MUDVAYNE – Lost And Found

It’s been five years since Mudvayne first burst into public awareness with a little help from Slipknot’s Clown. It’s been a long journey to where they are now. With their first major label release, L.D 50, they earned a reputation for being a Slipknot/Tool-influenced experimental new Metal band. With their second major label release End of All Things to Come their sound got a bit heavier. Then, on the eve of their latest release, Lost and Found, the alarming news started coming. First there was the news that they had given up the masks and were now coming out as themselves, loosing the nicknames as well. The first taste of the change came with the first single “Happy?,” which demonstrates a little of the lighter side that overflows in this new release. In total honesty, there was no way for a Mudvayne fan to prepare themselves for this release.

The band has opted to put the heavier and more familiar songs up front to gently slide into the change. The opener, “Determined,” is like Mudvayne covering White Zombie. “Pushing Through” is similar to old Mudvayne. “Happy?” you may have already heard on the radio. “Imn” still sticks to the familiar formula, but then the melodic singing starts and Mudvayne heads over to new territory. You can then add Mudvayne to the list any of the custom-made-for-American-radio-lightweight Metallers to get the appropriate picture. This new style is mixed in with the more typical Mudvayne screams, but by the time the ballad “Choices” comes around, you probably need to check the cover of the CD to make sure you really are listening to Mudvayne. This torture of a ballad seems neverending … its eight long minutes. Like the band states on the first song, the band is definitely determined … determined to get on the radio, that is. It’s a shame that they felt that to get there they needed to play by the public’s, and not by their own, rules.

The overall sound is somewhat cold and clinical. Even though the melodic singing has drastically increased, the screaming has, in turn, intensified as well. This must be the “hit angle” some record executive most likely required. Mix your angst with the hit bands like Staind’s style, and lose the masks so you don’t scare away your new audience.

Well, here’s the news: It’s way better to set trends than follow them. This album feels like a friend turning his back on you to get into higher circles. New friends may be impressed, but the it will be interesting to see how the “old friends” of Mudvayne react to this release.