Review Summary: Definately a nu-metal band, these guys are one of the better ones. This is a good CD with great lyrics and is a good listen for all ages, well deserving of a 4.5
Mudvayne. The word defines one of the most hated genres of music that is nu-metal. They are from Peoria, Illinois and started in 1996. They are arguably the best band in the genre, and definitely a band that uses their talent. They are a band that is described by their extremely unorthodox structure of their songs, as stated by their drummer, Matthew McDonough. They also used to wear makeup and masks, back in the late 90’s and early 00’s, while using Pseudonyms, much like the band Slipknot, and not having to go by their real names. Since then, they have removed the makeup and started using their real names (thank God). Having released a nu-metal classic in
L.D. 50, all of their other albums have been more mainstream and “watered down” version of what L.D. 50 is. This album,
Lost and Found, is the one that comes closest to sounding like L.D. 50, and has had a lot of mainstream success.
Mudvayne is:
Chad Gray: Vocals
Greg Tibbet: Guitar
Ryan Martinie: Bass
Matthew McDonough: Drums
Many say that Mudvayne recycles their guitar riffs. You can agree with them on that. There is something different than that that makes Mudvayne stand apart from all of the other nu-metal bands, except for Five.Bolt.Main and Disturbed. It is the vocals. Chad has always had meaningful lyrics. There are some songs on this CD that Chad can really get to you on, even if he has to scream his heart out. A great example of this is
Happy?. It is the first single on the CD. It could be about depression, or a relationship. That is what makes Mudvayne’s music so interesting to listen to. Some songs may have more than one meaning, and most likely all songs will, but to have lyrics like that, it is almost haunting, if you know what I mean. Another good example of lyrics is a song called
Choices. If it wasn’t for the damn “ini-mini-miny-mo”, this might have been the best song on the CD. It is one of three favorites on the CD for me, and this song is about the government, saying that we don’t have a choice in the freedom that we have of free speech and are limited to what we really can do. The guitar part in this is very simple, but very eerie with the lyrics. It is the longest song on the album, at 8:05, and shows Mudvayne working at their best.
IMN is about getting out of suicide and doing something with your life, although you could describe the first glance at this as a depressing song,i could tell you that it isn’t, and the lyrics are more inspiring than depressing.
Mudvayne has been described as “Math Metal”, by their drummer Matt. Although it isn’t as technical as most metalcore or mathcore bands out there, they do a very good job at mixing and matching beats to each other. The drums and bass play a HUGE part in this, and Mudvayne has the perfect combo of having a skilled bassist and drummer. Some good examples of this are
Pushing Through and
Rain. Sun. Gone. These are also more drum driven songs, with the lyrics being meaningful, typical Mudvayne songs for you, but good ones at that. Pushing Through gets really repetitive after a few listens, but Rain. Sun. Gone has a soft bridge that really creeps me out when I hear it. That is how good it is.
Everybody will one day or another be headbanging to at least one song on a CD. It doesn’t matter what CD you are listening to, but you will be bobbing your head and singing along. Mudvayne opens this CD up with just that. The song was originally titled
F****ng Determined, but later changed it to
Determined. One of your classic Mudvayne songs for years to come. Another song that does this is
Just. It is the better of the two, because it displays the talent of the band a little more than Determined. On another note,
All That You Are is the closest you will come to a buildup on the CD, along with the song Choices. ATYA is a song about hope, and that we all have it. It is another favorite of mine and has a great lyrical message. The band shines really well on this song, and is a more softer song for them. There is a great
mixture of harmony and melody, and the band uses the dynamics of music well.
The other two singles are described as one word: Brilliant.
Forget to Remember is one of them, and everything about the band is working on a positive note here. It is more mainstream for Mudvayne, but if you can release a good song to the radio, people are going to listen to it, and like it. The other single is my other favorite song
Fall Into Sleep. The lyrics are about living peacefully, and about all of the stuff that will happen before we can do that.
"fall into sleep-
fall into me-
i have a dream,
but nobody cares,
nobody wants to listen.
fall into sleep-
fall into me-
hang onto a dream that nobody wants-
nobody cares-
nobody wants-
nobody cares,
anymore."
This is the chorus in the song, and some of the lyrics near the end. It perfectly describes a need for peace. Great lyrics. The musical instrumentation is very mainstream, but most of Mudvayne’s music is anyway. The guitar riff leads right into the song, and the bass and drums are exceptional. One of the best on the CD.
Overall, this album could be the next nu-metal classic. If you give this a listen, you will not be disappointed. The album grew on me over time, and I have come to like this CD. A LOT. The only problem is that the guitar gets too repetitive, but then again it is a nu-metal band. I could easily see Greg doing solos, but the band did their job as a whole on this CD and it shows. A good listen for anybody.
Recommended Songs:
Happy?
Fall Into Sleep
Choices
Forget To Remember
All That You Are
