Savior Sorrow
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Savior Sorrow (also recognized as SaVIor Sorrow, in the development stages of the album) is the sixth studio album release and the follow-up to 2003's XIII by the Cleveland, Ohio based alternative metal band Mushroomhead.
It is their first release through Megaforce Records. This is the first Mushroomhead recording to feature Waylon Reavis on vocals, who replaced longtime frontman Jason "J. Mann" Popson. Originally set to be released on June 6, 2006 it was pushed back for unknown reasons (but is speculated due to attempting to acquire the rights to Prince's song, 'When Doves Cry' so they could place a cover on the album) and MushroomKombat was launched instead. The album was released on September 19th, 2006 in the United States, while overseas versions were released in mid-October of 2006.
Album information
Bronson left before the album was released. Although the majority of the guitar parts for the album were created by Dave "Gravy" Felton, Bronson did in fact write the majority of "Cut me" and "The Need".
The album was released on Waylon Reavis' Birthday and the anniversary of the day he was asked to join the band.
A demo version of the song "Burn" was included on a FYE sampler, which was given away in June exclusively with the purchase of two qualifying CDs at FYE stores. It was limited to 25,000 copies and was done in conjunction with Decibel magazine.
Drummer Steve Felton (Skinny) says: "It's a new chapter in MUSHROOMHEAD's evolution. There are sounds on this album that sound so brutal and huge. We focused on delivering some vicious hardcore mixed with heavy melodic hooks. Lyrically, it definitely reflects where the world is at this moment in time."
The album's first single, "Simple Survival" debuted on Cleveland's WMMS on August, 11 2006. The band began a world tour on September 12, 2006, alongside Soil, Brand New Sin, and The Autumn Offering as part of the Jägermeister Music Tour.
Videos for "Simple Survival", "Burn", "Damage Done", "12 Hundred" and "Save Us" have been filmed. "Damage Done" was filmed by Robert Kurtman's crew after the filming of scenes in the upcoming horror movie "The Rage," which features a Mushroomhead performance.
Etymology
Jeffrey Nothing has stated in an interview with Mortley Seaver on antiMUSIC.com Savior Sorrow is saying "Save Your Sorrow". "Or with everything that's happened to us in the past, we're probably stronger than ever, so it's pretty much saying 'Fuck your pity' in a way."
Other name considerations were "Savior Self" and "The Six Seas of Sorrow".
The name also includes the numerical reference that has become characteristic of Mushroomhead since M3; the number 6 appears in the word 'savior'.
Release, reception and album sales
The album was released with seven different album covers featuring one member each.
The September 19th release featured two bonus tracks exclusive to Best Buy copies of the album. The first bonus was an alternate version of "The Fallen" and the second bonus was additional music from "Embrace the Ending." The 7 different album covers were also exclusive to Best Buy, but in "Limited Edition." While the Circuit City CD sale came with a Savior Sorrow ringtone.
500,000 copies of the album have a special "3-D" cover, available everywhere.
Savior Sorrow debuted at #73 on the Billboard 200 charts with sales exceeding 12,000. However, the band's label stated that sales were closer to 25,000 with the inclusion of sales made while on tour. SoundScan issued an apology the day following the release of sales data due to mistakes made in estimates. The primary reason given was the lack of inclusion of sales from the Best Buy retailer chain. Sales of Savior Sorrow were indeed around 26,000 and the chart entry place was closer to the #30 spot than #73. However, Savior Sorrow's chart position was later officially adjusted to #50. Simple Survival, the pre-released single to Savior Sorrow, was placed at #40 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart one week after the release.
"Savior Sorrow" has been released on double vinyl. It is a two-LP set on metallic gray and is a limited-edition release of 2,000. The vinyl can be purchased at www.mushroomhead.com or at live shows while supplies last.
As of September, 2007, Savior Sorrow had sold over 76,000 copies in the US.[1]
As of May, 2009, Savior Sorrow has sold close to 125,000 copies worldwide.
Track listing
- "12 Hundred" - 3:21
- "Simple Survival" - 3:15
- "Damage Done" - 3:40
- "Save Us" - 3:46
- "Tattoo" - 4:07 (Guest vocals by Sean Kane of Gizmachi)
- "Erase the Doubt" - 4:16
- "Burn" - 2:53
- "Just Pretending" - 4:12
- "The Need" - 4:56
- "Cut Me" - 5:24
- "The Fallen" - 4:22
- "Embrace the Ending" - 4:23
Bonus tracks
- "Burn" (Original Recording) - 3:03 (FYE editions)
- "Embrace the Ending" (demo version) - 2:07 (Best Buy editions)
- "The Fallen" (demo version) - 4:26 (Best Buy editions)
Charting positions
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | The Billboard 200 | #50 |
| 2006 | Top Independent Albums | #2 |
| 2006 | Top Rock Albums | #17 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | "Simple Survival" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | #39 |
| 2007 | "Burn" | Mainstream Rock Tracks
Album credits
Links
References |