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Band Name: Mudvayne
Album Name: Lost and Found
Rating: 4 / 5 User Rating: 4.5 / 5
Label: Sony Records
Buy Album: Amazon.com
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Tracklist
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
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'Lost And Found' reveals that Mudvayne are becoming even more schizophrenic musically, with the individual members of the group showing a tenured adeptness for performing in a decidedly varied array of styles. The versatility espoused herein radiates as Chad Gray growls through 'Pushing Through', a track which finds Mudvayne mutating between Tool like breakdowns and Dimebag Darrell styled riffing with a subtle mastery. On the aggro-grooving 'Determined', you'll discover the band has focused intently on structuring the arrangements in a pattern that flows very well and is designed for maximum dramatic impact. This thought leads to a chaotic and incendiary crescendo at the song's climax. 'Happy?' is obviously screaming to be played on the radio, but Mudvayne manage to pull off this type of thing just as well as anyone else. Gray's much underrated singing voice is highlighted on the track's ringing acoustic verses and although the style rings familiar, Mudvayne manage to make it into something of their own. 'IMN' should serve to satisfy those needing a dose of the group's earlier, 'L.D.50' era vibe. An excellent choice for a follow up single, 'Fall Into Sleep' features a particularly spectacular performance by the group's drummer, Matt McDonough. His lightning quick rolls and fills are well timed and injected with passion. Over the band's career, they have become less focused on technicality and much more directed toward making memorable music. As the band reinvent themselves, they've grown to become all things to many listeners, with the band showing that they are capable of composing engaging material that is at times, full on metal and at others, thoughtfully progressive and focused less upon testosterone enhanced sounds. There is more than meets the eye in the details of the ever changing sound of Mudvayne. Producer Dave Fortman has gone for a slick sound overall on the album but unfortunately, there's just not that much beef to the guitars at times. But that is the largest complaint here, that the guitars could be a bit more upfront during the heavier song parts. 'Choices' finds the band branching out even further away from metal, but still grabs the listener's attention with its ringing refrain. Near the end of the track, Gray is completely screaming as the band continues with the rock oriented rhythm that rides out for the duration of this politically themed cut. 'TV Radio' is a nice twist as well, with its call and response vocal chanting during the verse and memorable yet original sounding chorus. With a nice batch of killer songs and a palatable production, it's likely that 'Lost And Found' is sufficiently similar to Mudvayne's previous material to satisfy older fans, while sowing the proper amount of commercial deviance to bring the group an even wider spread appeal to the masses.
Review by: EF
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