MUDVAYNE

One of the great things about SLIPKNOT's incredible commercial success thus far is that it's opened the door for other musically extreme acts to follow in their footsteps without having to rely on radio or MTV support to make their mark. Among the new bands leading this wave is Illinois' MUDVAYNE, a four-piece whose Epic Records debut is set to establish them as one of the frontrunners of the genre.

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Among the most impressive aspects of MUDVAYNE's sound is the group's knack for showcasing their undeniable instrumental skills while performing a crushingly heavy style that, at its most extreme, brings to mind the aforementioned SLIPKNOT (whose Shawn Crahan—a.k.a. "6"—executive-produced this release). Indeed, with the exception of Sweden's MESHUGGAH, there has never been another band playing music as unwaveringly brutal as this while displaying a level of musicianship that would put 99% of their counterparts to shame. Where MUDVAYNE are clearly different from MESHUGGAH, however, is in their acute awareness of the importance of injecting dynamics into their songwriting, and unlike the Swedes, they never fall into the trap of consistently producing sheer brutality for the sake of it, always spicing up their songs with small doses of infectious melody that add much needed texture to the material (as on "-1" and "Death Blooms", two songs that also appeared on the band's last George Langis-produced demo). Having said that, the group's penchant for producing vocal hooks is still largely underdeveloped, consequently causing some of their tracks to sound uncomfortably indistinguishable from one another, particularly as you delve further into the CD. Neverthless, this is an aspect of MUDVAYNE's songwriting that will undoubtedely improve in time, and it is not likely to prevent the group from making a serious impact with this impressive debut release.