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Hailing from Peoria, IL, the heavy metal band, Mudvayne, follows an approach similar to that of their fellow Midwesterners, Slipknot. Both bands pack a might sonic punch, perform in bizarre, theatrical makeup and write lyrics dealing with anger, pain, alienation and death. Besides the musical similarities, the bands also share a professional relationship: Mudvayne and Slipknot both appeared on the inaugural Tattoo The Earth tour in 2000, while Shawn “6” Crahan, percussionist for Slipknot, produced Mudvayne's major label debut album, L. D. 50, released on Epic Records in 2000.

Sporting colorful full-face makeup, multicolored hair and names like Kud and Gurrg, it's easy to think that Mudvayne come from another planet, and that's exactly what they'd have you believe. Drawing heavily from classic themes of science fiction, Mudvayne -- vocalist Kud, bassist RyKnow, guitarist Gurrg and drummer sPaG -- create a brand of aggressive music a step apart from the rest of their neo-metal contemporaries. Their Sony/Epic debut album, L. D. 50, is full of thick, roiling bass tones combined with a muscular guitar punch, accented with precision drumming and throat-searing vocals to create an intricate, almost priggish metrical dizziness that alternates between deep grooves and off-kilter transitions. But don't be fooled. While their sound may be otherworldly, Mudvayne's roots are firmly planted in the cornfields of central Illinois.

"Growing up there, you create your own surroundings," says Kud. "You end up living in your imagination. That's where you get a lot of what we are. We are artists because we've created our own surroundings. "They have, however, found much inspiration in such varying works as the writings of ethno-pharmacologist Terence McKenna and Stanley Kubrick's sci-fi masterwork, 2001: A Space Odyssey. "[2001] was one of those tangents that we got spun off on," explains sPaG. "At the time we were working on concepts for the album, the over all themes, how lyrics would be able to fit in. 2001 had some thematic content that resonated with where we were at. "The way that [Kubrick] works became influential in that sense too. One of the things that was really exciting about the way he works was the nonverbal content. Especially in 2001, a lot of the message is being delivered in a nonverbal fashion. And for us, being musicians and trying to communicate in a nonverbal fashion, that was really exciting."

And much like the crew of the Discovery, Mudvayne distanced themselves from familiar surroundings to explore their musical boundaries, moving to Vancouver for three months to record L.D. 50 with GGGarth (Rage Against the Machine, Kittie). "We had to get away from everything so we could just focus on everything we had to do," says Kud. "I'm a strong believer in 'some people focus and some people fold.' I wanted to test myself and I think we rose to the occasion. "The separation from the normal world also helped fuel Kud's lyrics. "Lyrical ideas are basically about the process of living. Things we go through, things we've all been through, things we know everyone's been through. But I saved a couple of things for when we went into the studio, like 'Nothing to Gein.' I had the idea for what the song was, I did a lot of research on the song. [Serial killer] Ed Gein had a very dislocated state of mind, obviously, and I wanted to wait until I was in a dislocated state to write the song. "If the band's appearance and penchant for odd names also seems a bit dislocated, just chalk it up to another symptom of small-town life.

"It was boredom," Kud chuckles. "It started out really minimal. I just did stupid shit with my hair, and then the next thing you know I thought, 'I'll put some black stuff on my eyes.' And then, 'I'll put an X on my head. '"Because we're inspired by visual art," he continues, "that's why we're so visual on stage. We want to convey every aspect of art that we can. I wouldn't have wanted to have come from anywhere else, because if you're surrounded by all of these other things, culture, then you gel into those things. We were forced to create our own things to get inside of. "And the names? "You hang out with us for six hours and you're going to get a name," explains Spag. "The names and the makeup disassociate us as regular people from the product, which is something we've always wanted: to create this virtual universe, this cartoon land. ""We did a bio for ourselves when we were trying to get label interest," remembers RyKnow, "and it had Spag being a self-proclaimed super genius and Kud gargling gravel. It was all jokes. "Spag concurs, "It was just fun and it stuck with us. As serious as we take the music -- our writing and our playing -- there's got to be relief points. You've got to be able to poke fun at yourself."

Touring almost non-stop since their run last summer on the inaugural Tattoo the Earth tour, Mudvayne have steadily cultivated a rabid following, and their first video, "Dig," is quickly gaining popularity on MTV2. The irony that a band so inspired by 2001 has the potential to breakout during the Year 2001 is not lost on Mudvayne. "It's bizarre," admits Kud. "It's very puzzling the way things have worked out.

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." "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 pressure 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," says 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."

Mudvayne is now on an all-out tour across the world and back. They have given word that they are going to tour for at least 2 years before heading back into the studio. Keep checking back to this site to see if Mudvayne are coming to your town anytime soon, you won’t want to miss it.

"I'm afraid, Dave..." HAL the computer, 2001: A Space Odyssey 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 hallucinatory 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 limited 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 doing. "The concepts behind Mudvayne's music - a twisting roller coaster ride comprised of gargantuan, demonic 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 generated 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 pressure 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."

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