Mudvayne Albums (5)
What The Critics Say
After toning down the Slipknot/Mushroomhead theatrics for 2005's Lost and Found, Mudvayne vocalist Chad Gray recorded an album with modern metal (almost) "supergroup" Hellyeah. The latter outfit's predilection for basic, rib-cracking hard rock pops up occasionally throughout 2008's The New Game like a gin blossom, interrupting sonic blasts of math-tinged nu metal with furious Motörhead-meets-Alice in Chains mayhem. The problem is, Mudvayne's own predilection for predictable loud/soft/loud set pieces, forgettable melodies, and over-reliance on words like "sorrow," "rage," "abused," "disease," "nightmares," and "beatings" keeps things from ever leaving the tarmac. With a winning opener (the familiar but nonetheless brutal "Fish Out of Water") and a handful of other keepers (including "A New Game" and the surprisingly subtle "Never Enough"), fans looking for a repeat of L.D. 50, Beginning of All Things to End, End of All Things to Come, and Lost and Found will be more than pleased, but those looking for actual growth would be better off cleaning out their refrigerators. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide
'The End of All Things to Come'
Release Date 11/18/2002
Tracks 13
Label Epic
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What The Critics Say
The artist credits on Mudvayne's second major-label album, The End of All Things to Come (not to be confused with the 2001 reissue of its 1997 indie album, Kill I Oughtta, retitled The Beginning of All Things to End), might suggest that the band has undergone a complete personnel change, but in fact the group members have just changed their pseudonyms. Singer Kud now calls himself Chüd, guitarist Gurrg has become Güüg, bassist Ryknow is R-üD, and drummer sPaG is Spüg. Otherwise, not much has changed for the band in the two years since its first album for Epic Records, L.D. 50. The musicians still churn out standard-issue heavy metal thrash à la Metallica to support Chüd's nihilistic pronouncements, usually sung in an enraged howl. But much else has changed surrounding the band. A year and a half's worth of gigs opening for others propelled L.D. 50 to gold status as Mudvayne's cartoonish costumes and makeup were embraced by metal fans for their novelty and, oh yes, the September 11 terrorist attacks altered the aesthetic climate in which the band functions. At least, you'd have thought it did. Mudvayne still thinks nothing of putting out lyrics like, "I need a barrel of cyanide, a pile of strychnine until the whole damn world is dead start over again" (from the album's title song), as if it hadn't become painfully obvious that there actually are people in the world willing to act on such ridiculous sentiments. The amusement value of such posturing is reduced when reality comes so close to dark fantasy. To Mudvayne, however, it all still seems to be a joke. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
'The Beginning of All Things to End'
Release Date 11/20/2001
Tracks 11
Label Sony
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Alternative metal upstarts Mudvayne re-released their original independent EP, Kill, I Oughtta, along with live tracks and remixes in the winter of 2001 as The Beginning of All Things to End. The EP, which was originally released in 1997, paints a slightly different picture of the band. The songs are reminiscent of '90s alternative metal groups like Mind Funk and Paw, blending stronger melodies and catchier riffs than the material on L.D. 50. Especially good is the growling "Some Assembly Required," which sounds like Jonathan Davis singing for Life of Agony. The only real low point of the songs from the EP is "Poop Loser," a song that so blatantly rips off the chorus to Korn's "Divine" that it only makes the song sound weak and sad. As far as the other songs, the two live tracks ("Central Disposal" and "Coal") are almost exactly the same as the album versions, albeit murkier and longer. The two remixes of "Dig" are nothing to write home about, with only the "Everything and Nothing Remix" standing out as something significantly different from the original. Finally, the album ends with the 17-minute "L.D. 50," the full-length version of the bizarre sound collage that appears in clips on their major-label debut. The collage might be the best thing on the album, if only because it sounds very different and new compared to the other material. Fans may disagree, but this is essentially just as good as L.D. 50, if not better. The songs are all pretty solid; some of the better songs from that album even appear here anyway. Anyone looking to get into this band might as well start here; it showcases several different aspects of their music and their songwriting may have even been a bit stronger before the major labels came knocking. ~ Bradley Torreano, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Mudvayne boasts a couple of elements that distinguish it from most contemporary heavy metal outfits. The band adopts bizarre facial makeup that is less suggestive of Kiss than of a bunch of boys who, having failed to plan their Halloween costumes, threw something together by raiding their mother's vanity case. And lead singer Kud (they have funny pseudonyms, too) doesn't always sing in a typical hardcore howl, sometimes descending into a more conventional voice, as if he were auditioning to replace Sebastian Bach in the Broadway production of Jekyll & Hyde. Such characteristics suggest that, for Mudvayne, the thrash style is something of a pose, a suspicion enhanced by reference to the CD booklet, which contains an acknowledgments section as lengthy and gushy as what you'd find on a teen pop album. Can these guys giving thanks and love to family and friends be the same ones performing aggressive lockstep metal, spewing obscenities, and singing about suicide? It seems so, but it's hard to take seriously. (The "L.D." in the album's title refers to "lethal dose," and the "50" refers to a level of toxicity at which 50 out of 100 test animals will die.) [A 'clean' version of the album was released in 2001 as well.] ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
