Unitron Along with Atheist, Mudvayne is the gold standard when it comes to metal that just happens to be technical with crazy musicianship but is some of the catchiest and most memorable stuff I've ever heard. I love L.D. 50 a whole lot too, but this was the first I heard of Mudvayne and fell in love instantly. The whole album is instantly memorable, but songs like Silenced, Trapped in the Wake of a Dream, (Per)Version of a Truth, Skrying, The Shadow of a Man, and the title track are particular favorites that show a perfect combination of the melodies, hooks, screams, riffs, and rhythmic mastery that define the band.

Chad Gray's vocals are at their best, hitting that perfect balance of screaming, nasally yet melodic vocals, and great subtle touches like the Damage Inc-esque whispers of Silenced. However, Mudvayne's rhythm section is the star of the show, especially bassist Ryan Martinie's unique sound. One of the best metal albums of the 2000's.

Warthur Unfailingly catchy, Mudvayne's second album stands as a rebuke to anyone who'd argue that the nu metal scene lacks songwriting chops - you just don't get infectious hooks like this by sheer accident. The main barrier to enjoyment, to me, are Chüd's vocals. It's not that they are bad as such - and lyrically speaking the album is at least a bit smarter than the swear-happy lazy cliches of all too many nu metal also-rans.

It's just that the vocals, whilst competently delivered, just don't do very much for me. The general approach varies between a fairly generic semi-spoken style (especially in the more melodic sections) and a fairly generic semi-shouted style; rinse, repeat. It could be that his vocal approach has ended up becoming a victim of its own success. with enough subsequent alternative metal bands following that style that it no longer seems as fresh as it used to.

The upshot of this is that just as Mudvayne's music hooks me in, the vocals push me away again. If you aren't that fussy about vocals then tack on an extra half-star or two.

aglasshouse In 1997 Mudvayne released an 8-track EP titled Kill, I Oughtta. According to the band this was in order to meet a grassroots demand that had been growing for several months before it's release for studio material. The EP was rather good and it eventually led to Mudvayne releasing their actual debut in 2000, L.D. 50, and them skyrocketing in popularity. In the wake of the success of L.D. 50, Mudvayne decided it would re-release Kill, I Oughtta to their now vastly larger fan-base. A well intentioned decision, as the band claimed to protect their fans from scammers and bootleggers who claimed they had access to the EP.

The compilation / EP hybrid would come to be known as The Beginning Of All Things to End, and was released in 2001, a year after the release of L.D. 50. The release is undoubtedly better than the 1997 EP it's based off of, as it contains all it's contents as well as two remixes of Dig (the hit single off of L.D. 50) and a 17 minute long experimental electronic track from which L.D. 50's name was based off of. The remixes are what you'd expect from the early 00's- the first one a techno/eurodance style (not good sounding with a heavy metal band) and the other being a sort of industrial metal remix that disassociates things like the guitar and bass from one another and intersperses them in solo parts of the song. 'L.D. 50' if it were to be compared to something, is like Orbital on either meth or steroids. Maybe both. I'm not sure exactly how I feel about it as I'm not really an experienced connoisseur of avant-garde music, but it's safe to say I don't return to it to much looking for enjoyment.

While we're at it I might as well review the original material that was featured on Kill, I Oughtta, as it was the main attraction for original buyers and is admittedly the best part of this release. Being from the 90's, the music takes elements from then-current nu metal artists. The opener 'Poop Loser' with it's sophisticated motif of "you're a motherfucking piece of shit/and you'll never amount to nothin'" is extremely similar of something Jonathan Davis would, and in fact did sort of do on many of Korn's albums. Granted, Chad Gracey and Davis are much different, but it is more or less an ode to their influencers. 'Seed' is really where the album begins, acting as a much stronger and more powerful opening. From there heavy crunch of the overly aggressive guitar and bass coincide well with the almost drug fueled vocal techniques of Gracey. His voice held, and continued to hold a subtle amount of emotional value as he constantly switches from clean to scream vocals on a dime, often at unpredictable times. The strength of much of the tracks of Mudvayne's catchiness, of which there are a heavy amount. The almost deriding style of the vocals mixed with raw instrumentation such as this make for a sort of masochistic experience. Mudvayne's performance seems like a haphazard and painful one, but in reality it's just a facade, and acts more as an aesthetic. Kill, I Oughtta isn't exactly as progressive as the band would later become only 3 years later, but it is a great slice of what comprised the alternative/nu-metal scene in the mid-late 90's.

The Beginning of All Things to End acts as a sort of alternative debut to L.D. 50, appealing to a more commercial audience and to those who weren't as fond of the band's 2000 album. As a Mudvayne fan myself however, I'd wholeheartedly say it's worthwhile piece of material.

aglasshouse MUDVAYNE makes an amazing return with their 2009 eponymous album! Wow, I cannot say enough about how good this album is. Of course, this band isn't unfamiliar to produce metal masterpieces. In fact, their 2002 release of The End of All Things to Come is the current highest rated alternative metal album on this site with a rating of a whopping 4.86/5. This album also marks the 3rd album to have the band members using their normal names once again.

I know I'm not the only who hails MUDVAYNE's self titled as a great comeback. It has been noted and been a general consensus that this album is great. And no wonder; these guys take the meaning of alt. metal to a whole new and magnificent level. This album contains so many great tracks that it's hard to jot them all down.

The most mainstream song on the album may perhaps be 'Scream With Me', with more clean vocals than other MUDVAYNE songs. But that doesn't mean it's bad, oh no, it's great. The great bass and acoustics make the song unusual for the band, but still excellent. The thrash-y 'Closer' is another interesting and great track. The opener, 'Beautiful and Strange' also retains the same quality of 'Closer' with a thrash opening as well and rolling drums and pounding bass and guitar lines. My favorite has to be 'Burn the Bridge', being a little more vocal concentrated as opposed to just screaming guitars and bass. It just plays with slightly more meaning than perhaps the other songs, making it my favorite.

It has to said that this release is very prog-metallic. In some circumstances, I would even juxtapose this with some of the work of TOOL and ALICE IN CHAINS, two alternative/progressive metal bands that use different sounds according to their genre. And in this case, MUDVAYNE is up there with them. Sure, MUDVAYNE owes some of their sound to other bands, but in my opinion, they've evolved enough to be able to firmly stand their own ground among-st the metal community.

aglasshouse One day, I was walking around my favourite store, which usually has a healthy supply of all different genres of music. As I was taking my usually hour looking through the thousands of titles, I saw the eloquently written Mudvayne inscribed on a jewel case. I took it out to see that it was their third studio album, "Lost and Found". I decided to take it home with me that day and give it a listen.

Mudvayne has a tendency to combine different styles of metal, including progressive, alternative, and traditional metal genres. When bands do this, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. In the case of "Lost and Found", it totally works. And the vocals give us a small dose of blacker-metal noises, making for a four piece genre fusion, making for Mudvayne's album, "Lost and Found".

Several tracks give us a mix of these genres, such as 'Fall Into Sleep', 'TV Radio', 'Choices', and my personal favorite from the album, 'Rain. Sun. Gone'. The vocals have the black metal sound I mentioned before, but have a Breaking-Benjamin feel to the instrumentals.

The music has a way of being consistent and inconsistent at the same time, giving for a flowing, rhythmic kind of album. Along with this shifting style, the vocals are absolutely stunning. Chad Grey is amazing when it comes to shifting between notes and simply yelling (artistically). Giving a sort of blend of dark and light in this album.

Certified 'GOLD' by the RIAA, "Lost and Found" deserves it's popularity, and is definitely a good album from Mudvayne.

Kingcrimsonprog Mudvayne’s second concert DVD, All Access To All Things features performances from Metallica’s 2003 Summer Sanitarium tour; filmed across three shows at three locations, Seattle, Salt Lake City and San Francisco. The DVD features 50 minutes worth of live performances adding up to a total of ten songs as well as forty minutes of behind the scenes footage like interviews on the tour bus or in the dressing room as well as the making of their music video for ‘World So Cold,’ which is available as a bonus feature.

The performances are of a pretty great quality and the sound and visuals are of an acceptable standard. The two greatest faults are that the bass drum sound is rather poor, but this is to be expected at a big outdoor show and is made up for by the fact that the rest of the sound is very good. The other flaw is that on about three songs, the editing becomes distracting for about a minute or so when it is decided that a bunch of really quick cuts are necessary.

Apart from these two minor flaws, All Access to All Things is an enjoyable DVD worthy of a place in any Mudvayne fan’s collection. The performances are tight, the behind the scenes sections are relatively interesting, (but thankfully you are given the option to watch just the concert, which is great for repeat viewings) and the track listing is good. Matt, Greg and Ryan absolutely nail every second of the performance, playing both tightly and energetically, and Chad adds some brilliant improvised vocals at the end of ‘Nothing To Gein,’ and ‘World So Cold,’

Chad can really pull it off live, delivering the clean vocals really well and the heavier vocals almost as well with very few exceptions, chiefly on the faster songs from LD.50 where it would be impossible for anyone to sing that fast, that close together without losing their breath. On this DVD the band appear without the make up which was the trademark of their early career and are playing in daylight at big outdoor events across three different shows.

If this is not to your tastes, you may want to consider Mudvayne’s first concert DVD ‘Live In Peoria,’ which features the band wearing makeup, indoors in a smaller venue, at night and all from a single concert.

In summary; if you don’t mind that the live sections are not from one single concert and can forgive the bass drum sound, you will find a very enjoyable DVD that stands up even now.