Mudvayne Ends the Game

Since their beginnings, Mudvayne had been known for their technical styles of music, incorporating elements from nearly a dozen genres of metal. However, Mudvayne's most recent album The New Game had a distinct rock and roll sound to it that was unheard of in their previous music. Said album produced the hit single "Do What You Do" on 97.9X which was very popular among you listeners.

Although the The New Game wasn't Mudvayne as I knew them, I still sincerely enjoyed it. The album truly showcased Mudvayne's range and skill in versatility, and it left me eager for the next effort from the band.

The original plan was to release The New Game, followed six months later by yet another album release. However, this plan fell by the wayside and the second release (fifth studio album by the band) never came. From the information I was able to gather in the time between, I learned that Mudvayne had completely finished, mixed, and mastered the unreleased new album, but they had no release date planned, opting instead to finish up the Music As A Weapon Tour before they put the new CD on shelves.

But finally, just yesterday, Mudvayne revealed the album title, the release date, and a whole slew of other information about the new album on MySpace. Here is what they had to say:

MUDVAYNE TO RELEASE NEW SELF-TITLED ALBUM on DECEMBER 22, 2009

NEW SONG ‘BEAUTIFUL AND STRANGE’ STREAMING TODAY

MUDVAYNE are back with a self-titled release that will hit stores on December 22, 2009 and leave fans blown away by its eclectic complexity and brutality. MUDVAYNE’S last record “The New Game”, produced two hit singles; the #1 ‘Do What You Do’ and ‘Scarlet Letters’ are continuing to receive massive radio airplay and video rotation on MTV2 and Fuse. One could say that this new album is the hardest, but yet most melodic record, MUDVAYNE has ever created.....
Alongside the blistering new tunes. MUDVAYNE have outdone themselves once again with the mind-blowing packaging for the new album. The new album is revolutionizing album artwork design, as this is the first album to ever use black light reactive ink. Every bit of art and text in the packaging of the record will be printed on ink that can only be seen with a black light. Fans receiving this record as a gift during the holiday season, could truly have a “White Christmas” courtesy of MUDVAYNE.

Matt McDonough MUDVAYNE’S drummer had the following to say about the new album, “I feel that this album is the best that the band has recorded since our second album, The End of All Things to Come.
The album will be available in three formats. Those include, the standard jewel case edition, a deluxe edition that comes with a black light, and the super deluxe edition that includes a larger black light, a special edition black light reactive poster, and more.

Check out the brand new MUDVAYNE song “Beautiful and Strange” today at www.mudvayne.com and www.myspace.com/mudvayne for a taste of what is to come on December 22nd..

Some very exciting news to be sure. I am eager to see how the black light reactive ink will work with the album's artwork. In theory, it sounds like a pretty sweet idea. I can't wait to see it in practice.

Also, I would advise that you check out the new song "Beautiful and Strange" that Mudvayne is streaming on their website and their MySpace, because it ROCKS! Having listened to it myself, I feel confident that this new album will kick all kinds of ass. I cannot wait!

*UPDATE (11/30/09) - The new album is now scheduled for release on December 21st, 2009.

As always, keep it here for updates on this and other New Rock announcements.