixed melodies with fellow singer Nothing.

But before the strong set from Mushroomhead, I had a chance to interview bassist Jack “Pigbenis” Kilcogne, and singer Jeff “Nothing” Hatrix. On back of the Mushroomhead tour bus, here is what the guys had to say about their new lead singer, their new album, and somewhat vindictive metal websites.

• AM: The band has just moved to Megaforce Records, after leaving major label Universal Records. How has the change been so far?
  PB: Moving to Megaforce has been different so far, to say the least. But as we are learning, it is turning out to be the right move. We’re pretty happy so far…
  Nothing: I think Megaforce is more specialized, and that’s good for us. When we were on Universal, it seemed that they were more interested in promoting their rap artists, and we felt out of place.

• AM: With Universal, was there pressure from the label to take over rock radio?
  PB: Not as much as you think. I think bands go through that, but we’ve always had a harder-edged sound, with a more melodic side as well. So, there never seemed like a push for a drastic change in the sound, to please certain people.
  Nothing: I think if we decided to record the album again, I think it would have ended up sounding a lot like this record. It’s just a style we are comfortable with.

• AM: The band recently gained a lead new singer (Waylon), after having one of your lead singers (J.Mann) leave the band. How did that come about?
  Nothing: Waylon did 13 dates with us in his old band, and recorded at our studio (Filthy Hands Studio in Cleveland). We helped him out with his demo with his band, and then J. Mann quit. J.Mann said that he sounded a lot like him and would sound good with the band, but I think there are differences between the two.
  PB: Waylon stays aggressive in his sound, but he holds harmony very well, and stays very melodic in the new and older material. Him and Nothing play off each other’s vocals well.

• AM: You guys have played the Machine Shop a bunch of times. Any shows that stick out?
  Nothing: Yeah, I think we’ve set the record for the shows played at this place, but we enjoy it here.
  PB: It’s like family here; the owners have always treated us well. The first time we played, we all went to a local strip club here. We’ve also been to pool parties and barbeques at the owner’s houses. It’s always a good time.

• AM: Were there any new influences that you picked up for this record?
  PB: I don’t think there were any new influences on the record, just for the fact that nothing new influences me. I use mostly older influences, but from a variety of music. We all have a love for metal music, but what stifles a band is the fact that when a band comes from the exact same musical background.
  Nothing: It doesn’t allow the band a chance to grow in their music. I came from a metal background, such as Iron Maiden and Armored Saint. But we listen to a lot of different music. Lots of electronic stuff as well…

• AM: How do you react to sites like Blabbermouth.net, whose readers have the tendency to be very negative?
  Nothing: It’s tough to deal with that site because it’s owned by Roadrunner Records (due to the past feud with Slipknot, who are on Roadrunner). But people are going to have opinions, and you just have to learn to do your thing, and ignore what they are doing.
  PB: I figure, if enough critics and people on a site are talking trash and not being objective in their criticism, I think it only helps us. If enough people are saying “this band sucks”, somebody is gonna have a different opinion than them. We write music because we like it, but if someone wants to blast us, at least it gets the name out there. No press at all would be the worst thing.

• AM: Tour mate Soil may sit out the band’s upcoming gig at the infamous AlRosa Villa in Columbus (where Dimebag Darrell was murdered) later this month. What is your feeling on the subject?
  Nothing: It is their personal preference, if they feel that strongly on the subject. We will continue to perform the show that we are accustomed to. As horrible as it is, that could happen in any club. Any club has the potential to be dangerous, like what happened in Tampa with the Corrosion of Conformity concert (back in 2005, a person was stabbed and murdered at the show).
  PB: It depends on the security at the venue. The AlRosa has always been a good venue for us. I think that Dimebag went out doing what he loved, and I don’t think they he would want a club to not play there because he died there.

• AM: What are your future tour plans?
  Nothing: The tour wraps around Thanksgiving, and we are prepping to release our album in Europe and wrapping up a distribution deal for that.
  PB: We really want to tour there, because the shows are great and the towns and countries are close to together. But we are getting the money together for the tour, so we hope to set something up there soon.