MuDvAyNe - THE HISTORY AND MORE
MUDVAYNE
Ryknow – bass
Gurrg – guitar
sPaG – drums
Kud – vocals

There's reason to be afraid. There's very good reason indeed, if you're someone who likes their music unchallenging, simple, and easy to define and digest. But if you want something dark, mysterious, savage, and unsettling, something that will force you to confront the unknown and possibly alter the way you look at the world, then prepare yourself for Mudvayne.

It's no coincidence that the opening track on Mudvayne's stunningly heavy debut album, L.D. 50, is titled "Monolith," after the brooding alien artifact at the heart of Stanley Kubrick's classic 2001: A Space Odyssey.

"The overall theme of the album reflects and embodies ideas about the evolution of consciousness, transformation, and the risks involved in experimenting with things that can change a person's point of view, internally and externally," says drummer sPaG. "And the monolith in Kubrick's film was also a representation of that."

Like that cryptic black object, Mudvayne keep their secrets well-even their faces are hidden in hal-lucinatory colors and symbols-but make no bones about their desire to fuck with your head. Taking the intensity of the new school of heavy rock one step further, Mudvayne has left a long trail of shattered preconceptions and blown minds in their wake. Next victims: the world at large.

"L.D. 50 is a medical term used by pharmacologists to measure how toxic a substance is," explains sPaG about the album's enigmatic title. "It stands for Lethal Dosage 50, which represents how much of a chemical it takes to kill fifty out of a hundred test subjects."

"The metaphor is that the things that can potentially open your mind, expand your consciousness, and show you a new vision of yourself and the world also have a risk involved in them and a consequence. It's about how far you can push the envelope before it gets dangerous, which is a way we'd like to see our work perceived as well."

sPaG and his cohorts have been pushing the envelope for four-and-a-half years, ever since Mudvayne first conspired together in the forbidding wastelands of Peoria, Illinois, circa 1996. sPaG, Kud, and Gurrg, with a different bass player (Ryknow came aboard two years later), found each other after ten years in the usual maze of local outfits, immediately sharing a vision of their own musical apocalypse.

The band began gigging regularly, winning over audiences from Denver to Philadelphia with an un-matched intensity and a musical attack that was increasingly intricate and brutal. Somewhere along the line, the four members began painting their faces as well, adding an extra layer of mystery to their dense, foreboding approach.

"We always wanted to try and bring some visual aspect to what we did, but of course our budget lim-ited what we could do," says sPaG. "The makeup thing just came upon us." But the drummer also cautions not to read too much into the band's war paint: "It doesn't necessarily symbolize anything, and I'd really hate to see things like that taken too literally," he insists. "I feel the same way about our music - we try to leave it up to the listener to make their own opinions about what it is we're really do-ing."

The concepts behind Mudvayne's music - a twisting roller coaster ride comprised of gargantuan, de-monic riffs, serpentine rhythms, and Kud's expressive, multi-dimensional vocals, offset by kaleidoscopic effects and samples taken from subjects like evolved consciousness guru Terence McKenna - were gen-erated organically through the band's shared interests.

"The band has been really influenced by movies and directors, that sort of thing," reports sPaG. "Kubrick's work in general has influenced us, but 2001 especially - some of the metaphors in that movie were a real big influence on the writing of this album. It was just a natural progression for us to pull each other into exploring these ideas together, which is exciting for us because we're still at the beginning of exploring how we work together as artists."

Having recorded one self-released album, Kill I Oughta, Mudvayne was more than ready to take their ideas to a larger platform, and Epic A&R exec Steve Richards was happy to oblige them. Next began the real alchemy of getting Mudvayne's dizzying energy and technicality properly recorded, with famed producer Garth Richardson (Rage Against The Machine, L7).

"It was the most horribly beautiful experience I've ever had," recalls sPaG. "It was very, very straining, very psychologically straining, but it was also awesome to realize your vision on that level, to have that kind of equipment available to you, and the expertise from a producer like Garth.

"We worked around the clock, and some of the engineers we had with us literally went for days with-out sleep. It was very, very time-intensive. We didn't party. We were recording in Vancouver but didn't get to see the town-we were just there and we worked and that was it. It was very intense, and Garth ran a tight ship."

"Making the record was crazy. It was all about work," recalls Kud, a Clockwork Orange fanatic who claims to have gargled gravel in his youth, about which details are sketchy.

"There were songs I left alone and didn't mess with until we were in the studio, which was not a smart idea considering the time and budget constraints we were under. I wrote 'Pharmaecopia' and 'Nothing To Gein' on our last night in the studio, before the tapes were sent to New York to be mixed. The pres-sure was insane."

But the end result was worth the harrowing experience, with Mudvayne's music already earning the accolades of fellow musical shock therapists Slipknot, whose percussionist Shawn "6" Crahan serves as executive producer on L.D. 50. The two bands have also been sharing the stage this past spring on Slipknot's headlining tour and this summer's Tattoo The Earth mega-fest.

"They're a great band and they're great people," enthuses Kud. "Shawn's seen something in us that was very genuine, and I also hope that people can see that the music is very passionate and honest. We stand behind it and we believe in it."

One thing is certain: The frontal assault of Mudvayne's music may be too lethal a dosage for some to take. "I really feel like we're trying to do something different and test the waters here," concludes Kud, before warning ominously: "If you're scared of it, don't buy it."

Formed in native des moines,iowa the 9 piece nu-metal band has gradually built up fans and strength!Formed in 1995 and released mate.feed.kill.repeat in 1996 wiv a few different members.Getting big was helped when they offered and went on ozzfest 99' and they stunned crowds in usa in the blistering heat givin off every cent of energy!

KoRn - THE HISTORY AND MORE
Out of the small town of Bakersfield, California, in the early nineties, came a sound. A faint whisper at first, it grew in force and intensity with time, unhindered by the yapping mouths of politicians and parents alike. It rang in their ears. It plagued their minds. It genuinely terrified them. The voice, talking in low-tuned rhythmic tones, spoke for a generation that would have no more of modern America and its leaders. A generation fed-up with lies, violence and greed from their own society. It grew and grew as more and more people realized the veracity of its claims, and adhered to its cause. The politicians grew fearful, and attempted to end its spread by censoring and denouncing. Little did they know that, six years later, that small whisper would grow into a deafening scream, a disturbingly present reminder of its own existence, and of its legions of followers...

KoRn have revolutionized heavy music as we know it (or used to know it), by injecting several different musical influences into traditional rock, from hip-hop and rap, to 70's funk music. This strange blend gives KoRn a sound of its own. The different styles involved do, theoretically, contradict themselves, but bound together by KoRn's musical savoir-faire, give the songs such atmosphere that the show-goers cannot simply sit in their seats and say "Hmmm... nice." They feel the urge to jump in the mosh pit and enjoy the music at its core, letting all of their energy flow with the tonal explosion that KoRn puts out for them. This is how KoRn wins fans with steady, unrelenting touring, giving the fans the full experience and thus winning them for life. This strategy has given KoRn a much longer life span than the passing fad. And it shows no sign of stopping.

Debuting strongly with their first, self-titled album, KoRn introduced itself bluntly to the world, featuring lightning-fast drum arrangements by David, frightening, Halloween-like guitar riffs by guitarists Munky and Head, impressive hammer-style bass lines by Fieldy, and authentically emotional vocals by Jonathan. The largely autobiographical songs written by Jonathan depicted a childhood lost, and were sung with such fierce emotion and energy, that he won instant compassion by fans everywhere.

The way KoRn achieve their peculiar sound is very different from other bands. The first major difference is the use of seven-string guitars by Head and Munky. The extra string gives the guitar a much lower tonality, allowing KoRn's guitarists a wider range of chords to execute. Not to be dominated by conformity, Head and Munky also tune their guitars in a way very different than most rock guitarists. This gives KoRn's guitar riffs a distinct feel, an almost eerie blend of hard-biting low tones and shrilling high tones. The frequent use of the Minor second, Tritone and Major seventh chords, the three intervals that most disturb the human ear, complete KoRn's guitar individuality. Fieldy's bass setup also differs from most bands. Using a five string bass tuned down to a rumbly low A D G C F, and employing a unique and amazing hammer-style/damping technique, Fieldy gives the KoRn bass lines a very rhythmic, almost percussion-like personality. It is by differing from the sludge of average bands that KoRn has gained success.

KoRn's first album went double platinum. From the hard, heart-pumping sounds of "Ball Tongue," to the slow, devastatingly emotional "Daddy," fans were mesmerized by the plethora of music and sentiments presented before them. Also featured in this album was KoRn's show-opening song "Blind," the irreverent "Shoots and Ladders", the mind numbingly fast "Divine" and the universally appealing "Need To." The whole album, in fact, was a metaphor for childhood, from the picture of a young girl on the cover, to the child's writing on the inside of the booklet, and the mocking misspelling of "corn" with a K and a reversed R. It became readily apparent to fans that what Jonathan had to say was not the usual "Oh, my girlfriend left me..." insincere vocals projected by most bands. Instead, there were the disconcertingly true tales of a man whose life was ruined by past events. The emotional ties thus formed between KoRn and their fans were total. KoRn did not, however, let this early success go to their heads, realizing that fans are the livelihood of a band. They continued touring massively, steadily earning a name in the underground rock scene.

In 1996, KoRn ventured out with their second double platinum outing, Life is Peachy, which showed no signs of faltering quality. From the insanely bizarre "Twist" to the groovy "Good God." KoRn had not failed in their mission to bring their fans great music to enjoy, surpassing their original level of quality.

1998 was a very busy year for KoRn. While spending time perfecting their third album Follow The Leader, KoRn also worked on several other projects, including their own rock festival, The Family Values Tour, their own record label, Elementree Records, and a weekly Internet program called "KoRn T.V."

In making Follow The Leader, KoRn took their time to ensure that this album would benefit from the success of both previous albums, giving Follow The Leader a crisp, higher quality new sound. This album also incorporated various guest artists from Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit and Ice Cube, to Trevant Hardson of Pharcyde and Cheech Marin. Needless to say, Follow The Leader was a smash hit. The album reached triple platinum status, the single "Got The Life" continuously played on the radio, while the "Freak on a Leash" music video went on to win two awards at the 1999 MTV Music Video Awards. The men from KoRn had accomplished the journey from anonymity to megastardom, and while some bands might have felt the urge to give in and "sell out", KoRn maintained their integrity, both moral and musical, and now, in 1999, are ready to unleash their biggest album yet to an ocean of thirsty fans.

At the time of this writing, not much is known of KoRn's new album Issues. The members have maintained a tight lid on their new project. However, for those lucky enough to attend this year's Woodstock, KoRn indulged their fans by performing two songs from their new album. What is there to say about the new songs? Everything is done right. It is a personification of KoRn's evolution, and to the trained KoRn fan's ear, one can hear all of KoRn's different musical stages. Accessible to those new to KoRn, but also, hopefully, deep enough to satisfy those of us who have been there from the start, Issues should be one of those truly memorable albums, which fans will be listening to for years to come.

And so the voice rolls on, now a deep, low laugh. For those who understand its complex jargon, it seems to say, with fearless ranting and steadfast determination:


korn have been massive for ages!they have 4 albums out:korn:korn,korn:life is peachy,korn:follow the leader and there newest album korn:issues.I dont know much about em for some reason!n e way koz my m8 will be updating this bit

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