This here is a worthwhile numetal album, chock-full of interludes and long songs. If you've heard 'Dig,' and think you know MuDvAyNe, you're wrong, because no other song is like 'Dig' on this album. Every song is different. To prove that, let me go over the tracks:

Monolith (?/10): This is a pretty cool introduction with some futuristic sound effects and someone giving a freaky speach about evolution. Very entertaining to listen to.

Dig (9/10): I'm well aware that this is a great song, I just don't find myself listening to this song very much. The other songs on the album are a little better than this, I often skip it. Good song, though.

Internal Primates Forever (10/10): Outstanding. Very upbeat, and heavy, Ryknow rocks here! I love the call-and-response in here. Kud rules all!

-1 (10/10): This song is softer than most of the rest, and it really shows Kud's lyrical talents, it is very fun to listen to. The chorus is absolutely brutal, though.

Death Blooms (11/10): I bought the album for this song. It is heavy, melodic, heavy, and then melodic. There are sort of two choruses here, I like the first one better. The end is cool, too.

Golden Ratio (?/10): We have again another filler, this one is a little mellower than Monolith. It connects Death Blooms and Cradle directly.

Cradle (10/10): Pretty good for what it is, it is VERY heavy. It took me awhile to like this song, but once I did, I appreciated its formula: Soft, loud, soft, etc.

Nothing To Gein (10/10): This is a pretty emotional song, it is very heavy, it is also recorded in a magnificent way. This is a standout.

Mutatis Mutandis (?/10): Interlude, just sound effects.

Everything and Nothing (9/10): Pretty good, not really a standout. Kinda heavy, honerable mention.

Severed (10/10): There are so many songs called Severed, by Kittie, Chimaira, Crossbreed, etc., and this is by far the best of those titles. Very emotional, pretty heavy, a major standout.

Recombat Resurgence (?/10): Just like Mutatis Mutandis, pretty much.

Prod (11/10): This is tied for Best Song on the album with Death Blooms. You see, I'm a Tool fan ;-)

Pharmaecopia (10/10): This song caught my attention, mind you, when I first heard it. It should catch everyone's attention. Listen to the lyrics. Let's see Limp Bizkit do something like that...

Under My Skin (11/10): POWERFUL! HEAVY! LOUD! Those are some words I'd use to describe (not to mention vulgar...)

(K)now (F)orever (10/10): The most creative song on this album, it lasts for just over 7 minutes, and I always listen to the whole thing through. It just makes me appreciate MuDvAyNe more than I already do, this is a standout. Probably my second or third favorite song by MuDvAyNe, or on this entire album. LISTEN TO IT...NOW!

Lethal Dosage (?/10): INTERLUDE OUTRODUCTION, pretty strange.

There you have it. A great numetal package. Other albums to check out:
Tool-Aenima (if you like Prod)
Tool-Undertow (if you like Prod)
Slipknot-Slipknot
Slipknot-IOWA
MuDvAyNe-BOATTE and EOATTC (but be warned, this is better.

Thank you for reading! :-)
P.s.: See that 'Yes' button?

To many people, progressive music and "numetal", as it is often called, are polar opposites, and could not possibly go together. One is a simple, brutish, and often sloppy form of music, while the other puts great emphasis on spot-on technical proficiency, and more sophisticated song structures. To mix them is nearly paradoxical. And yet, what we have here is just that, a hybrid of these two styles, and they go together so remarkably well that you wonder how you could have ever concluded otherwise.

I speak of course of Mudvayne, a band with a penchant for crushing, "aggro" riffs, combined with complexity and eclecticism that helps them to stand out from the herd. Perhaps referring to numetal as simple or sloppy music isn't so fair, especially when this band is so far from each of those things. Guitarist Greg Tribbet is a groove demon, full of powerful complex riffage, and some nice melodic arpeggios to mix it up. Bassist Ryan Martinie's gurgling basslines complement the heaviness perfectly, and add a nice funk flavor to it all. Combined with Matt McDonough's furious polyrhythmic drumming, you've got a rhythm section that's nothing short of lethal. Fronting it all is the psychotic Chad Gray. At first listen, he may seem like little more than your average angry numetal vocalist, but keep listening. His voice is constantly shifting in dynamics (not unlike the music itself), and there seems to be a kind of rhythmic precision to his delivery. He's not just barking at random. Sonically, he is equal parts Mike Patton and Phil Anselmo (with a bit of Maynard for good measure), but his style is all his own.

Many may know this band by the opening track, "Dig", and while it is a great opener, it's not at all a good indication of what this band sounds like. It is shorter, and more to the point than anything else on the album. Listen to the seamless heavy to soft dynamics of "Death Blooms" or "-1", or the wild rhythm changes of "Cradle", or the crazy funk-inspired interlude of "Nothing to Gein". "Severed" and "Prod" are a bit softer overall, but still have their fair share of heaviness and complexity. "Under My Skin" has a short rap interlude, which is very well done. It fits perfectly within the flow of the song, and Chad never misses a mark. Reminds me of Candiria, sort of.

For a long time, I debated whether or not to buy this album, because I wasn't sure whether or not it was worth it, and when I finally did get it, I hated myself for not buying it sooner. Anyone who dismisses this as simply a one-dimensional, run of the mill numetal band is really missing out on something great. Every track on this CD is exceptional, and highly addictive. This is one of those rare bands that both prog and numetal fans alike can enjoy (even Dream Theater guitarist John Petrucci is a fan). If you approach this with an open mind, there's a very good chance you'll enjoy it, so give it a spin. And, if you like this, I also recommend Candiria's "300 Percent Density", to hear this sound taken one step further.

Also, ignore any and all comparisons to Slipknot. Not only do they make Slipknot look ridiculous in every way, but they don't really sound anything alike. Now stop reading and BUY, you fools!

MuDvAyNe has done what only a few bands have done in the past 10 or so years, captured a fresh origional sound! The only other bands I can think of that have done this in the Metal genra, are TOOL, NIN, Rage Against The Machine, KoRn, SlipKnot, and System of a Down. MuDvAyNe is like a more technical version of slipknot. Don't get me wrong! their NO clone!! Their a bit more morbid, and this stuff may make you think alittle more. The musicianship on this album is AMAZING!! especialy their bassist! from a fellow bottom feeder, i have to say its the best bass I've heard on an album in a long time! Their vocalist have one of the widest ranges since my 2 favorite vocalist, Maynard James Keenan (TOOL) and Burton C. Bell (Fear Factory) He goes from intence growls, to sweet, haunting melodys. This is a band that will break the mall metal sterotype that surounds new metal bands, and open peoples minds the hell up!!! EXCEPT MUDVAYNE OF BE LEFT TO DIE!!

So they're fast, they're aggressive, their vocalist roars a lot, they're really heavy, etc. etc. There are some things that can certainly be said for MuDvAyNe. They can roar, they can slam, and they can play really hard, heavy music, but unfortunately, they can't write good songs. Metal seems to be having a renaissance in terms of sheer numbers. There are a lot of bands that are getting record deals that make very heavy music, and more and more people are listening to it (due undeniably to the mainstream success of bands like KoRn and Limp). There are not, however, a lot of bands who are producing quality metal. Most MuDvAyNe fans are very apologetic about it not really sounding like Slipknot (that much), but comparisons between the two bands, however irrelevant, aren't necessary. Slipknot's music is aggressive and crazy for sure, but it doesn't stand the test of a couple of months, let alone the amount of time that would be necessary to make it a truly great album. This isn't even as good. It is heavy, desensitized, manic drubbing that shows a very green, unpolished band who sure as hell knows how to play it hard and fast but doesn't know how to make their songs really mean something. Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, and a host of other bands have played heavy forms of metal since the '80s but that was never all there was to it. They knew how to write catchy, great riffs, play incredible solos, and write songs with staying power. L.D. 50, regardless of initial bursts of enthusiasm by nu metal kids, displays a band that has a lot of maturing to do before it will ever say something important.

Here we are in the year 2000, with scores of nu-metal bands appearing everywhere. I had been somewhat disappointed by most of these releases, and figured Mudvayne was just another disappointment. I was far from right.

L.D. 50 is quite simply the best cd I have bought this year. The cd kicks off with Dig, the heaviest song on the album, and moves into more moodier and often times more morbid territory. The drummer for the band is nothing short of phenomenal, and the bassist is one of the best Ive heard, being a "bottom feeder" as well. The most impressive is singer Kud, who goes from Tool-esque melodies to tortured screams in a split second. The lyrics vary in topic, from non-conformity, drug abuse, and some various morbid writings, such as Nothing to Gein, written about notorious killer Ed Gein.

On a final note, many people compare this to the likes of Slipknot. While Slipknot is one of my favorite bands of all time,the only resemblance I know between these bands is the fact that they toured together. The band that closest resembles these guys would be Tool, yet there is not a whole lot of similarity at a closer comparison. This band is very unique and should not be categorized as yet another Slipknot ripoff.Don't be fooled into thinking this is a Knot clone, its much more, and better, than you could think. All in all, worth every damn penny.