Mudvayne -- Self-titled [review]

Mudvayne - Self-titled
Epic Records (12/21/09)
Metal


With Mudvayne’s latest opus, the self-titled fifth studio excursion for the band, people seem a little too wrapped up in the presentation (the packaging was printed in black light-reactant and the band is not doing promotion behind the effort) and are overlooking the most important part: the music.

Mudvayne is a return to form (of sorts) for the group, which had experimented with a more rock-tinged approach on 2008’s The New Game. While not as complex as its debut full-length — L.D. 50 — and not as epic as the band’s best offering to date — Lost and Found — the album still has a lot going for it. Besides the bass-heavy, technical dissection of in-your-face beats (tock-tock-tock) that have become a Mudvayne staple, the band seems to have ratcheted up the extremes at each end of the musical spectrum. Take the heavy-as-hell opener “Beautiful and Strange,” chock-full of heavy handed blast beats, which is just as crippling as a band classic like “Dig,” only with a decade of fury packed behind the delivery (the same could be said for “I Can’t Wait,” though the song doesn’t sound quite as tight). On the other end of the spectrum is a song like the moody “Dead Inside,” slower paced and more “quiet” in the approach. “Dead Inside” also, interestingly, closes the album, acting as a juxtaposing book end of sorts. In between the brash, brazen and melodic, are typical Mudvayne songs, with plenty of screaming and songs featuring a mixture of the band’s two styles.

It’s almost unclear exactly how this album came to be. The band at some point had a plan in place for an immediate follow-up to The New Game (the rumored The End Game, and front man Chad gray isn’t shy about his allegiance to his other band, Hell Yeah, content to focus on that project at the moment. So to that end, one could almost accuse the band of throwing a bunch of songs at the wall to see what stuck. Except, that’s not what this sounds like. It sounds like a group of seasoned veterans of the scene getting together to craft a no-frills attack (albeit it a little over-produced), only to sit back and watch fan-reaction. Mudvayne seemed to be able to dig into a well of influences to give the album an old-school metal flavor (an about face from the band’s prior release) while remaining firmly planted in its own roots (see the prototypical “Scream With Me” or “Heard It All Before”).

Legions of fans should eat this album up, as it’s one of the groups strongest, but it also has the potential to win over some new ones along the way. Perhaps not album of the year callibre, it’s a welcome surprise close out a decade.

Mudvayne -- 'Lost and Found' [review]

Mudvayne
"Lost and Found"
(Epic Records)


Mudvayne exploded onto the national scene in 2000 with the release of "L.D. 50." Despite having an EP under its belt (1997's "Kill I Oughta"), this was the first taste most fans had to the band that mixed vocals delivered with a psychotic edge and heavy, groove-laden riffs with start-stop tempos. Add into the mix a helping of ethereal "mood" music and interludes and you have Mudvayne's debut album.

But as good as "L.D. 50" was, it was also a little too eclectic for it's own good. The thread holding some of the songs together was just too fine and the interludes were, at times, simply forgettable.

Then, in addition to the musical problems, the band was type-cast as face-painted madmen, with the image (every member was painted up) soon overtaking the message of the music.

2002's "The End of All Things to Come" was an image overhaul of sorts. The music became more focused, albeit less intense. The band lost the facepaint but replaced it with an alien theme.

With two (or three if you want to include the re-release "The Beginning of All Things to End") full-length albums under its belt, Mudvayne was still looking for the album to make or break the band.

"Lost and Found" is that album. Simply put, it's nothing short of a homerun.

"Lost and Found" pulls in the best elements from the band's entire career and strings them together as a metal masterpiece. There's the tempo-changes, but they make more sense now and come across as less experimental. The vocals drift from the growls seething anger to the melodic delivery Chad Gray is more than capable of pulling off. The groove from the band's debut EP is utilized. Truthfully, this album is the culmination of all the band's previous work. And it doesn't hurt that the band finally put away the image and the members are presented simply as themselves.

"Determined" is the perfect opening track for the album, an exclamation point and mission statement all at the same time. Featuring the trademark growled, scratchy vocals and fantastic rhythm section, the song is probably one of the hardest-hitting tracks the band has recorded.

"Happy?" is almost the perfect juxtaposition to such a track, more melodic and gentle in delivery (similar to "Not Falling" off the band's second album). There's the stutter-step tempo but (again) it seems to actually drive the song instead of pull attention away from it.

"IMN" is the best of "L.D. 50" wrapped into one almost-six minute track: there's the frantic tempo-changes, the sick bass work, the full array of vocal styles and, while Ryan Martinie's bass-work is subtle at times, at others it takes center stage to amazing effect.

Even when the band goes out on a limb this time, everything seems to blend together perfectly. The album's longest track, "Choices," which runs just over eight minutes in length, drifts back and forth between melody and driving force. And the distorted "inny, meeny, miny, mo" that breaks up the verses during the opening verses sounds crazy at first, but soon fits in so well you hardly notice it. Gray's singing has never sounded better during the track's driving bridges and choruses. The song unfolds to an epic as Greg Tribbett is let loose on the guitar and Gray punctuates his guitar bridges with scratchy exclamations.

When listening to the album, it's impossible not to note how grounded everything sounds thanks to Matt Mcdonough's solid drumming. He can lay down a brutal wall of sound like the album's opener, or offer up a more subtle back-beat in songs like "Forget to Remember" (thought he still comes across explosive during the choruses).

Overall, "Lost and Found" is a glimpse at a band at its absolute best. This is the album Mudvayne's fans knew the band was capable of, and an album that will convert countless others to the fan base.

Definitely one of the band's best, "Lost and Found" is also a contender for album of the year. A great metal release ... a great album in general.