Mushroom Teeth, 'Mushroom Teeth Vol: 1'

(Self-released, digital)

I have to admit, I was expecting something far stranger when I took this assignment. Maybe it’s just the name: Mushroom Teeth. The heavy-ass metal duo includes John Notaro on guitar and Lucas Hall on drums. Their debut features Bradley Woodward on bass, but the plan is to highlight different bass players on each album, according to Bandcamp.

If Notaro’s prolific musical side hustles are any indication, there will be a next time, and it will be soon. His output runs the gamut from screaming vocals (with the bands Emerther and Red Handed Betrayal) to playing drums with a country-cover dive-bar band (Jonny Hick and the Kickers) and a “celestial jazz flute” outfit (Astral Underground). And that’s only about half of his résumé. So, you can see why I didn’t know what to expect when I pressed play.

It turns out that Mushroom Teeth Vol: 1 is a crown jewel in Notaro’s ever-expanding catalog.

Mushroom Teeth are all about straightforward instrumental metal workouts. The playing here is excellent, but the audience is limited by design. As David Byrne famously observed, “Singing is a trick to get people to listen to music for longer than they would ordinarily.” Notaro opts to let his fingers speak for him, which works nicely on the opening tracks, where he has some impressive solos.

But I bet Notaro would agree that the backbone of this LP is Hall’s exuberant precision on the drums. Vermont’s metal scene has always been surprisingly strong, but in the past decade we’ve been blessed with some world-class instrumental talents. Hall is perfectly proficient at the cymbal acrobatics and pummeling kick drums that define the genre, but what really sets him apart is his creativity on the kit.

With big, dynamic arrangements, the band absolutely soars. However, the second half of the album hits differently, offering shorter tracks with less compositional depth. Some are basically demos, riffs worked about halfway into proper songs. Thanks to the tasteful skills of Woodward and Hall, there is enough ingenuity in the margins to keep your interest. Notably, album closer “Lead” features some virtuoso drum dynamics, elevating simple arpeggios into a riveting listening experience and ending on a high note.

Credit is also due to audio engineer (and studio entrepreneur) André Maquera of West Street Digital, who has been doing great work in St. Albans for years. This is a crisp and crushing final product, with every detail clearly articulated.

Yet that same clarity works against the less ambitious stretches of the album, especially upon repeated listens. No question, executing such demanding music live is technically impressive. But sonically, the LP would have benefited from some overdubs.

That’s a small quibble, though. Fans of 10-ton riffs and tricky drum gymnastics will find a lot to love here, and Mushroom Teeth are already a standout act in an increasingly crowded local scene.

Mushroom Teeth Vol: 1 is available at johnnotaro.bandcamp.com.