Mudvayne

‘The New Game’

Epic Records

Mudvayne fans, you need to realize this right away – they will never release another ‘L.D. 50.’ The gimmicks are gone but these guys remain just as talnted as they have ever been. 

So, having said that, ‘The New Game’ is the best record that Mudvayne has released in a long time. Not since they released their landmark metal opus ‘L.D. 50’ has the band released an album of such magnitude.

The band have released some very marginal records lately and maybe all of the time that singer Chad Gray and guitarist Greg Tribbitt spent in their side project Hellyeah (alongside former Pantera/Damageplan drummer Vinnie Paul and Nothingface guitarist Tom Maxwell) had something to do with making this record better.

‘The New Game’ is very comparable to Slipknots recently released ‘All Hope Is Gone,’ is terms of its overall sonic versatility, although it might fall short of Slipknot’s aggressiveness. ‘The New Game’ is far and away Mudvayne’s most dynamic effort, and while that might please some it will be sure to alienate some of the bands core fans. This record is decidedly more rock and roll oriented than the band has been ever, but mostly it sounds like a change for the good.

Eventually Mudvayne had to release an album like ‘The New Game.’

Don’t worry though, songs that carry the traditional Mudvayne sound (‘Fish Out of Water,’ ‘A New Game’) make up most of ‘The New Game,’ but it songs like ‘Scarlett Letters’ and ‘Never Enough’ that make the album special. As a matter of fact, ‘Never Enough’ might be the best all-around song that the band has ever written, let alone some of the best lyrics that have ever come off the pen of frontman Gray. The songs subtle harmonics, emotional lyrics and strong hooks make it one of the more memorable tracks the band has written to date. ‘Dull Boy’ also finds its way onto the album after being debuted on the bands b-sides rarities collection ‘By the People, For the People.’

This record is surely the most accessible Mudvayne record to date, and it is also a record that finds the band playing at a level they haven’t in many years.

Grade: A

Listen to: ‘Do What You Do,’ ‘Never Enough’