The group consist of Chad Gray (lead vocals), Greg Tribbett (guitar, vocals), Ryan Martinie (bass guitar) and Matthew McDonough (drums). Formed in 1996, Mudvayne became popular in the late-1990s Decatur, Illinois underground music scene. The band released an EP, Kill, I Oughtta, in 1997 and a successful debut album, L.D. 50, in 2000. They had global success with The End of All Things to Come, Lost and Found and The New Game, the band went on hiatus in 2010 and reunited in 2021.
The band was inactive since 2010, with its members performing in other projects and making guest appearances. Chad Gray is the vocalist for the heavy metal supergroup Hellyeah, to which Greg Tribbett was also a member until 2014. Gray founded an independent record label, Bullygoat Records, which produces heavy-metal albums. In early 2015, Chad Gray noted that the band's return seemed very unlikely, unless "everybody licked their wounds and got over it".
Early days (1996–97)
Mudvayne, formed in 1995 in Bloomington, Illinois, originally consisted of bassist Shawn Barclay, guitarist Greg Tribbett and drummer Matthew McDonough. The band's original lineup finalized when Chad 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.
During the EP's recording Barclay was replaced by Ryan Martinie, former bassist for the progressive-rock band Broken Altar. After self-distributing Kill, I Oughtta, Mudvayne adopted stage names and face paint.
L.D. 50 (1998–2000)
In April 1998 local promoter Steve Soderstrom introduced Mudvayne to its original manager, Chuck Toler, who helped obtain a contract with Epic Records and record the 2000 debut studio album L.D. 50. For the album, Mudvayne experimented with a ragged, dissonant sound; a sound collage, prepared for the album, was used as a series of interludes. L.D. 50 was produced by Garth Richardson, with executive production by Slipknot member Shawn Crahan.
L.D. 50 peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart and No. 85 on the Billboard 200. The singles "Dig" and "Death Blooms" 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 tour with Nothingface, Slayer, Slipknot and Sevendust. Nothingface guitarist Tom Maxwell became friends with Mudvayne vocalist Chad Gray, and they explored the possibility of a 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.
The End of All Things to Come (2001–02)
In 2002 Mudvayne released The End of All Things to Come, 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 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 called this album more "user-friendly" than its predecessor and it was one of 2002's most acclaimed heavy-metal albums. The music video for the single "Not Falling" demonstrated the Mudvayne's change in appearance from L.D. 50, with the musicians transformed into veined creatures with white, egg-colored bug eyes.
Lost and Found (2003–05)
In 2003 Mudvayne participated in the Summer Sanitarium Tour, headlined by Metallica, and in September Chad Gray appeared on V Shape Mind's debut studio album Cul-De-Sac. The following year the band began work on its third album, produced by Dave Fortman. As for the previous album, Mudvayne withdrew to write songs; they moved into a house, writing the album in four months before recording began. In February Gray and Martinie expressed an interest in appearing on Within The Mind - In Homage To The Musical Legacy Of Chuck Schuldiner, a tribute to the founder of the metal band Death, but the album was never produced.
In 2005 Chad Gray established independent record label Bullygoat Records and Bloodsimple's debut album, A Cruel World (with a guest appearance by Gray), appeared in March. On April 12, Mudvayne released Lost and Found. 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 guitarist Ty Tabor. That month rumors spread that Bullygoat Records would release We Pay Our Debt Sometimes: A Tribute to Alice in Chains, with performances by Mudvayne, Cold, Audioslave, Breaking Benjamin, 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, whose film Saw II was in production and would include "Forget to Remember" 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 (2006–09)
In 2006, Gray, Tribbett and Tom Maxwell were joined by former Pantera and Damageplan drummer Vinnie Paul for the supergroup Hellyeah. On March 8, when Mudvayne and Korn performed at the KBPI Birthday Bash in Denver, 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 Sevendust, 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 with Dave Fortman. After the album's 2008 release, Fortman told MTV 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. Mudvayne was recorded in the summer of 2008 in El Paso, Texas. The album, printed with blacklight paint, was only visible under a black light (a light whose wavelength is primarily ultraviolet).
Hiatus and break-up (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, Gray and Tribbett have recorded three albums: Stampede, Band of Brothers and Blood for Blood. In 2012, Ryan Martinie toured with Korn as a temporary replacement for bassist Reginald Arvizu, who remained at home during his wife's pregnancy. The following year Martinie played bass on Kurai's debut EP, Breaking the Broken, and in 2014 Tribbett left Hellyeah.
In a new interview with Songfacts in 2015, Gray said that Mudvayne's return seemed unlikely: I don't know if the full band will [ever reunite]. Who knows — they might be putting something else together. We were talking for a while and that whole thing with Greg [Tribbett's 2014 departure from Hellyeah] went down and everything kind of fell apart. Our relationship, which was the only truly solid relationship in the group, although Matt [McDonough] and I are still great, Ryan [Martinie] and I still briefly talk. I mean, the only way I personally would want to do Mudvayne is if everybody licked their wounds and got over it. There's a lot of things in that band that tore us apart. Maybe Mudvayne was the martyr for people that stopped supporting music. You sell 159,000 records the first week, and then the next record is like, 'Whatever, f--k it.' Maybe it's a subliminal message if you don't support things... Mudvayne's probably bigger now than it ever was. So, people want what they can't have.
In 2015, former Mudvayne members Tribbett and McDonough formed the band Audiotopsy with Skrape vocalist Billy Keeton and bassist Perry Stern. Audiotopsy describes its sound as "progressive hard rock."
Musical style and influences
Mudvayne is noted for its musical complexity. The band's music contains what McDonough calls "number symbolism", where certain riffs correspond to lyrical themes. Mudvayne has incorporated elements of death metal, jazz fusion and progressive rock. In addition to these styles, L.D. 50 featured world music and speed metal. Although Mudvayne has been inspired by Obituary, Emperor, Tool, Pantera, Mötley Crüe, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, King Crimson, Porcupine Tree and Metallica, according to them they are not influenced by other metal bands. They have repeatedly expressed admiration for Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, and were influenced by the film during the recording of L.D. 50.
Although the band has described its style as "math rock" and "math metal", drummer Matt McDonough 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 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, experimental metal, extreme metal, hard rock, heavy metal, industrial metal, math metal, metalcore, neo-progressive metal, neo-progressive rock, nu metal, progressive rock, progressive metal and shock rock.
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-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 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) and changed their stage names to Chüd, Güüg, Rü-D, and Spüg. According to the band, the extravagant makeup added a visual aspect to their music and set them apart from other metal bands. Since 2003 Mudvayne has largely abandoned makeup, but said that a future return to it is not out of the question.
Discography
L.D. 50 (2000)
The End of All Things to Come (2002)
Lost and Found (2005)
The New Game (2008)
Mudvayne (2009)
Under My Skin
Mudvayne Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Fuck this I don't need your shit,
All the lies deceit and arrogance,
Talk your shit like my life is some kinda game,
Like you fuckin' know me,
Just go far away and be small,
Run far away and be small,
Go lie in a hole and be small,
Thorns, splinters, pushing,
Under my skin,
They want in,
Sharpened tongue to penetrate me,
If you really think you got what it takes to be me,
Then walk a mile in the skin of my head case mental being,
So you want a piece of this life that belongs to me,
Well make a cut on the line and take a deeper look inside of the freak
That is me, fucker, come on,
Disturb, search me, prying up all my scales
To get in lance the core to penetrate me,
So you want inside of me,
So you want a piece of this,
So you want to tear me down, for your own selfish wants and needs
Disturb, search me, prying, up all my scales,
To get in, lance the core to penetrate me,
So you want inside of me
So you want a piece of me,
So you want to drag me down,
For your own selfish wants and needs
You were there like a punk,
Just to get in my face,
Wanted in me wanted to be
Till I gave you a taste
Don't need your goddamn pressure
Frontin' stress I'm superman motherfucker
Without the "s" on my chest
Trying to step in my circle I'm leaving you purple and black
On your back drop your ass like a heart attack
Rippin' through your life like a motherfuckin'
Hurricane fist full of Novocain for the pain
You're nothing in my life in my head
You're nothing in my life in my land
Nailed inside my head
You're under my fuckin' skin!
I have cleansed my life now of the people who pry
And threaten place always in my face I think it's time for them to
Go away always in my fuckin' space,
Always in my scene always in my sight,
Always in my way
You're dead to me punk ass fuck
There's nothing left
Mudvayne's "Under My Skin" is about calling out someone who is trying to get inside the singer's head and control them. The lyrics use fear tactics and threatening language to tell the person to get lost. The singer feels trapped and is trying to remove this person from their life. He tells them that they don't know him and to go away and be small. The words "Thorns, splinters, pushing, under my skin" refer to the unwanted control this person has over the singer, and they want to break free from it. The singer tells the person that if they really want to be him, then they should walk a mile in his shoes, but ultimately they will never be able to fully understand him. The chorus repeats the phrase "You're under my fucking skin," emphasizing that the person is too close and too invasive.
The lyrics in "Under My Skin" tell a very tense and creepy story about someone who is trying to take over the singer's life. The lyrics express a deep fear and paranoia that this person could take over and control their reality. The words "Thorns, splinters, pushing, under my skin" paint a vivid picture of the unwanted and invasive nature of this person's control. The chorus repeats "You're under my fucking skin" to emphasize the intensity of this situation.
Line by Line Meaning
Nailed inside my head,
Stuck in my mind, can't get rid of it.
Fuck this I don't need your shit,
I don't want anything to do with you or your lies.
All the lies deceit and arrogance,
You are dishonest and think too highly of yourself.
Talk your shit like my life is some kinda game,
You speak as if my life is unimportant or insignificant.
Like you fuckin' know me,
You act as if you understand me or what I'm going through, but you don't.
Just go far away and be small,
Leave me alone and don't bother me anymore.
Run far away and be small,
Get as far away from me as possible, and don't try to cause any more problems.
Go lie in a hole and be small,
Disappear and don't make your presence known to me or anyone else.
Thorns, splinters, pushing,
Something small and painful, pushing under the skin.
Under my skin,
Getting to me emotionally or mentally.
They want in,
The people or things causing me pain want to get closer to me.
Sharpened tongue to penetrate me,
Their words or actions are meant to hurt me and get through to me.
If you really think you got what it takes to be me,
If you truly believe you understand me or can relate to me.
Then walk a mile in the skin of my head case mental being,
Experience what it's like to be me, mentally and emotionally.
So you want a piece of this life that belongs to me,
You want to be a part of my life or take control of it for your own gain.
Well make a cut on the line and take a deeper look inside of the freak
Take a closer look at who I really am and what I've been through.
That is me, fucker, come on,
I am who I am, and I won't apologize for it or change for your benefit.
Disturb, search me, prying up all my scales
You're trying to dig deeper into my life and emotions, even though I don't want you to.
To get in lance the core to penetrate me,
You want to hurt me emotionally and mentally.
So you want inside of me,
You want to be closer to me, even though I don't want you to be.
So you want to tear me down, for your own selfish wants and needs
You want to hurt me and break me down so you can feel better about yourself.
You were there like a punk,
You were a coward and didn't really understand me or my problems.
Just to get in my face,
You were just trying to cause trouble and annoy me.
Wanted in me wanted to be
You wanted to be a part of my life, even though I didn't want you to be.
Till I gave you a taste
You got a small glimpse of what I was going through, but it wasn't enough to truly understand it.
Don't need your goddamn pressure
I don't want you to try and influence or control me.
Frontin' stress I'm superman motherfucker
I don't need your drama or negativity, I can handle anything on my own.
Without the "s" on my chest
I don't claim to be perfect, but I can still handle my own problems.
Trying to step in my circle I'm leaving you purple and black
If you try to cross me or invade my space, I will fight back and hurt you.
On your back drop your ass like a heart attack
I will knock you down and make you regret trying to mess with me.
Rippin' through your life like a motherfuckin'
I will destroy everything you care about and make your life miserable if you don't leave me alone.
Hurricane fist full of Novocain for the pain
I am powerful and can cause a lot of damage, but I can also numb the pain of my own emotions.
You're nothing in my life in my head
You have no real significance or importance to me.
You're nothing in my life in my land
You don't have any control or influence over me or my life.
You're under my fuckin' skin!
You're getting to me emotionally and mentally, and I can't seem to shake you off.
I have cleansed my life now of the people who pry
I have removed the people who were trying to hurt me or control my life.
And threaten place always in my face I think it's time for them to
I don't want to deal with anyone who is trying to cause me harm or stress.
Go away always in my fuckin' space,
Leave me alone and give me my personal space.
Always in my scene always in my sight,
You're always around me, trying to get involved in my life or problems.
Always in my way
You're constantly blocking me or standing in the way of what I want and need.
You're dead to me punk ass fuck
I don't care about you or your problems anymore, and I don't want anything to do with you.
There's nothing left
You're gone from my life and there's nothing left for us to say or do.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHAD L. GRAY, GREG TRIBBETT, MATTHEW MCDONOUGH, RYAN MARTINIE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind