With their third LP "Lost and Found" Mudvayne has barely lost any of their ferocity, but it is hard to ignore the album's overall regression and retreat from the high-octane technical side of their first two studio records.
Opener "Determined," brings the brutality the band is most known for albeit in a much more standard song-structure, but it works. Centerpiece "Choices," and "Just" also exhibit Mudvayne's trademark aggression in top-notch form. Aside from these cuts however, the majority of "Lost and Found" is riddled with attempts at reaching out to a more radio-friendly audience.
"Pushing Through" manages to pummel hard and furiously, but hardly any of its segments possess true originality. This turns into the primary issue for most of these cuts on the record. "Rain Sun Gone" sports a plethera of phenomenal riffs only to be undermined by Chad Gray's less than mediocre lyrics through the track's verses. The spotlight then shines clearly on Gray's lack of passion in writing for most of this LP. "IMN's" raw energy generates some of the greatest rhythmic and melodic moments in Mudvayne's discography, but how is Gray still growling "NO ONE COULD EVER UNDERSTAND!" three records into his career?
On the bright side, singles "Happy?" and "Forget to Remember" both manage to translate the band's signature sound into mainstream-ready hits rather well. There is also pure beauty to be found in the aggro-tragedy "All That You Are" where several stylistic departures take place alongisde Mudvayne's bitter attitude in one of its most refined formats. And while closer "Pulling the String," is hardly unique in the 2005 nu-metal landscape, it is arguably one of their tightest sounding tracks as a band.
While Gray stumbles occasionally as a lyricist on "Lost and Found" the rest of the Mudvayne personnel show no signs of regression here. Perhaps the brilliant rhythmic capbalities of drummer Matt Mcdonagh and bassist Ryan Martinie are under-utilized in their conquest to reach a broader fan-base, but rest assured their contributions here are borderline perfect. It is only on moments like "TV Radio" that their talents truly feel wasted
"Lost and Found" wont fully cater to die-hard fans of the group's first two records, but considering the plentiful testosterone-fueled rage present here, the risk they are taking shouldn't be viewed as high. This third full-length release from the peoria-based math-metal outfit is fully capabale of retaining old fans while reeling in newcomers.
