Customer Reviews

Lost & Found

5 star:		(94)
4 star:		(45)
3 star:		(23)
2 star:		(17)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

I have read so very many reviews on here about this album and how it is not like L.D. 50. Well, you know what? Its not like L.D. 50! There are some simularities yes, but no, its no L.D. 50. Like one reviewer put it: "If you want to hear L.D. 50..." put it in your cd player.

With that being said, my actual rating is 4.5 stars. Amazon has not embraced the progression of fractional ratings yet so I have to do it verbally. This is a great album from start to finish. This bands' sound is very tight and together. We have yet again wonderful basswork from L.D. 50 (that was not very present in their sophmore outting), great guitar work as always and great back-up vocals, outstanding lyrics and the drums have never sounded better. What an improvment from the mediocre sophmore effort.

If you are a fan of this band I see no reason for you not liking this release. Take this album for what it is (great) and dont bash it because it is not an L.D. 50 replica. Thanks for reading and enjoy listening to this great Cd.

To all metal fans who feel like all hope is lost and Nu-metal jokes such as Nickelback have brainwashed music with their sissy songs and are opressing true rock fans, I have some good news: Jump on Mudvayne's back and ride them back to the promiseland.

Mudvayne is exactly what rock needs right now. They have changed their approach, not only have they adapted to a more straightforward image but are expanding their musical talent considerably. Mudvayne is no longer made up of guys with names from the Cling-on dictionary or appearing as if they were just massacred by Freddy Crouger. Nowadays its just good 'ole Chad, Greg, Ryan, and Matt in street clothes. Fans liked the switch because it sent the message that they would allow their loyal followers to get more intimate with the band, and econmically it was beneficial because they sent the message to new listeners that they were about music, not image.

With the background information out of the way, I can tell you about this album. "Lost and Found" is hands-down Mudvayne's crowning achievement. "End of All Things to Come" was a great album, but I was fearing that it was a fluke. "Lost and Found" shattered that notion. "Lost and Found" proved that Mudvayne is committed to expanding their musical range and "L.D. 50" was just the typical first album-glimpses of potential greatness, but for the most part still unharnessed.

"Lost and Found" has more widespread appeal than "L.D. 50" and "End of All Things to Come". Not only does it contain more songs acceptable to the mainstream audience, but metal fans will appreciate this album also because it is their most technically difficult and contains very complex, layered passages that requires sheer wizardry to execute. There are hints of Megadeth in this album, but Chad Gray can wail with the best of them, whereas Dave Mustain can not.

The first track is 'Determined', a throwback to the Mudvayne of old--sonically ferocious and attacks with aggression. 'Happy?' is the third track but the first treasure on this album, it demonstrates Chad Gray's vocal capabilities and shows he is mastering melody. 'Fall Into Sleep' is a dark ballad, complete with a deep, rich sound. It is easily my favorite track on this album. It lures you in with its hypnotic bass line, then dissects with its overpowering chorus. Yet again, compliments to Chad Gray because you can feel the emotion in his screams, you connect with his substance.

Tracks 6-12 are very solid, there is no drop off at any point. 'Choices' is an excellent song with perhaps the most melody, but it spills over to the 7 minute mark; a bit too long for me. 'Forget to Remember' is fast-paced, and very catchy, and the lyrics are very deep and refined. 'Forget to Remember' is also more mainstream, and just simply keeps repeating in your head long after the CD player was turned off; the brightest spot on the latter half of the disc. 'TV Radio' is also catchy, but the lyrics come across as somewhat uninspired.
'All That You Are' is the power ballad, and perhaps the masterpiece of the entire album. 'All That You Are' is a probing anthem that showcases emotion and lyrical substance rather than mesmerizing riffs.

All together, this is a very excellent album. "Lost and Found" may be the third album, but it is Mudvayne's coming-out album. Previously, Mudvayne would leave a lasting visual with their appalling image, but now the immense skill is what is most evident.

If you are a fan of good hard rock music but never warmed up to Mudvayne because they initially were way too radical, you should really give this album a chance. You will like what you find. Metal fans will love this album because the music is both technically complex and empowering. Mostly though, the vocals are what pushes this album over the top. Chad Gray has made the committment to melody and departure from madness. While he is not in the elite category of great voices such as Maynard James Keenan, Layne Staley, or Scott Weiland, this is his best performance to date.

A very solid album, and a very safe purchase.

Mudvayne is easily the best hard rock/metal band on the scene these days, and "Lost and Found" is hands-down their best compilation thus far.

Okay, so this album is not L.D. 50 or TEOATTC, but Lost and Found is still a powerful album by Mudvayne. Some of the songs sway to the more radio-friendly catchy side, but this doesn't stop the band from letting loose with strong lyrics or great muscianship. Lost and Found still rocks, and I'd still put it above most other recent metal albums that have come out. Give this album a chance. You won't have thrown away your money.

Mudvayne have come rather far from their 2000 major label debut, "L.D. 50." The album was an instant success with listeners -- it's pleasing combination of nu-metal and prog-rock was unlike anything heard before (although many people gave them a "Smart Slipknot" label). Not only did the music (and their commanding live show) grab your attention, so did the group's bizarre stage names, and even stranger make-up that they wore. When it was time for 2002's follow-up album, "The End Of All Things To Come" (cleverly titled after their 2001 indie album re-release), not only did the band shed their former image for an even more elborate one, they changed up musically quite a bit. The style was a little softer and, quite bluntly, simple. It was a difficult transition and had mixed reactions from their rabid fanbase. Well, three years later, the boys seem to have taken their time with this one, and incidentally, have given up the stage names and any form of disguise.

"Lost And Found," produced by Dave Fortman (Snot, Evanescence) takes both sides of Mudvayne and mix them up into one satisfying stew. For fans of "L.D. 50," you've got your more complex material, and for fans of "The End...," you have the more emotional and subdued material. Any fan of heavy music, period, can find something in it to appreciate. The same classic ingredients are here: chunky guitar riffs, funky bass-lines, powerful drumming, and vocals that are as melodic as they are pained. Songs like "Determined" and "Pushing Through" are classic Mudvayne, and the first single "Happy?" as well, is the only song that stands a chance on the radio. Elsewhere, the band takes more chances, such as with the hypnotizing "Choices." It's the longest song, but the band changes the tempo so much and keeps taking unexpected turns, up until the engaging climax, that it almost seems like three seperate songs. "TV Radio" is a rather amusing anthem that takes aim at the current world of pop-culture (one line in the song: "I'm overdosing on reality," pretty much sums up the attitude) -- it's just too bad that they lifted the hook from Disturbed's "The Fear" -- whether it was known by the band or not, the theft still kind of degrades what is an otherwise outstanding song. "All That You Are" is probably the first glimpse of sunshine the band lets in, with an overall positive message (despite the title, it's not a ballad) and it even quotes on of my favorite movies, "The Shawshank Redemption." Unfortunately, the album as a whole isn't quite as good as it could be. Too many of the songs blend together, making for a rather redundant listen. The more melodic and emotional tracks also seem to be missing the intensity and fire that songs of past like "-1" and "(Per)Version Of A Truth" had. Also, Mudvayne have always seemed like one of those bands that has yet to reach their full potential. Every time they release an album, I expect them to tear the roof off, but I feel they have yet to make the definitive Mudvayne album. Fact of the matter is, a lot of this release sounds just as frustrated as "The End Of All Things To Come," even though it's obviously superior.

All things considered, at the very least Mudvayne are still staying true to their sound, which is refreshing. They aren't taking their music to the extreme where they are competing with their heavier, more classic sounding "Headbanger's Ball" peers, nor are they appealing to the emo scene. So for that, Mudvayne have my respect. It takes balls to release an album as awkward and unorthodox as this on a major label, therefore, I will always look forward to each and every Mudvayne release.

This is the album I was most looking forward to this year. Mudvayne has impressed me a great deal with their last two albums, with their full-on frontal assault of structurally complex metal. Their music appealed to two sides of my tastes, the metalhead and the prog-rock nerd. Upon hearing "Determined," I had hoped that we would all be in for the same level of quality for this new album. After all, they had decided to remove the makeup and let the music speak for itself. Now, while I do really enjoy Lost and Found, I have to say that it's a bit of a disappointing affair. I really think the band is playing it safe on this album, and trying to put out music marketed directly to all the angry high school kids who usually buy this type of music. I can practically hear the producer (Dave Fortman, former member of Ugly Kid Joe, and lately producer of bands Evanescence and 12 Stones) standing off to the side saying, "Come on! More lyrics about how no one understands you, or else this won't hit the target audience!" (A direct quote from "IMN," "No one could ever understand, this life..." Oh, please! You guys are better than that! You've always been angry, but now you're just getting whiney.) Their producer has also apparently informed them that straying from the normal 4/4 time signature can alienate potential buyers, so most of this album remains safely in common time. One of the major saving graces, however, is the fact that most of the songs have some sort of jacked-up syncopated tempo. This helps to give the album the math metal feel that most of their music has always had. Another is the fact that they are all still top-notch musicians, and that shines through on all the songs. Honestly, I hope they team back up with the producers from L.D. 50 and get back to their roots. Oh, and they should take a cue from Tool and learn how to surpass the doom-'n'-gloom lyrics. (With the exception of one song, Lateralus was entirely about transcending the negative, not wallowing in it.) Then they'll be able to truly stand above bands like Slipknot, Mushroomhead and Killswitch Engage.

I'm going to make it very clear right from the start, despite it most likely being an unpopular opinion, that I find this album to be EXTREMELY disappointing. To anyone who claims there is no difference between this and L.D.50, or even End of All Things, I say: You know very little about music and cannot appreciate L.D.50 for the innovative piece it is. I know that is a sweeping statement that I will regret making as hoardes of teenagers come home from Hot Topic to hop on their computers and flame my opinions... but it's true, I can't take anyone seriously who does not recognize the creativity and inginuity involved in Mudvayne's major label debut, most of which unfortunately might take a musician to notice. This is probably why a lot of people love this new album, and I do not.

So now, since this is a review of Lost and Found and not a review of L.D.50, I will attempt to support my opinion in as much detail as I can muster.

The first thing that comes to me is, this sounds like a band trying to rip Mudvayne off. It shows some bits of this and that which are trademark Mudvayne (bass guitar acrobatics, abnormal rhythms, etc.) but a lot of it comes off as watered down. Who is the dunce that told Mudvayne they had to water down their sound? The interesting parts of this album are islands in a sea of overproduced aggro nu metal shlock. I can turn my radio to the local hard rock station and hear band after band that does this sound, day in day out.

Why does Mudvayne now feel they have to do this as well? They have stated in interviews that they wanted to tone down the musicianship from L.D.50 in order to be more tasteful. This worked on End of All Things, but I guess the next logical step was to remove the creativity from the equation for this album.

Of course, these are all the harshest things up front, and there are parts of this album I like quite a bit. Song by song analysis reveals that there are only a handful of really BAD songs. One of these is Determined (or F***ing Determined, if you prefer.) I'm sorry but this song is AWFUL. The riffs are boring crap and Chad Gray's voice obviously has sustained a lot of damage from years of screaming. The only redeeming quality? None. Skip this song. It's garbage. I'm sure the kids at ozzfest will LOVE it...

Another song not even worth your time is TV Radio. Last I checked, Mudvayne was NOT an emo band. The lyrics are absolute drivel, especially the chorus. Sadly, the only good thing may actually be Greg's guitar work - it's one of the only guitar parts on this album that isn't all power chords.

Lastly, Pulling the String is interesting at face value... but the "band trying to rip off Mudvayne" comparison comes to mind. Mudvayne have established a track record of ending their albums on the dramatic note with very heavy, strange, and technical songs ("Know Forever," "A Key to Nothing")... there's only one thing wrong with this one - it's not interesting, particularely technical, or even very heavy. It sounds like a lesser band attempting to copy Mudvayne. I dislike this one mostly out of the expectations I had for it before even listening to it, but even after giving it a second chance I don't like it that much.

That all said, there are some great songs on here. Happy? is a great melodic tune, although I would complain that it is a bit repetative and predictable. IMN has some great riffing that reminds me a bit of "Trapped in the Wake of a Dream" in its shifty nature. Rain Sun Gone and Choices form a solid core for the album, two of my favorite songs on this album. If only it weren't for that infuriating "eenie meenie miney moe" chant sampled into the latter song... ugh... Last, the sincerity of All That You Are makes up for the watered down balladry of Fall Into Sleep (which isn't actually TOO bad..)

All in all, for a nu metal album it's pretty good. But Mudvayne isn't just some random nu metal band, they're a unique band with impressive chops and creative minds... maybe their sophomore jynx came an album late? Or maybe pressure from the record company to produce a big seller had a noticeable affect on this most recent batch of songs? Up until now, Mudvayne has not been just some nu metal band, and I expect a lot more out of them knowing what they are capable of.

Whatever happened, the handful of great songs here and getting to see Ryan play the living hell out of his bass in concert will hopefully hold me over until their next album... here's hoping this isn't the start of a pattern.

Lost and Found, simply put, is an extraoridinary record. Now, I do realize that many of the tight-knit L.D. 50 fans might disapprove, but I could care less. People fear change. Hell, if Mudvayne doesn't release L.D. 50 II people seem to resent the band. However, this band has grown so much with Lost and Found.

Determined - 10/10 - The energy to this song is incredible. I love its aggression and how fast it moves. It really pumps you up for what's to come.

Pushing Through - 10/10 - This song really continues the Determined vibe with an in-your-face Metal sound. Great guitar leads this song. Excellent screams, just like the opener.

Happy? - 10/10 - One hell of a song. I can't get enough of the melody and how Chad goes from mellow to aggressive. It's a very powerful song with a lot of meaning. Great flow...

Imn - 10/10 - Hold on tight for this one...This song is extremely aggressive with amazing lyrics. I don't know how Chad hits these notes. I've never heard his voice soaggressive. Ryan goes crazy on this one (bass).

Fall into Sleep - 10/10 - Wow...This song really put a stamp on the cd. It's so melodic, with a great riff and amazing lyrics. It's a new element to Mudvayne's sound, one that I readily accept. This song shows how diverse this band really is.

Rain. Sun. Gone. - 10/10 - This song has a lot of clever lyrics, as well as a great chorus. One thing I love about this song is that it really picks up and gets better, just like (Per)Verson of a Truth off of The End of All Things to Come.

Choices - 10/10 - 8 minute opus baby. This song is hard, yet it intertwines melody and emotion. This song has so many layers and so many different sides to it, it makes it that much better. I realize that people may have had a problem with, "ini mini moni mo" but it grew on me...I wouldn't have it any other way.

Forget to Remember - 10/10 - More of the heavy/melodics that Mudvayne is profound for. It has a great chorus with sick instrumentals. I love it.

TV Radio - 9/10 - Another new element of Mudvayne. People may not enjoy it as much but if you listen to the lyrics, you'll know exactly what Chad is talking about. Just read them...Other than that, solid song.

Just - 10/10 - I love Chad's tones in this one. The overall aggression to the song is amazing. Great elements with the chorus make this song great.

All That You Are - 10/10 - This song completely blew me away. It's so emotional and heartwrenching, especially at the beginning. The way the insrumentals come in is amazing. So much meaning. Great flow. Amazing interlude enar the end with Chad's voice.

Pulling the String - 10/10 - Great way to end this record. This song is great across the board. Amazing lyrics and a sick chorus. The instrumentals work well together. I love the way it ends.

All in all, I am extremely pleased. This band has so many elements, and so many weapons. One of the best cds I've ehard in a while. It's a medium between L.D. 50 and The End of All Things to Come. Although the raw aspect of the songs favour L.D. 5O, the song writing itself (and movement of the songs) resembles The End of All Things to Come. With that said, it's diverse in its own way.

The Mudvayne CD lost and found contains catchy riffs and cool bass lines.
Songs have decent groove expecially determined, imn and few episodes from other songs.
Or, the basist is awesome , but guitar work is not that interesting... drummer is ok.
Also , this guys have heavy sound, they go for comercial mainstream sound.
And for fan of technical extreme metal this is may seem boring, but you download can few songs online....
5/10 or 2.5/5

Id first like to say that I am a HUGE Mudvayne fan. But I honestly cannot listen to this CD knowing they made albums like TEO and LD 50.
I am, still floored by the musical and lyrical depth Mudvayne showed in TEO and glimpses in LD 50. The lyrics in TEO had so much emotion to them I actually am beginning to believe that Chad may have been abused when he was young. (From the baby crying in Poop Loser while ppl are telling him he will never amount to nothing, Nothing to Gein - a weird fixation on the abused and just weird Ed Gein, Skryings focus on sexual abuse, etc).
But this album lacks any real depth, likewise the guitar, bass, and drum work is not as complex as TEO. Chad can still sing against any singer from any genre. Although he is getting older, and in recent concerts sounds out of breath at times.
I strongly disagree with the claim that Mudvayne is more mature. Sure, they dont wear make-up on the promos anymore. But have you guys seen them in concert??? They still dress up with regularity;leads me to believe they left off the make-up cuz of outside pressures and for the $$$ of course. And the lack of lyrical depth in this CD shows a move away from maturity, into the mundane, thoughtless, "radio rock".
While this CD is not bad compared to things like Staind, Disturbed, Godsmack, etc. Everything "Mudvayne" about LD and TEO was left out. No lyrical depth, I think few people truely understood many of their albums because a lack of religious knowledge, so much about The tree of life, taoism, and hermetic philosophy.
A change in style for both greg and Ryan, and a lack of lyrical depth really sets this album off from their previous 2 (or 3/4 if you count Kill, I oughtaa/TBOA) in a really bad way.
If you do not care or appreciate the lyical depth of TEO and LD, thats ok, and you will probably enjoy this CD. However I cannot listen to a CD like this after the amazing previous albums

"boo mudvayne sold out, you know why, cuz i heard them on the radio, o my god what sellouts. and they changed their music a little bit too, boo u stupid sellouts, you should have just kept re-releasing LD 50 cuz that record ruled and this one isnt LD 50, boo u suck sellouts"

...ya thats the basic consensus i see in most of the negative reviews for this album. Why is this a sellout record? Are you actually serious about a band just releasing the same exact sound every time. THats why people make fun of AC/DC, theyv been around for years, the only sound change was with the singers. yet for some reason, all these people get mad when MuDvAyNe changes their sound. And i guess its a sin these days to actually have a song on the radio. My god, so the band is making more money, its not like thats all they do it for. I'm sick of people saying how bands should just never make money and stay underground forever. sorry, thats not how it works.

now for my review. i really like this album. yes it is a new twist for MuDvAyNe, but its a good one, and they didnt change as much as some say. "Determined" is most definetly their token mosh song, and though i like "Dig" and "Not Falling" better, its still quality. "Pushing Through" reminds me of "Silenced" from End of All Things, they both have the same intense bridges. I dont care what any whiney bitch has to say, "Happy?" is a kickass song and i dont care if i heard it on the radio either. Other good tracks include "Fall Into Sleep" "Forget to Remember" "Choices" and "All You Are." I do believe that LD 50 was in fact the best MuDvAyNe album, but i dont believe that all quality in their music died after that. If a band doesnt change, they disappear, and MuDvAyNe is here to stay, so quit with your sellout campaigns