Matt McDonough
Mudvayne/ Audiotopsy - United States

Overview

After spending a year and a half on the road, the members of Mudvayne only took a month off before starting work on the quartet's second album, The End of All Things to Come.

Instead of easing into the album, the band gambled on an ambitious recording schedule that made the ticking of the clock a constant source of tension. The self-imposed pressure to create paid off as Mudvayne produced a collection of songs that offer a window into the band's growth.

The first single "Not Falling" along with "(Per)Version of a Truth" and "World So Cold" combine a new attention to melody and disciplined musicianship with Mudvayne's trademark dark lyrical vision, rhythmic complexity and jagged, sonic brutality. The End of All Things to Come captures Mudvayne at time when the band has found its voice and is hitting its stride with confidence.

"I've always said David Lynch could make a film out of anything and it would still look like a Lynch film," explains drummer Matt McDonough. "At one point while we were writing this album, I felt like we could do the same thing with music; we could play anything and it would sound like Mudvayne. Looking back I realize that what happened was after 18 months on the road we'd finally come to a realization of who we are as a band."

The making of The End of All Things to Come was an exercise in deadline management for the band. "We didn't want to take much more than two years between albums and since we were on the road for such a long time that really didn't leave us with a whole lot of time to make this record," explains Chad. We wrote and rehearsed for four months and then spent another four months to record and master the entire album. The pressure made us focus instead of fold."

"I honestly didn't think we could make the record we wanted to make so quickly, but we did," continues Chad. "I'm very proud of this album from every angle - the music, melody, songwriting and lyrics. It captures who we are at this moment in time."

Although the album meets-and in some cases exceeds-the band's expectations, it wasn't all smooth sailing. Taking the first step, admits Matt, was the hardest. "From the beginning we knew what textures we wanted on the album and the themes we wanted to explore, but we didn't know how to start."

Luckily, the band reached a turning point early when "Not Falling"-the first single-emerged quickly from the writing sessions. "That was the second song we wrote and once that was under our belt everyone breathed a little easier," recalls Matt. "Looking back, I realize how much that song really pointed the way sonically for the rest of the album."

While the aggressive tone on "Not Falling" is undeniably Mudvayne, the song represents how much the band's approach to music has matured since the band recorded its debut, L.D. 50.

When the album was finished, Matt says he realized how much the band grew on the road and how comfortable they'd become making music together. "We didn't have any time to absorb and process the chaos of the last couple of years because we started working on this album almost right away," he explains. "It wasn't until later-when I was listening to the finished album-that I realized how much the new songs reveal who we'd become and where we're going." 

Mudvayne got its start in a Peoria, Illinois basement in 1996. From the beginning, the band was determined to play by its own rules. "If you're a band in the Midwest, you play cover songs or you don't make money," says Chad. "We refused to play covers because we were more interested in finding our own voice rather than trying to emulate someone else's."

The band's dedication to realizing its unique musical vision was rewarded in 1999 when Mudvayne signed with Epic Records. A year later, the group's debut L.D. 50 was released. While maintaining a brutal touring schedule, the band gained a reputation for delivering a live show that was visually outrageous as well as musically compelling. Mudvayne watched the number of its fans steadily grow as they toured on the Tattoo the Earth festival and with Disturbed. Mudvayne criss-crossed the country again as it headlined the second stage of Ozzfest in 2001.

The tour turned out to be the start of a victory lap for the band. After the tour, Mudvayne's debut, L.D. 50, was certified gold (500,000 sales) by the RIAA. In September 2001, the band won the first ever MTV2 Video Music Award at MTV's Video Music Awards. In true Mudvayne fashion, the band accepted the award with a humble speech while wearing blood-spattered white tuxedos and sporting bloody bullet holes in their foreheads. The band responded to the award by returning to the road and assuming the coveted role of opening act on Ozzy Osbourne's Merry Mayhem tour.

Mudvayne's winning streak continued into the winter as the band released The Beginning of All Things to End, which included its 1997 independent debut Kill I Oughtta along with additional remixes and interludes from L.D. 50

To follow-up the band's DVD-single for the song "Dig"-the first-ever DVD single for Epic Records-Mudvayne released its first full-length DVD, Live in Peoria. The disc included 90-minutes of live performance, behind the scenes footage and a bonus director's cut of the video for "Death Blooms"

Mudvayne explores the possibilities of DVD on The End of All Things to Come offering a special-edition of the album that includes a bonus DVD. The disc features 30-minutes of in-the-studio footage, photo shoot outtakes, an interview with Chad and Matt along with previously unreleased songs "Goodbye" and "On the Move."

Links

mudvayne.com