Mudvayne Review

Lost and Found

Mudvayne Review

I don’t know what’s been getting into me lately. I’m now 42 years old and still listening to some really hard metal. I have a friend at work who has a part time job being on the Sony Street Team and he gave me a free copy to check out. Living in Austin, Tx. and being the “Live Music Capital of the World,” I would say he has a really cool part time job. He get’s Free tickets to just about everything Austin has to offer. Furthermore, being able to give out free CD’s to Sony music fans is also another perk. One turn always deserves another. So… this is how I came to listening to Mudvayne.

MUDVAYNE's "Lost and Found" is on track to sell around 100,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Hits Daily Double. Mudvayne has proved to be one of the more successful metal bands of the new millennium, racking up gold records for its previous two releases. The band was initially lumped in with Slipknot because of both groups' propensities for wearing costumes and makeup. However, for this go-round, Mudvayne has dropped the makeup and nicknames to prove it can stand on its own without the gimmicks. Guess what? Mudvayne remains standing. In fact, lead single "Happy?" is its highest-charting rock track to date.

The follow-up to 2002's gold-certified "The End of All Things to Come", "Lost and Found" was recorded at The Plant studio in Sausalito, California with producer Dave Fortman (former UGLY KID JOE guitarist), who has previously worked with SUPERJOINT RITUAL and EVANESCENCE, among others. Drummer Matt McDonough recently told Launch Radio Networks that, although it was difficult to get started, this record was ultimately easier to make than its predecessor. "I think the initial process of starting the record was probably the hardest part about it," he said. "Once it built up its own inertia and we got some space behind us, it wasn't so intimidating. And the recording of it actually was the easiest part about it for me. I mean, everyone was really comfortable, it was a really cool thing."

Mudvayne is a Peoria, Illinois, USA based Math Metal quartet strongly influnced by funk stylings and jazz song structures. They have become relatively well known for their previous incarnations which involved elaborate stage makeup and pseudonyms. The band often showcases Ryan Martinie's jazzy bass playing, and sport emotionally and philosophically in-depth lyrics.

End Of Things To Come Performed by Mudvayne. Edited by Jeannette Delisa / Aaron Stang. Guitar songbook (Guitar tablature). Published by Warner Brothers. (PGM0302)
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Established in 1996, Mudvayne now consists of Chad Gray (Kud, Chüd) on vocals, Greg Tribbett (Gurrg, Güüg) on guitar, Ryan Martinie (Ryknow, R-üD) on bass, and Matthew McDonough (sPaG, Spüg) on drums.

In their biggest album, L.D. 50, "The overall theme of the album reflects and embodies ideas about the evolution of consciousness, transformation, and the risks involved in experimenting with things that can change a person's point of view, internally and externally," says drummer Spag. After the re-release of Kill I Oughta, now known as The Beginning of All Things To End, the band members changed their pseudonyms to the ones listed in the second parentheses. Since the release of "Happy" in late 2004 to early 2005, Mudvayne has discontinued the use of all psuedonyms and now performs under their real names.

Unfortunately, while donning a fresh image, the band has made its most generic album yet. Mudvayne is undeniably talented and has a distinguishable sound—thanks to Chad Gray's vocals and the band's complex rhythms—but there's little to distinguish "Lost and Found" from past efforts. Lead track "Determined" sounds like a retread of its first hit, "Dig," and short of "Forget to Remember" and the melodic "Fall Into Sleep," the album is, while not terrible, not very memorable, either.

MUDVAYNE were recently confirmed as the "mystery band" on the main stage of Ozzfest. The tour kicks off on July 15 in Mansfield, Massachusetts.

Mudvayne - happy

"Drugs are a waste of time. They destroy your memory and your self-respect and everything that goes along with with your self esteem." - Kurt Cobain

Updated: 1/22/07