The Peoria-bred savants collectively known as Mudvayne have always been a band on my watchlist, my interest piqued by their branding – the pseudo-scientific theme on the liner layout with a chemical bond model and prostrate newborn babe. In their first studio album L.D. 50, they proclaimed their music ‘math metal,’ but under closer scrutiny, they’re more towards the progressive side of the genre. Their onstage performances were tempests, unloading gritty, calculated mayhem that stayed true to the recordings, peppered with some theatrical elements (monkey suits, face paint, alien masks) to give metal fans something fresh, yet strangely familiar, to feed on.

Ten years after their first album, their music is no longer as balls-heavy as it used to be. Many naysayers report that the group’s music has become, merely, hard rock. However, the raw experimental soundscapes of their first studio album have morphed along with the change of band member personas, becoming more refined, with gravitas in the form of more pristine harmonies and cleaner tones that are still distinctly aggressive and determinedly Mudvayne. The Jekyll-and-Hyde vocals and complex odd beat musical arrangements have, by no means been lost. They’re found in the newer releases, albeit in a less invasive and more holistic style. Here’s my take on the evolution of the band, all in five singles:

Death Blooms (L.D. 50)



Press play – when the 8-bit lead loops, it doesn’t sound discordant, especially after it’s fortified by the drums and bass, with the stew turning itself into a dirge, an ode to human frailty that doesn’t whimper - it rages. There are the occasional introspections that make one do a double-take, such as ‘I just want to run, fly kites, wrestle, jump and play,’ until it reverts to melancholy with ‘…memories in me, cocooned in misery…’

Dig (L.D. 50)



The backmasked intro is your cue to brace yourself – after this comes an unrelenting series of staccato slap-and-pops, beats, and riffs, rising and dropping in union with the Kud/Chad. Clips of American History X flash in my mind’s eye with the ‘teething on concrete’ line. Much like Edward Norton in that pivotal scene, the group sounds almost jubilant in this track, a double-pedal hymn for martyrs and masochists everywhere. This is simply an incendiary song that pulls no punches until the seething end.

Not Falling (The End of All Things to Come)



‘A little left of center’ this song ain’t. The quartet rallies on, bedecked as bug-eyed extra-terrestrials in black jumpsuits, with a song that’s back at heft and back to speed. The track’s onslaught is reminiscent of Dig, violent and unyielding - another brawler that agitates all throughout, then leaves you wired and jonesing at its conclusion.

Chad and co. pull it off with this tribute song from their compilation album, one they recorded in ‘99, and reworked for ‘07. Many pop songs turned metal typically sound callow, but the bitter lyricism of the song gets a jackbooted kick with the band’s treatment, resulting in this solid yet relatively unknown track. The cover of the Synchronicity single is quite satisfying – one that can stand on its own, even for those who haven’t heard the original.

Do What You Do (The New Game)



An alternarock intro and an industrial-sounding chorus are laid onto a spare drumline uncharacteristic of McDonough’s. Tribett’s rock-and-roll lead is more Slash’s Snakepit than Slayer, and Martinie’s Primus-y fingerstyle seems sedated in this endeavor. We ain’t complaining, though. Nice to hear a solo, one YouTube comment says, and many fans, new and old, agree with fists raised and devil horns a-waving. They still do what they do, with a new game that’s as riveting as the first album’s.

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