Mudvayne - Lost and Found
It has been a few years since Mudvayne's last release. The End Of All Things to Come was from 2002, and a year before that the band released The Beginning Of All Things to End, a re-release of their independent EP, Kill, I Oughtta. Mudvayne's first label-release was the critically acclaimed L.D.50. This record instantly defined the bands sound, with nu-metalish guitarriffs, fusion like bassplaying, odd time signatures and a good mix of screamed and melodic vocals. Many people, including me, consider the band to be a sort of progressive nu-metal band. Alot of people had critique on the band because of the facepaint and the overal "hey we're a hip nu-metal band" hype machine. But its 2005 now, the band ditched the facepaint and is back with Lost And Found. Time for this reviewer to check it out!
The disc starts with one of the most straightforward songs the band has ever done. "Determined" is a straigt-ahead rock anthem, and it wouldnt suprise me one bit if its the new show-opener. This song is also the first single of the album, which is a good choice. The chorus sticks in your head, and the simplicity makes it work.
Track two, "Pushing Through" is an almost trademark Mudvayne song. It begins with an odd-timed riff (something in groupings of 7 and 9, I think..), and soon the band kicks in to make it a heavy groovy beast. The bassguitars is a bit more in the front of the mix compared to the previous album. A good thing, since Ryan Martinie is one the better bassplayers in a modern metalband.
The second single of the disc, "Happy?" is maybe one of the most poppiest songs Mudvayne has ever done. My problem with it is that its almost un-Mudvaynian sounding. Its a good rock tune, but it it wasnt for Mudvayne's distinctive sound it could be on Linkin Park or Korn record.
Fortunatly "IMN" kicks the balls back again, its a slow and heavy tune. Somehow the main riff of the song reminded me of Pantera, the slow kind of "drilling" into your mind. The song also had a Meshuggah-like outro with a neat over the bar rhytm. It seems that the band upped the technical level a bit compared to The End Of All Things, and tried to compensate is with the two more basic tunes.
"Fall Into Sleep" has some of the Tool-ish moments the band already showed on previous albums. An almost etheral guitarmelody builds into a not to heavy tune with some really nice dynamic changes overal. The tempo gets upped a bit with "Rain. Sun. Gone.". Somehow this track couldnt really grab my attention, its a bit to "typical" if you put it next to some other tracks.
Time for the longest song on the disc, "Choices". Again awesome to hear that Mudvayne is a band where the bassguitar occasionally leads. The bassmelody sounds great next to Chad's vocals. Personally I dont really get the "Ini-mini-miney-mo" part in the song. You have to hear it to know if you appreciate it. Around the 4:30 mark the song basically "tails" out, building up the meaning of the song into an explosive ending.
Time for the longest song on the disc, "Choices". Again awesome to hear that Mudvayne is a band where the bassguitar occasionally leads. The bassmelody sounds great next to Chad's vocals. Personally I dont really get the "Ini-mini-miney-mo" part in the song. You have to hear it to know if you appreciate it. Around the 4:30 mark the song basically "tails" out, building up the meaning of the song into an explosive ending.
The next three tracks are a bit samey sounding to me, with "Just" catching my attention because of the groove, locked drum and bassguitar rhytm. Unfortunatly the last two tracks, "Just" and "All that you are" suffer from the same "heard this one before" syndrome, so I cant say this album ends on a high note.
Personally I like most of the first 6 tracks, but found myself skipping through most of the other ones after repeated listening. The technical skill of this band still has to be admired, but after "Choices" the songs songs seem a bit bland and uninspired. This makes this album one of those cd's which you might listen until you're halfway through, and then you want to hear something else. If you're a fan of the band, you will probably love this record. If not, I doubt that Mudvayne can convice you to discover their music.
Line-up:
Vocals- Chad Gray
Drums - Matt McDonough
Guitar - Greg Tribbett
Bass - Ryan Martinie
Track listing:
1. Determined
2. Pushing Through
3. Happy?
4. IMN
5. Fall Into Sleep
6. Rain.Sun.Gone
7. Choices
8. Forget To Remember
9. TV Radio
10. Just
11. All That You Are
12. Pulling the String
Line-up:
Vocals- Chad Gray
Drums - Matt McDonough
Guitar - Greg Tribbett
Bass - Ryan Martinie
Track listing:
1. Determined
2. Pushing Through
3. Happy?
4. IMN
5. Fall Into Sleep
6. Rain.Sun.Gone
7. Choices
8. Forget To Remember
9. TV Radio
10. Just
11. All That You Are
12. Pulling the String
Tracklisting
Line up