Mudvayne
L.D.50

Ladies and gentlemen, this is the best nu metal band currently on the scene, Mudvayne.

I wouldn't have said it a year ago; back then I considered them "the classic little nu-metal band," nothing to do with the genre creators like Korn and Deftones, but similar to various pseudo-musicians like Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit (from 2000 onwards), Papa Roach, Ill Nino, and other mediocre bands... well, after listening to them I've changed my mind! The most technically proficient band of the genre mentioned at the beginning consists of four members; Chad Gray, a very capable singer (a good drummer like Vinnie Paul even called him for a side project, just to say that I'm not the only one who thinks highly of the frontman...), Ryan Martinie, a bassist who more than holds his own compared to the bass legends (Rex Brown, Les Claypool, Fieldy, Cliff Burton come to mind...), Greg Tribbett, guitarist and Matthew McDonough, drummer, also not bad at all.

The four released their first album in 2000, namely "L.D. 50," which means "Lethal Dosage" and it is a term used in medicine (from what I've read) to indicate toxic substances capable of killing one in two people. Returning to the album, you can clearly hear the classic canons of nu-metal but also notice influences from Primus (in the bass, truly extraordinary...) and Tool (in the claustrophobic atmospheres).

The best song of the album is undoubtedly "Dig." If it doesn't verge on perfection, it's very close; a mix of Claypoolian bass, very powerful guitar and drum riffs, and a brutal and captivating voice. "Death Blooms" is also excellent, my second favorite track. The rest of the songs (excellent), therefore "Cradle," "Nothing to Gain," "Everything and Nothing," "Prod," and others, are tracks with almost never straightforward rhythms, but which nonetheless intrigue even more. Furthermore, it's not easy to make 6/7 minute songs without boring a listener... the interludes are also excellent (another "debt" with Tool).

So; an exceptional album, the band's best, which certainly has great potential and is continuing to show it. For those who believe that nu metal is not just the crap made by the groups mentioned at the beginning of my review, this album can only do them good!