End of All Things to Come (Bonus Dvd) [LIMITED EDITION] [EXPLICIT LYRICS]

CD:
1. "Silenced" 5/5. Heavy & aggressive guitar/percussion with screaming vocals all the way. One of the heaviest songs on the album.
2. "Trapped in the Wake of a Dream" 5/5. Eclectic mix of screaming/melodic vocals backed with aggressive to heavy guitar/percussion; overall a very heavy song.
3. "Not Falling" 5+/5. Very reminiscent to the previous album, "L.D. 50" with its fast percussion & rhythmic guitars mixed with mostly-melodic/screaming vocals.
4. "(Per) Version of Truth" 4/5. Slower song with more melodic vocals, but giving way to more aggressive choruses.
5. "Mercy, Severity" 5/5. A fast & aggressive guitar/percussion beginning giving way to soft & melodic vocals, but quickly going back to very aggressive choruses.
6. "World So Cold" 5+/5. One of the best songs on the album, this song begins as a percussionless, melodic ballad but transforms cleanly into a more aggressive percussion-driven song with a mix of aggressive/melodic vocals & guitar. The beginning ballad is repeated in the song, but with percussion. Very well done guys!
7. "The Patient Mental" 4/5. An eclectic mix of aggressive/soft guitar and screaming/singing vocals.
8. "Skrying" 4/5. Aggressive, pounding guitar with screaming vocals giving way to a soft melodic center; but erupting back into a more aggressive ending.
9. "Solve Et Corgula" 4/5. Powerful guitar & percussion with mix of emotional screaming/singing vocals.
10. "Shadow of a Man" 5+/5. Aggressive guitar/percussion with mix of screams/singing vocals at a slower speed, then speed picks up with more rhythmic (but powerful) section. This song changes speeds several times. Very well done!
11. "12:99:24:99" N/A. Silent track, probably the website data-key.
12. "The End of All Things to Come" 4.5/5. Fast & heavy guitar/percussion with screams, much more heavy metal than nu-metal sound.
13. "A Key to Nothing" 5/5. Powerful, heavy vocals accompanied by aggressive rhythmic guitar.

Limited Edition Album Bonus DVD:
1. "In the Studio" 4/5. Video of the band in the recording studio working on "Not Falling".
2. "Photo Shoot" 5/5. Video of the band having busts of their head made and showing them receiving their full latex appliances & make-up for their new alien look.
3. "Downtime" 4/5. Video of the quartet riding bicycles & dirt bikes.
4. "The Interview" 5/5. +++ Video of Spüg & Rü-d having breakfast & discussing the recording & creation of this new album.
5. "Goodbye" 5+/5. Previously unreleased song. A tauntingly dark, nearly percussionless & very melodic ballad that begins with the tin-sounds of a toy piano similar to a celesta, but much more tinny.
6. "On the Move" 5+/5. Previously unreleased song. Fast & aggressive guitar/percussion with very aggressive vocals leading to more melodic choruses. This song is also reminiscent of the previous album "L.D. 50" and includes some speed changes.

By and large, Mudvayne is a very talented group whose matured sound will probably continue to only get better with each new album. I highly recommend this limited edition album to any heavy/nu-metal music fan over the regular album since it includes the two previously unreleased songs on the DVD that further illustrate Mudvayne's musicianship & dynamic range. Overall, I give this album 5 out of 5 stars!

No. It is not.

Is it BETTER than "L.D. 50?"

Yes it is! Very much so. I know, I thought it couldn't be done. "L.D. 50" was a great album with some intense singing, rhythmic and heavy guitar and drum playing, and an overwhelming delivery. I found nothing wrong with that album, and I thought it would be pretty hard to top it.

"The End of All Things to Come" is better than "L.D. 50" on all fronts, or at least I think so. I'm sure many will feel differently, but I'm just telling you my overall impression of the album. The singing and lyrics have definitely improved, as well as the instrumental front improving in a very dramatic way. The guitars and drums are really something to hear when you pop this bad boy in. There are heavy songs, and there are mellow songs. And then there are those that are in between.

I could not find one bad song on this entire album. I have listened to it many, many times, and I have found all of the songs to be great. My favorite ones are "not falling," "world so cold," "silenced," "(per)version of truth," "mercy, severity," "shadow of a man," and "the end of all things to come." Those are the songs I have listened to repeatedly, and haven't grown tired of them yet.

The bonus DVD included with the limited edition version of this album is well worth the extra dough. It also includes two previously unreleased tracks. Very cool stuff. Everything a Mudvayne fan would want.

All in all, I found "The End of All Things to Come" to be a marvelous and awesome album; undoubtedly Mudvayne's best work, or at least that's how I feel. It's very heavy, and yet very mellow. And then there's a mixture of both. Chances are that if you were a fan of "L.D. 50," then you will enjoy this one just as much, if not more. I'm happy to say this is NOT "L.D. 50 part 2." Though there are similarities, this album has a look and feel of its own. Very happy with this new album. I couldn't had asked for more.

Well, on "The End of All Things To Come", Bottrill's work with the group has paid off in letting them more fully realize their ambition and the potential of their musical talent. Their second major label album is a slicker, more refined, and mature version of the music that they have been making for several years. The production values have grown while the excess fat has been cut out - they have created a lean, mean record. As lead singer, now christened "Chud", explains on the limited edition DVD that accompanies the disc - "The album is at the same time much harder than the hardest track on LD 50 and much mellower than the mellowest track on LD 50, with everything in between" - from a dynamics standpoint, he hits the nail on the head. Like their closest metal kin, Tool, their new songs are razor sharp, rhythmically precise, immensely melodic, with the rhythm section never veering out of control. This is progressive, rhymically challenging metal; although not as much so as say, Dream Theater or Fates Warning. Another thing of note is that the bass isn't as prominent as it was on LD 50. On the surface, this could be perceived as a bad thing, but with the bass taking a step back, it actually allows the other instruments to intertwine better and create a more cohesive band sound (and btw, the drumming on this record is amazing). The vocals have improved greatly over the debut, with less reliance on the "hoarse death shout" and more on "clean" vocal melody. The lyrics are above average for the genre - they border on ridiculous and cliche in some instances, but for the most part they are well written and are more thoughtful than your standard issue metal lyrics. Finally, like most challenging albums, it takes more than a couple of spins to completely sink in, but it is quite rewarding after you take the time to absorb what it has to offer.

My final overall opinion is that this is album is highly recommended to progressive metal fans. Mudvayne have proved with "The End of All Things To Come" that there are still some great "thinking man" metal records being made today. If you have enjoyed the last two Tool albums or even a fan of more "extreme" prog metal such as Opeth, this album will make a great addition to your record collection.