Review by Rachel Jablonski
They are a heavy rhythm-driven powerhouse and have earned my solid appreciation over the years. I am a fan. But my draw to each Mudvayne album has not always been instantaneous. After sparking my intrigue, I quickly fell for Mudvayne’s L.D. 50 shortly after its release in 2000. With songs like “Death Blooms,” “Internal Primates Forever,” “-1,” and “Severed” how could I avoid such addictive beats and charismatic vocals? But when The End of All Things to Come the band’s second major label debut came out in 2002, I found myself disappointed. It simply didn’t seem to live up to my biased expectations in favor of the familiar L.D. 50. Eventually, the great rhythms and meaningful lyrics in songs like “Silenced” and “Trapped in the Wake of a Dream” latched my admiration. Now here we are in 2005 with the latest Mudvayne release Lost and Found.
As I eagerly listened to the disc immediately after I received it, disappointment surfaced. At first listen I found no spark, no glimmer of stimulation. Listening again, the void lingered as the sound seemed somewhat bland and simply in existence. But you’d think I would have learned after the last album transition, apparently I hadn’t. Again, after listening to the new Mudvayne a handful of times the engaging music leeched on and hasn’t let go. The album is a collection of melodic and heavy music different enough from the previous albums to keep things interesting, yet there is so mistaking that this is Mudvayne.
Mudvayne’s characteristic sound is carried over from prior albums in the song “Pushing Through.” Crunching guitar, amazing bass lines, and absorbing drums compliment each other in their rhythm-driven zeal. The song begins with focus on a quick and catchy guitar riff establishing the core. Great drum beats, some double bass drum, and rather intense low string additions are the more discrete elements to the song, but are what gives the band its unique flavor. Bassist Ryan Martinie is, as always, dominating with his instrument. Vocalist Chad Gray displays his talents through rough vocals with slight melody intertwined. The distinctive Mudvayne sound is as alive as ever.
“Determined” is another one of the more hard-hitting tracks on the album. It starts off with a fast tempo and giant scream. The song is extremely focused musically, completely matching the intensity of the resolute lyrics. So fucking determined… you better believe it, confidence… clocks ticking on my fifteen minutes of fame… this fire, is growing, is burning deep inside of me, focused driven, certain, the way it’s going to be... Mudvayne, clearly, is determined to keep on going strong. And they do throughout the album with heavier songs like “IMN,” “Rain, Sun, Gone,” “Just,” and “Pulling the String.” Though Mudvayne gives the entire album a hard edge and flaunts a lot of screamed vocals, there are a handful of songs on the album that have a much lighter feel with very melodic vocals.
“Fall into Sleep” strikes an irresistible chord. The slow, steady beginning of the song, consisting of a short and repetitious note on both bass and guitar, slightly varied in pitch between the two, and soft drum beats draws the listener in. A progression into a much smoother riff emerges as vocalist Chad Gray comes in with the melody of the first verse. The sound is calming, contradicting the rather dark lyrics. The lyrics hint at the need for change, the desire to carry out a dream of some sort, and are seemingly politically aimed. Dreams of Guns Blazed, Dreams of Fire Rage, Dreams of Swollen Graves, Dreams of Hollow Pain… All Gone. The vocal melody of the chorus is fitting for the innocent plea. I have a dream but nobody cares nobody wants to listen... Hang on to a dream that nobody wants nobody cares anymore. The song is full of passion and is one of the strongest tracks on the album.
Also seeming politically aimed is “Choices.” The song ends with a collage of historic quotes by historical people including Martin Luther King Jr., Neal Armstrong, and George Bush Sr. among others. But if they’d point the finger at themselves, who would be left to blame the song asserts. The weakness of the track is a high pitched Ini-mini-miny-mo that follows some of the lines in the verse. Although the purpose of the addition is to imply that our leaders randomly choose who to blame for certain things, the Ini-mini-miny-mos are out of place and ridiculous sounding. But the overall sound and suggestions in the song are stimulating. We don’t have a choice, anymore, anyway… we don’t have a voice, anymore, anyway… There’s no choice in freedom... The track concludes with a mixture of and so my fellow Americans it’s not what your country can do… let freedom ring… one small step for man, one giant leap for humanity… read my lips… I have a dream…
Mudvayne’s Lost and Found, though maybe not the most outstanding album at first listen, will easily attach itself to the listener after a small number of spins. The determination of the record reveals another solid effort from Mudvayne, a fact which is widely being found in the world of heavy music as Mudvayne continues to grow in popularity.