Despite the growth Mudvayne experienced as musicians over the course of their first two records, they sought a more mainstream-accessible and radio-friendly sound with their third album, 2005's Lost and Found. The album proved to be commercially the band's most successful, but ultimately exhibited a regression in their ability to best their competitors on a technical level. Critics began to note how tracks such as "Just" and "Determined" showcased the high-octane Mudvayne of old, but that the album overall had ignited a fuse that would burn Mudvayne into the crowd of forgettable alt-metal acts they had always attempted to stray from.
Here on 2008's The New Game, the band continues this voyage and sheds even more of their key elements in the process. Vocalist Gray's main delivery perk, alternating blood-curdling howels with eerie croons, is nearly absent save for a few tracks as he transitions into the likes of every typical nameless hard-rock singer. Tribett's guitar riffs are beyond forgettable oustide of singles. Worst of all however, the usually phenomenal rhythm section of bassist Ryan Martinie and drummer Matt McDonough is nothing if not under-utilized.
The album doesn't come without its high points rest assured. Opener "Fish out of Water" and the title track "A New Game" are amongst Mudvayne's strongest cuts. Each song featuring the band's authentic fury as well as some of Tribett's slickest guitar riffs. Late-entry "Never Enough" is also proof these guys are capable of pulling off their own unique take on a power-ballad and "Scarlett Letters" is a quality acoustic cut from a group you never thought would explore that territory. Sadly, the rest of The New Game sounds more like songs written without inspiration or rather as straight up filler; as if Mudvayne wrote a handful of songs they deemed good and then decided to grind out enough cut-rate material to fill a full-length lp.
Mudvayne are no strangers to political ranting, but "Have it Your Way" is much more light-hearted and passive than the likes of the title track from The End of All Things To Come. The song also comes with a main guitar riff that is border line pop-rock. Something that will likely never mesh with Gray's style of singing.
But even that awkard cut holds strengths over other members of this album's roster. "The Hate in Me" and "Same Ol" both chug hopelessly on overly simple and obviously brief collectives of notes/chords. Even with Gray taking a stab in each track to make the chorus into a sing-a-long, the end result is stale and unoriginal.
Nothing on this record is as heavy as "Dig," or "Silenced." In fact, there are three power ballads on this 11-track release. "Never Enough," and "Scarlett Letters," are both surprisingly well-written but the souless "A Cinderella Story" falls flat on its face. Its un-appealing subject matter, flat riffs, and lack of any form of hook render it as one of Mudvayne's worst recorded tracks.
The finale` "We The People" attacks politics once more, this time in a much heavier fashion. It makes for one of the more enjoyable tracks on the album but in essence it sounds like the band trying to force a recapture of the magic on their earlier records. One could also look at the inclusion of the remastered "Dull Boy" as the band attempting the same thing in a lazier manner.
The New Game will only please longtime Mudvayne fans on a few occassions as the band continues the journey they began on Lost and Found into radio-ready territory. The true shame that comes with this album is that it reveals Mudvayne to be in favor of tossing out the elements that gave them a unique identity on their first two studio records. This is a record where all members of the band are dragging each other down.
