Nu-metal spawns Mudvayne's hard-core sound By Adam Bowman

With a world filled with bubble gum images and half-hearted devotion and emotion, it's easy to become filled with angst and rage at the alienation felt in the world today. The same can be said of the music industry, which is all too similar to the 'real' world. In both places, most people are chastised and held down for releasing their aggression. For a group of four from Peoria, Illinois, the decision to scream out their hatred and madness may have saved a lot of people the trouble...and given them something to hold on to in a chaotically "happy" world.

The four sonic animals of Mudvayne know their way around the streets...the four have been playing in bands since 1986. When vocalist Chad "Kud" Gray, drummer Matt "sPaG" McDonough and guitarist Greg "Gurrg" Tribbett finally connected with standout bassist Ryan Martinie (who later became "Ryknow") in 1998, Mudvayne was complete. Their plan was simple: take the world, as they knew it, stick it in a blender and then shove it down the world's throat.
Constant touring was the name of the game when the four men came to bat. Playing to audiences from as far away from their Illinois headquarters as Denver and Philly, the quartet soon gathered a fair following. It was during this time that the brooding mystery to Mudvayne took another twist. All four members soon began painting their faces, a tradition which has led many to write them off as nothing more than another "metal" band with a gimmick. The naysayers would soon be silenced with a loud, hateful, and well-structured boot to the head.
A year prior to Martinie's merger with Mudvayne, the band had released an indy album entitled "Kill I Oughta". Now, three years later, they were set to step atop a much larger stage. After catching the attention of Steve Richard's, A&R guru at Epic Records, the boys were brought on board. Fused together with producer "Gggarth Richardson (who is credited with work on Rage Against The Machine's "Battle Of Los Angeles") and Slipknot's Shawn Crahan, Mudvayne set the groundwork for the 17 cut-throat ditties that would become their major label debut. Upon completion, the beast needed a name. Deriving inspiration from the medical term used to discover how many patients would be killed of 100 treated with a substance, Mudvayne gave unto the creature a moniker, 'L.D. 50'. Containing such intricate and maddening characters as "Death Blooms" and "Internal Primates Forever", the diatribe holds a constant theme. Each chapter swarms over you with an overwhelming rage, but is so well done that the musicality cannot be denied.
Despite the album's ability to be completely kinetic, the live show is where the heart of Mudvayne lay. They have shared the stage with Slipknot two separate times, including a primo spot with them on the Big Day Off tour, not to mention a spot on metal's ultimate gig: Ozzfest. It is thanks to this constant grind that L.D. 50's first single, "Dig", met with huge acclaim, and the album is well on its way to the gold standard. Combine this with a fixation of wanting to push the boundaries of music and the mind with their assault on the ears, and it's no surprise that the band has been met with open arms throughout the metal world. The constant feed of cute and cuddly will eventually lead someone lusting for honesty and a fulfilling release. It is this niche that Mudvayne holds with a frightening grip. They are the constant in music's sometimes-toxic experiment, and for it, they're cherished...if not absolutely needed.

 

 

 
Photos By Caren Spitler
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