Up next on the chopping block is the band Mudvayne. I’m sure there are some comparisons to Slipknot because they sort of had the same aesthetic in the beginning but actually, they’ve been around just a little longer than Slipknot. Anyway let’s take a look….
The Beginning of All Things To End- so this isn’t technically an album but it’s an EP which contains some songs that were intended for a demo later on and it wasn’t until the fans demanded it that they released it. Overall, it’s not bad and it’s the only album to feature the original bassist Shawn Barclay. It’s very raw sounding and is a pretty good precursor to their official debut album. I give it 7/10
Standouts: Some Assembly Required, Seed, Fear
L.D. 50- ok so this was the first album I purchased from them. In fact I actually remember wearing out my copy so I ended up purchasing it again through iTunes. I also remember seeing them at The Roxy during this album tour as well and what a fun show it was too. This album is definitely an album to start with if you want to get into this band. I’d even put it up there with the first System of a Down and Slipknot records. I give this 10/10
Standouts: Internal Primates Forever, Death Blooms, Pharmaecopia
The End Of All Things To Come- this one is not a continuation of L.D. 50 but instead builds off of it. Now if you are expecting more of the same, you will be disappointed. This one is more melodic and more mature than the last album. It also has some jazz and prog rock mixed in with it all while sounding like a Mudvayne album. Definitely a worthy follow up but not quite as strong as the previous album. I give this one 9/10
Standouts: Trapped In The Wake Of A Dream, Silenced, Solve Et Coagula
Lost And Found- I feel like with this one they were trying to reach a wider audience. This one to me is probably their most “accessible “ album. I will say that for me personally, I kind of lose interest with some of the songs but overall this is a good album. I give this one 8/10
Standouts: Rain.Sun.Gone, Just, Determined
By The People For The People- so this is basically a compilation album where the fans would choose the songs and the band would pick which version they’d put on the album. It’s a really cool idea and Chad introduces each song on the album which is even cooler. Some are demos, some are remixes, and some are live tracks. Overall it’s a cool idea and album and it gets 9/10
Standouts: Dig Live At Candlestick Park, Silenced Demo, On The Move demo
The New Game- the feeling I get with some of the songs on here is a straight up rock feel. Like if they went straightforward rock n roll, this might be that album. Going into this one, I wasn’t sure about this one because I hadn’t really heard much of it but it’s actually not bad. Overall, a pretty solid release but I could see how one might not like this one compared to other albums. I give it 8/10
Standouts: The Hate In Me, A New Game, Never Enough
Mudvayne- so by now, frontman Chad Gray and guitarist Greg Tribett were in both this band and the band Hellyeah. To me, even though they were in both bands, it’s clear that Hellyeah was taking priority especially since they didn’t even tour behind this record. Like the last one, I hadn’t really heard this one u til this review but this album is actually really good. It’s too bad they didn’t market this one very well and tour behind it because I bet the songs off this live would’ve been awesome. It’s heavier than the previous record and in fact this is the one that should’ve come out after Lost And Found. Sadly, this would also be their last album. It’s not L.D. 50 good but still an album worth listening to and it gets 9/10
Standouts: Closer, 1000 Mile Journey, Beyond The Pale
It’s really too bad that these guys won’t reunite. I was hoping they would now that Hellyeah is pretty much done but I guess that’s not going to happen. If anything at least hopefully we can get an EP or something. This is one of those bands where I wish I had seen them at least one more time. Hopefully something will happen but I feel like that’s a tall order right now.
Album Rankings:
- L.D. 50
- Lost And Found
- Mudvayne
- The End Of All Things To Comes
- The Beginning Of All Things To End
- For The People By The People
- The New Game
Sinister Reviews 