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) and playing relentlessly across the US and Europe on their own headline tours. 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 high profile musical projects, and the 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 most mindboggling effort yet, their third full-length album 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. With the addition of bassist Jeff Matz (High on Fire, Zeke) in tow, you now have a trifecta of prog-level players approaching metal with punk irreverence. But Mutants never comes across as academic noodling. Rather, the whole album radiates an exuberant and adrenalized joy.

Despite the setbacks of the pandemic, the new obstacle of members living in different cities, and making room for the schedules of Cave In, Converge, and High on Fire, Mutants sounds like it’s still operating on the endorphin rush of their early years. “I think the strength of our new material and the unwavering excitement for its potential kept us going,” Brodsky says when asked about their hiatus. “We knew there was a great album in the vault, even if it meant letting the ingredients marinate for a little longer.”