Mudvayne

Not your typical Metal band.

Hailing from Peoria, Illinois, Mudvayne was formed in 1996, and is probably the only Metal band to cite Stanley Kubrick as an influence. Originally solely an Alternative Metal band, a lot had changed by the time they got to their debut, L.D. 50. The band members dipped into their extremely technical backgrounds to combine elements of Progressive Rock, Death Metal, Thrash Metal, Speed Metal and Hardcore Punk into something they called "math metal", which owed to the fact that the composition involved riffs chosen via numbers symbolism directly related to the song's subject matter (I.E., "Nothing To Gein", about Serial Killer Ed Gein, uses a riff which alternates in bars of four and five, because nine is a lunar number and Gein's activities were usually performed at night).

The band also performed in Horror movie-inspired face paint and masks and called themselves Kud, Gurrg, RyKnow, and sPaG. The album involved themes inspired by human evolution and 2001: A Space Odyssey, with samples taken from a recording of Terence McKenna discussing his theory that evolution was triggered by psychedelic mushrooms. The End of All Things to Come had the band wearing alien masks and performing under the names Chüd, Güüg, Rü-D, and Spüg. Since then, however, they've performed without stage names or disguises.

Their Self-Titled Album was printed entirely in blacklight-reactive ink, which makes the inserts appear to be blank.

Members:

Influences:

• Emperor, King Crimson, Metallica, Pink Floyd, Porcupine Tree

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Related Acts:

• HELLYEAH (Chad Gray, Greg Tribbett)

• Chad Gray – Rhythm Guitar/Vocals
• Greg Tribbett – Lead Guitar/Vocals
• Ryan Martinie – Bass/Vocals
• Matthew McDonough – Drums/Percussion

Discography:

• L.D. 50 (2000)
  • "Dig"
  • "Death Blooms"
• The End of All Things to Come (2002)
  • "Not Falling"
  • "World So Cold"
• Lost and Found (2005)
  • "Happy?"
  • "Fall Into Sleep"
  • "Forget To Remember"
• The New Game (2008)
  • "Do What You Do"
  • "A New Game"
  • "Dull Boy"
• Mudvayne (2009)
  • "Scream With Me"

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Mudvayne provides examples of the following tropes:

• Alternative Metal
• Angrish: Occurs in a few songs.
• Arc Number: The band uses numbers symbolism to create their riffs and music.
• Careful with That Axe: Chad and Greg stretch their vocal chords beyond most normal human beings.
• Cluster F-Bomb: As noted in an album review, they toss around dozens of F-Bombs, but fill up their liner notes with thank-yous to their families and mothers.
• Cover Version: By the People, for the People has the band covering The Police's "King of Pain"
• Esoteric Motifs: The End of All Things to Come references astrology, alchemy, Kabbalah, and various other esoteric subjects.
• The Faceless: Early on, the band was never seen without any kind of face paint, makeup or mask. This has since changed...
• Harsh Vocals: Chad and Greg both scream, roar and growl at various points.
• I Have Many Names: All band members (see above).
• Indecipherable Lyrics: A few of their songs, particularly "Dig".
• Metal Scream
• Mohs Scale of Rock and Metal Hardness: Softer songs a 5-6; most songs a 8-9.
• Monster Clown: Their L.D. 50-era face paint.
• Murder Ballad: "Nothing To Gein", about Serial Killer Ed Gein.
• Neoclassical Punk Zydeco Rockabilly: Mudvayne often combines Alternative Metal and Progressive Metal with Death Metal, Thrash Metal or Speed Metal and elements of Hardcore Punk, Jazz Fusion and Hard Rock.
• Piss-Take Rap Rap Metal: Occurs in "Under My Skin", which has an entirely rapped verse, as opposed to the rest of the track, which is largely screamed. Oddly enough, it actually works.
• Progressive Metal
• Shout-Out:
  • One of the songs on L.D. 50 was titled "Monolith". This and "Eternal Primates Forever" are references to 2001: A Space Odyssey.
  • "All work and no play, makes me, a dull boy, all work and no play, makes me, a dull boy"
• Uncommon Time: A lot of their songs.
• Updated Rerelease: The New Game was reissued with a bonus disc of rare material.