Mudvayne is an American heavy metal band formed in Peoria,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

in 1996. Known for their sonic experimentation, face and body paint, masks and uniforms, the band has sold over six million records worldwide, including nearly three million in the United States. The group consists of guitarist

Greg Tribbett Gregory Arnold Tribbett Jr. (born November 7, 1968) is an American guitarist who is one of the founding members, lead guitarist and backing vocalist of the metal band Mudvayne. He is also the former lead guitarist and backing vocalist of the met ...

, drummer

Matthew McDonough Matthew McDonough (born March 12, 1969) is an American drummer best known as a member of the heavy metal band Mudvayne. He is the band's original drummer and has appeared and performed on every release by Mudvayne. He was also the original dr ...

, lead vocalist

Chad Gray Chad Gray (born October 16, 1971) is an American singer, best known as the lead vocalist of heavy metal bands Mudvayne and Hellyeah. Career Mudvayne Gray quit his factory job that paid $40,000 a year to move to Peoria, Illinois and formed Mudv ...

, and bassist

Ryan Martinie Ryan Martinie (born August 6, 1975) is an American musician, best known as the bassist for heavy metal band Mudvayne. Early life Ryan Martinie was born on August 6, 1975, in Peoria, Illinois. Career Mudvayne In 1996, Mudvayne was formed. The ...

. The band became popular in the late-1990s Peoria,

underground music Underground music is music with practices perceived as outside, or somehow opposed to, mainstream popular music culture. Underground music is intimately tied to popular music culture as a whole, so there are important tensions within underground ...

scene, and found success with the single " Dig" from their debut album '' L.D. 50'' (2000). After releasing four more albums and touring relentlessly for nearly a decade, Mudvayne went on hiatus in 2010. They reunited in 2021 and continue to perform live.

History

Early days, ''Kill, I Oughtta'' and ''L.D. 50'' (1996–2001)

Mudvayne, formed in 1996 in Peoria, Illinois, originally consisted of lead singer

, bassist Shawn Barclay, guitarist

and drummer

. The band's lineup finalized when Gray, who was earning $40,000 a year in a factory, quit his day job to become its singer. In 1997, Mudvayne financed its debut EP, ''

Kill, I Oughtta ''Kill, I Oughtta '' is the debut extended play of American heavy metal band Mudvayne. It was self-released by the band in 1997. In 2001, the EP was reissued by Epic Records under the title ''The Beginning of All Things to End''. The reissue fea ...

''. During the EP's recording Barclay was replaced by

, former bassist for the progressive rock band Broken Altar. After self-distributing ''Kill, I Oughtta'', Mudvayne adopted

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

s and

face paint Body painting is a form of body art where artwork is painted directly onto the human skin. Unlike tattoos and other forms of body art, body painting is temporary, lasting several hours or sometimes up to a few weeks (in the case of mehndi or "h ...

. Chuck Toler managed the band as they recorded their 2000 debut album '' L.D. 50''. For the album, Mudvayne experimented with a ragged, dissonant sound; a

sound collage In music, montage (literally "putting together") or sound collage ("gluing together") is a technique where newly branded sound objects or compositions, including songs, are created from collage, also known as montage. This is often done throug ...

, prepared for the album, was used as a series of interludes. ''L.D. 50'' was produced by the band and

Garth Richardson Garth "GGGarth" Richardson is a Canadian record producer and music engineer. He is the son of music producer Jack Richardson (Alice Cooper, The Guess Who, Badfinger, Poco), a pioneer of the music recording industry in the 1960s and 1970s. Gart ...

, with executive production by Slipknot member

Shawn Crahan Michael Shawn Crahan (born September 24, 1969), more commonly known by his stage persona "Clown", is an American musician. He is the co-founder and one of two percussionists for heavy metal band Slipknot in which he is designated #6. Crahan he ...

and Slipknot manager Steve Richards. ''L.D. 50'' peaked at No. 1 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' Top Heatseekers chart and No. 85 on the ''Billboard'' 200. The singles " Dig" and "

Death Blooms "Death Blooms" is a song by American heavy metal band Mudvayne and the second single from their debut album, '' L.D. 50''. Background and meaning The song was written by lead singer Chad Gray about his grandmother and how she was being neglecte ...

" peaked at No. 33 and No. 32 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. Although the album was praised, some critics found the band hard to take seriously. To promote ''L.D. 50'', Mudvayne played on the

Tattoo the Earth Tattoo the Earth was a concert tour from 2000 to 2002 in the United States. Scott Alderman, the festival's creator, believed that the tour would help "catch the vibe" between the musical artists and the body artists, saying in a prepared statem ...

tour with Nothingface,

Slayer Slayer was an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California. The band was formed in 1981 by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style ...

, Slipknot and

Sevendust Sevendust is an American rock band from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in 1994 by bassist Vince Hornsby, drummer Morgan Rose and rhythm guitarist John Connolly. After their first demo, lead vocalist Lajon Witherspoon and lead guitarist Clint Lowery ...

. Nothingface guitarist Tom Maxwell became friends with Mudvayne vocalist Chad Gray, and they explored the possibility of a

supergroup Supergroup or super group may refer to: * Supergroup (music), a music group formed by artists who are already notable or respected in their fields * Supergroup (physics), a generalization of groups, used in the study of supersymmetry * Supergroup ...

. The following year, Nothingface again toured with Mudvayne; although plans for a supergroup continued, they were put on hold due to scheduling conflicts. Gray and Maxwell had discussed five names for the group, and Mudvayne guitarist Greg Tribbett approached Maxwell "out of the blue" to join it. Although Nothingface drummer Tommy Sickles played on the group's demo, the search for another drummer began.Jon Wiederhorn, "Hellyeah: Night Riders", ''

Revolver A revolver (also called a wheel gun) is a repeating handgun that has at least one barrel and uses a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold up to six roun ...

'', March 2007, p. 60-64
link to ''Revolver'' back issues
)

''The End of All Things to Come'' and ''Lost and Found'' (2002–2005)

In 2002, Mudvayne released ''

The End of All Things to Come ''The End of All Things to Come'' is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Mudvayne. Released on November 19, 2002, the album expanded upon the sound of the band's first album, '' L.D. 50'', with a more versatile range of sounds, d ...

'', which the band considers its "black album" due to its largely-black artwork. Isolation inspired the album's songs. During its mixing, Gray and McDonough stopped at

Bob's Big Boy Bob's Big Boy is a restaurant chain founded by Bob Wian in Southern California in 1936, originally named Bob's Pantry. It is now part of Big Boy Restaurant Group, the current primary trademark owner and franchisor of the Big Boy system. At its ...

and Gray remembered overhearing someone "say something like, ' ... and he's got to cut his own eye out'". When he asked McDonough if he heard the conversation McDonough said he hadn't, and Gray thought it was someone discussing a scene from a screenplay. The album expanded on ''L.D. 50'', with a wider range of riffs, tempos, moods and vocals. Because of this experimentation, ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' called this album more "user-friendly" than its predecessor and it was one of 2002's most acclaimed heavy-metal albums, it was eventually certified Gold by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

in 2003. The music video for the single "

Not Falling "Not Falling" is the first single from American band Mudvayne's second full-length studio album, ''The End of All Things to Come''. It was Mudvayne's most commercially successful single chart-wise until "Happy? (Mudvayne song), Happy? in 2005. Th ...

" demonstrated Mudvayne's change in appearance from ''L.D. 50'', with the musicians transformed into veined creatures with white, egg-colored bug eyes. In 2003, Mudvayne participated in the Summer Sanitarium Tour, headlined by

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

, and in September, Chad Gray appeared on

V Shape Mind V Shape Mind was an American alternative rock band. They released one major label album in 2003 before disbanding the following year. Background V Shape Mind was formed in 1999 and toured the local Illinois metal scene, during which they self ...

's debut studio album '' Cul-De-Sac''. In January 2004, the band began work on its third album, produced by

Dave Fortman Dave Fortman (born July 11, 1967) is an American record producer and musician. He is the guitarist for rock band Ugly Kid Joe, and has worked with bands such as Superjoint Ritual, Snot, Atomship, Eyehategod, Mudvayne, Otep, Slipknot (on the ...

. As for the previous album, Mudvayne withdrew to write songs; they moved into a house, writing the album in four months before recording began after the Summer Sanitarium tour ended. In February, Gray and Martinie expressed an interest in appearing on ''Within The Mind – In Homage to the Musical Legacy of

Chuck Schuldiner Charles Schuldiner (born May 13, 1967 – December 13, 2001) was an American musician. He founded the death metal band Death in 1983, in which he was the lead vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter and only consistent member until his death in ...

'', a tribute to the founder of the metal band

Death Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...

, but the album was never produced. In 2005, Chad Gray established independent record label Bullygoat Records and

Bloodsimple Bloodsimple was an American heavy metal band from New York City that formed in 2002. They were signed to Warner Bros. Records. The band's name comes from a term coined by detective novelist Dashiell Hammett. The term apparently describes t ...

's debut album, ''

A Cruel World ''A Cruel World'' is the debut album by American heavy metal band Bloodsimple, released on March 29, 2005. Musical style In broad terms, ''Cruel World's'' songs can be seen as falling into one of three categories, the categories being hardcore ...

'' (with a guest appearance by Gray), appeared in March. On April 12, Mudvayne released ''

Lost and Found A lost and found (American English) or lost property (British English), or lost articles (also Canadian English) is an office in a public building or area where people can go to retrieve lost articles that may have been found by others. Frequen ...

''. The album's first single, " Happy?", featured complex guitar work and Gray described "Choices" as "the eight-minute opus". In August, former Mudvayne bassist Shawn Barclay released his band Sprung's debut album, mastered by

King's X King's X is an American rock band that originated in 1979 in Springfield, Missouri. They were first called The Edge and later became Sneak Preview before settling on its current name in 1985. The band's current lineup has remained intact for m ...

guitarist

Ty Tabor Ty Tabor ( ; born September 17, 1961) is the lead guitarist, songwriter, and co-lead vocalist for the progressive metal band, King's X. Tabor has a wide-ranging guitar style, from big guitar riffs to middling melodic passages. His use of volum ...

. That month, rumors spread that Bullygoat Records would release ''We Pay Our Debt Sometimes: A Tribute to

Alice in Chains Alice in Chains (often abbreviated as AIC) is an American rock band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1987 by guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell and drummer Sean Kinney, who later recruited bassist Mike Starr and lead vocalist Layne ...

'', with performances by Mudvayne,

Cold Cold is the presence of low temperature, especially in the atmosphere. In common usage, cold is often a subjective perception. A lower bound to temperature is absolute zero, defined as 0.00K on the Kelvin scale, an absolute thermodynamic ...

Audioslave Audioslave was an American Rock music, rock supergroup (music), supergroup formed in Glendale, California, in 2001. The four-piece band consisted of Soundgarden's lead singer and rhythm guitarist Chris Cornell with Rage Against the Machine membe ...

Breaking Benjamin Breaking Benjamin is an American Rock music, rock band from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, formed in 1999 by lead singer and guitarist Benjamin Burnley and drummer Jeremy Hummel. The first lineup of the band also included guitarist Aaron Fink an ...

, Static-X and the surviving members of Alice in Chains. A spokesperson for Alice in Chains told the press that the band was unaware of any tribute album, and Mudvayne's manager said that reports of the album were only rumors. In September, the band met with director

Darren Lynn Bousman Darren Lynn Bousman (; born January 11, 1979) is an American film director and screenwriter, best known for his work in horror films. He has directed four of the ''Saw'' films: ''Saw II'', ''Saw III'', ''Saw IV'', and '' Spiral''. He also direct ...

, whose film ''

Saw II ''Saw II'' is a 2005 horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and written by Leigh Whannell and Bousman. It is the sequel to 2004's '' Saw'' and the second installment in the ''Saw'' film series. The film stars Donnie Wahlberg, Franky G, G ...

'' was in production and would include "

Forget to Remember ''"Forget to Remember"'' is a song by American heavy metal band Mudvayne and the third single from their 2005 album ''Lost and Found''. The song was featured in the film ''Saw II'', which helped gain the band considerable mainstream popularity. I ...

" from ''Lost and Found''. Bousman showed them a scene of a man cutting his eye out of his skull to retrieve a key. When Gray told Bousman about the conversation at Bob's Big Boy two years earlier, Bousman said he holds his production meetings at the restaurant and ''Saw II'' was based on a screenplay he wrote years earlier. Gray appeared briefly in the film, and the music video for "Forget to Remember" contained clips from ''Saw II''.

''The New Game'' and ''Mudvayne'' (2006–2009)

In 2006, Gray, Tribbett and Tom Maxwell were joined by former

Pantera Pantera () is an American heavy metal music, heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas formed in 1981, and currently comprised of vocalist Phil Anselmo, bassist Rex Brown, and touring musicians Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante. The group's best-kn ...

and

Damageplan Damageplan was an American heavy metal band from Dallas, Texas, formed in 2003. Following the demise of their previous group Pantera, brothers Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul Abbott wanted to start a new band. The pair recruited former Diesel ...

drummer

Vinnie Paul Vincent Paul Abbott (March 11, 1964 – June 22, 2018) was an American musician best known for being the drummer and co-founder of the heavy metal band Pantera. He also co-founded Damageplan in 2003 with his younger brother, 'Dimebag' Darrell ...

for the supergroup Hellyeah. On March 8, when Mudvayne and

Korn Korn (stylized as KoЯn, or occasionally KoRn) is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The band is notable for pioneering the nu metal genre and bringing it into the mainstream. Originally formed in 1993 ...

performed at the

KBPI KBPI (107.9 FM, "KBPI") is a commercial radio station licensed to Fort Collins, Colorado. It is owned by iHeartMedia and it broadcasts an Active rock radio format. KBPI's studios are located in Denver in the Tech Center. In December 2017, iHea ...

Birthday Bash in

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, Thornton waitress Nicole LaScalia was injured during Mudvayne's set. Two years later, LaScalia filed a lawsuit against radio station owner Clear Channel Broadcasting, concert promoter Live Nation, the University of Denver and members of Mudvayne and Korn. During the summer, Gray, Tribbett, Maxwell and Paul recorded an album as Hellyeah. After a tour with

, Mudvayne released the 2007 retrospective '' By the People, for the People'' (compiled from selections chosen by fans on the band's website). The album debuted at number 51 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling about 22,000 copies in its first week. After Gray and Tribbett returned from touring with Hellyeah, Mudvayne began recording ''

The New Game ''The New Game'' is the fourth studio album by American heavy metal band Mudvayne. It was released on November 18, 2008, by Epic Records, and its first single, " Do What You Do", began receiving airplay on September 23, 2008. The album debuted a ...

'' with Dave Fortman. After the album's 2008 release, Fortman told

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

that it would be followed in six months by another full-length record. For its self-titled fifth album, Mudvayne hoped to create a "white album", describing its cover art. The album, printed with

blacklight paint Black light paint or black light fluorescent paint is luminous paint that glows under a black light. It is based on pigments that respond to light in the ultraviolet segment of the electromagnetic spectrum. The paint may or may not be colorful ...

, was only visible under a

black light A blacklight, also called a UV-A light, Wood's lamp, or ultraviolet light, is a lamp that emits long-wave (UV-A) ultraviolet light and very little visible light. One type of lamp has a violet filter material, either on the bulb or in a separat ...

(a light whose wavelength is primarily

ultraviolet Ultraviolet (UV) is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelength from 10 nanometer, nm (with a corresponding frequency around 30 Hertz, PHz) to 400 nm (750 Hertz, THz), shorter than that of visible light, but longer than ...

). ''Mudvayne'' was recorded in the summer of 2008 and released in 2009.

Hiatus (2010–2021)

In 2010, Mudvayne again paused to allow Gray and Tribbett to tour with Hellyeah, and, because of the supergroup's album releases, the band would be on hiatus until at least 2014. With Hellyeah, Tribbett has recorded three albums: '' Hellyeah'', ''

Stampede A stampede () is a situation in which a group of large animals suddenly start running in the same direction, especially because they are excited or frightened. Non-human species associated with stampede behavior include zebras, cattle, elephants ...

'' and '' Band of Brothers''. Gray has contributed to an additional fourth, fifth and sixth albums, '' Blood for Blood'', ''

Unden!able ''Undeniable'' (stylized as ''Unden!able'') is the fifth studio album from American heavy metal band Hellyeah. The cover of Phil Collins' "I Don't Care Anymore" features guitar parts from late Pantera member Dimebag Darrell. Track listing ...

'' and '' Welcome Home''. In 2012, Ryan Martinie toured with Korn as a temporary replacement for bassist

Reginald Arvizu Reginald Quincy Arvizu (born November 2, 1969), also known as "Fieldy", is an American musician, best known as the bassist for nu metal band Korn. He is also the guitarist/bassist for rock band StillWell. Musical career Prior to Arvizu's t ...

, who remained at home during his wife's pregnancy. The following year, Martinie played bass on Kurai's debut EP, ''Breaking the Broken'', In 2014, Tribbett left Hellyeah.

Reunion (2021–present)

On April 19, 2021, Mudvayne announced that they had reunited and would play their first shows in 12 years in the fall, which included festival appearances at Inkcarceration Music & Tattoo in

Mansfield Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area (followed by Sutton-in-Ashfield). It gained the Royal Charter of a market tow ...

Aftershock In seismology, an aftershock is a smaller earthquake that follows a larger earthquake, in the same area of the main shock, caused as the displaced crust adjusts to the effects of the main shock. Large earthquakes can have hundreds to thousand ...

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

and

Welcome to Rockville Welcome to Rockville is a four-day hard rock and heavy metal music festival. The festival is held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. History The first Welcome to Rockville was a one-day event held on Moth ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

; concert promoter and festival organizer Danny Wimmer stated that these would be the band's only live appearances for 2021. The band were previously scheduled to also appear at

Louder Than Life Louder Than Life is a hard rock and metal festival that takes place in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. The event is known to also feature whiskey, craft beer, gourmet food and multiple exhibits. It has made a large economic impact on the c ...

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

, before the performance was canceled on September 21 due to Gray and some staff members contracting

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. The members of Mudvayne have reportedly discussed the possibility of new material. The band's reunion resumed in the summer of 2022 with appearances at Upheaval Festival in

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...

and

Rock Fest ''Rock Fest is also a block on VH1 Classic'' Held annually from 1994 to 2019 & since 2021, Rock Fest is the largest Rock Music and Camping Event in the US, featuring the best of classic and modern rock & metal. It is an annual four-day (Wednesday ...

in Cadott, followed by their first US tour in 13 years, which saw Mudvayne co-headline the Freaks on Parade tour with

Rob Zombie Rob Zombie (born Robert Bartleh Cummings; January 12, 1965) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, filmmaker, and voice actor. His music and lyrics are notable for their horror and sci-fi themes, and his live shows have be ...

. The tour's stop in

Tampa Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough County ...

made headlines when during one show, Gray fell off the stage while performing the song "

". Gray himself noted the irony, and joked it was "amazing" and "unbelievable".

Musical style and influences

Mudvayne is noted for its musical complexity, complex meters and

polyrhythms Polyrhythm is the simultaneous use of two or more rhythms that are not readily perceived as deriving from one another, or as simple manifestations of the same meter. The rhythmic layers may be the basis of an entire piece of music (cross-rhyth ...

. The band's music contains what McDonough calls "number symbolism", where certain

riff A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or accompani ...

s correspond to lyrical themes. Mudvayne has incorporated elements of

death metal Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep growling vocals; aggressive, powerful drumming, feat ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

jazz fusion Jazz fusion (also known as fusion and progressive jazz) is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and jazz improvisation, improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, ...

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...

speed metal Speed metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that originated in the late 1970s from new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM) roots.K. Kahn-Harris, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'' (Berg Publishers, 2007), , p. 31. It ...

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...

and world music. Mudvayne's influences include

Tool A tool is an object that can extend an individual's ability to modify features of the surrounding environment or help them accomplish a particular task. Although many animals use simple tools, only human beings, whose use of stone tools dates ba ...

King Crimson King Crimson are a progressive rock band formed in 1968 in London, England. The band draws inspiration from a wide variety of music, incorporating elements of classical, jazz, folk, heavy metal, gamelan, industrial, electronic, experime ...

Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...

Emerson, Lake & Palmer Emerson, Lake & Palmer (informally known as ELP) were an English progressive rock supergroup formed in London in 1970. The band consisted of Keith Emerson (keyboards), Greg Lake (vocals, bass, guitar, producer) and Carl Palmer (drums, percus ...

Carcass Carcass or Carcase (both pronounced ) may refer to: *Dressed carcass, the body of a livestock animal ready for butchery, after removal of skin, visceral organs, head, feet etc. *Carrion, the decaying dead body of an animal or human being *The str ...

Deicide Deicide is the killing (or the killer) of a god. The concept may be used for any act of killing a god, including a life-death-rebirth deity who is killed and then resurrected. Etymology The term deicide was coined in the 17th century from m ...

Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...

, and Rush. Mudvayne have repeatedly expressed admiration for

Stanley Kubrick Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, his films, almost all of which are adaptations of nove ...

's '' 2001: A Space Odyssey'', and were influenced by the film during the recording of ''L.D. 50''. Although Mudvayne has described its style as "

math rock Math rock is a style of progressive and indie rock with roots in bands such as King Crimson and Rush as well as 20th-century minimal music composers such as Steve Reich. It is characterized by complex, atypical rhythmic structures (includi ...

" and "math metal", drummer

said in 2009: "I honestly don't know what 'math metal' is. I made a joke early on in Mudvayne's career that we used an

abacus The abacus (''plural'' abaci or abacuses), also called a counting frame, is a calculating tool which has been used since ancient times. It was used in the ancient Near East, Europe, China, and Russia, centuries before the adoption of the Hin ...

in writing. It seems I should be careful making jokes in interviews. I don't really see Mudvayne as an innovator in anything." Music critics and journalists have categorized the band as

alternative metal Alternative metal (also known as alt-metal) is a genre of heavy metal music Heavy metal (or simply metal) is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and United States. With r ...

nu metal Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, sometimes called aggro-metal) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, alternative rock, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu met ...

experimental metal Avant-garde metal (also known as avant-metal, experimental metal, and experimental) is a subgenre of heavy metal music loosely defined by use of experimentation and innovative, avant-garde elements, including non-standard and unconventional soun ...

extreme metal Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. It has been defined as a "cluster of metal subgenres characterized by sonic, verbal, and visual tran ...

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...

, heavy metal, math metal,

groove metal Groove metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music that began in the early 1990s. The genre achieved success in the 1990s and continued having success in the 2000s. Inspired by thrash metal and traditional heavy metal, groove metal features raspy ...

, neo-progressive metal,

neo-progressive rock Neo-progressive rock (also known as neo-prog) is a genre, subgenre of progressive rock which developed in the UK in the early 1980s. The genre's most popular band, Marillion, achieved mainstream success in the decade. Several bands from the genre ...

, and

progressive metal Progressive metal (sometimes shortened to prog metal) is a broad :Fusion music genres, fusion music genre melding heavy metal music, heavy metal and progressive rock, combining the loud "aggression" and amplified electric guitar, guitar-driven s ...

. Eli Enis of ''

'' magazine wrote that the band "wriggled between nu-metal, alt-metal, prog and hard rock in a way that remains completely unrivaled to this day. No one else has or ever will sound quite like them."

Appearance

Although Mudvayne was known for its appearance, Gray described its aesthetic as "music first, visuals second". When ''L.D. 50'' was released, the band performed in

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...

-style makeup. Epic Records initially promoted Mudvayne without focusing on its members; early promotional materials featured a logo instead of photos of the band, but its appearance and music videos publicized ''L.D. 50''. The members of Mudvayne were originally known by the stage names Kud, sPaG, Ryknow and Gurrg. At the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards (where they won the

MTV2 Award MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

for "Dig"), the band appeared in white suits with bloody bullet-hole makeup on their foreheads. After 2002, Mudvayne changed makeup styles (from multicolored face paint to

extraterrestrials Extraterrestrial life, colloquially referred to as alien life, is life that may occur outside Earth and which did not originate on Earth. No extraterrestrial life has yet been conclusively detected, although efforts are underway. Such life might ...

) for promotional photos and changed their stage names to Chüd, Güüg, Rü-D, and Spüg, though they would continue to perform in the horror-style makeup live. According to the band, the extravagant makeup added a visual aspect to their music and set them apart from other metal bands. From 2003 up until their dissolution, Mudvayne largely abandoned the use of makeup to avoid image comparisons with the band Slipknot. With their 2021 reunion, they began wearing makeup again when performing live.

Band members

Current members *

– guitars, backing vocals , lead vocals *

– drums, keyboards *

– lead vocals *

– bass Touring members * Marcus Rafferty – guitars, backing vocals Former members * Shawn Barclay – bass Timeline ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:20 PlotArea = left:110 bottom:90 top:0 right:0 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1996 till:10/03/2022 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:3 ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1997 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1996 Colors = id:v value:red legend:Lead_vocals id:g value:green legend:Guitars,_backing_vocals id:b value:blue legend:Bass id:d value:orange legend:Drums,_keyboards id:alb value:black legend:Studio_album id:ep value:gray(0.9) legend:EP id:rei value:gray(0.7) legend:Reissue id:comp value:gray(0.5) legend:Compilation LineData = layer:back at:06/01/1997 color:ep at:08/22/2000 color:alb at:11/20/2001 color:rei at:11/19/2002 color:alb at:09/30/2003 color:ep at:04/12/2005 color:alb at:11/27/2007 color:comp at:11/18/2008 color:alb at:12/21/2009 color:alb PlotData = width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(11,–4) bar:Chad Gray from:03/01/1996 till:02/10/2010 color:v bar:Chad Gray from:04/19/2021 till:end color:v bar:Greg Tribbett from:start till:03/01/1996 color:v width:3 bar:Greg Tribbett from:start till:02/10/2010 color:g bar:Greg Tribbett from:04/19/2021 till:end color:g bar:Shawn Barclay from:start till:02/28/1997 color:b bar:Ryan Martinie from:03/01/1997 till:02/10/2010 color:b bar:Ryan Martinie from:04/19/2021 till:end color:b bar:Matthew McDonough from:start till:02/10/2010 color:d bar:Matthew McDonough from:04/19/2021 till:end color:d

Discography

Studio albums *'' L.D. 50'' (2000) *''

'' (2002) *''

'' (2005) *''

'' (2008) *''

Mudvayne Mudvayne is an American heavy metal band formed in Peoria, Illinois in 1996. Known for their sonic experimentation, face and body paint, masks and uniforms, the band has sold over six million records worldwide, including nearly three millio ...

'' (2009)

Awards and nominations

MTV Video Music Awards , - , 2001 , , " Dig" , , MTV2 Award , , Grammy Awards , - , 2006 , , " Determined" , , Best Metal Performance , ,

References

Bibliography

External links

*
Mudvayne
on

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Mudvayne
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Mudvayne
on

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{{Authority control 1996 establishments in Illinois American alternative metal musical groups American nu metal musical groups American progressive metal musical groups Epic Records artists Heavy metal musical groups from Illinois Musical groups established in 1996 Musical groups disestablished in 2010 Musical groups reestablished in 2021 Musical quartets Culture of Peoria, Illinois Progressive rock musical groups from Illinois Hard rock musical groups from Illinois Rock music groups from Illinois