Mudvayne has signed a contract with Alchemy Recordings Alchemy is a record label created in partnership between Dino Paredes , former vice president of A&R at American Recordings , and Danny Wimmer , founder of Danny Wimmer Presents , a leading rock festival producer in the United States. Other artists on Alchemy include Staind, Chevelle , and the solo career of Serj Tankian .
The news of the deal was revealed in an Instagram post by Wimmer , who shared a short video of Mudvayne vocalist Chad Gray confirming that new music from him and his bandmates is on the way. Wimmer wrote in the caption:
“I had to put @chadnesss @mudvayne in a difficult situation because I had trouble getting him to announce it, and here it is… and it’s coming through my label 'alchemy' and my partner @riserecords. Proud to be a part of this next chapter” (transcription via Blabbermouth ) .
News about the new album
Gray also spoke about the new Mudvayne material during an interview with SiriusXM Octane , conducted at Welcome To Rockville on May 18th in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Chad's wife, Shannon Gunz , who is a radio host on various SiriusXM channels, chimed in during the chat, saying, "The first time I heard [the new Mudvayne songs] — and these are rough mixes — I was literally crying on the couch," she says.
The band hasn't released any new material since 2009, when their self-titled album came out. This means that more than a decade and a half has passed without a single new song from Mudvayne. And to increase the fans' anxiety, despite the euphoria of the announcement, there is still no release date for a new single or album.
The process of creating new music.
In July 2024, Pablo from radio station 93X asked Gray if he and his bandmates had done any “file sharing” to create their new music. Chad replied at the time: “We’ve done pretty much every way possible so far. But we’ve done some file sharing and stuff like that. Greg [Tribbett , guitar] sent in some scratches and then Matt [McDonough , drums] — because Matt does a lot of ambient music on his own, so he definitely knows how to program.”
“So he programmed the drums and, obviously, when I understood that… All I need is basically the guitar riff and I can start to feel the melody, the direction of the lyrics and things like that. I don’t necessarily need the whole thing. I can just have a very basic thing to start writing… But I’ll have the practical details and, ultimately, that’s what file sharing is all about. It’s about having the practical details of what you want to do. And from there you go to the studio and make the adjustments, add harmonies, layers and overdubs, and you can go crazy and make it really special,” Chad explains.
Also speaking to 93X about the pressure he and his bandmates feel to make music of high enough quality to meet fan expectations, Chad said:
“Honestly, man, if we went into a studio and recorded something, if every single person on our team—us, the producer, our manager, our lawyer—if everyone on our team wasn’t jumping for joy and celebrating, then it wouldn’t be worth releasing. It’s just me—I just want to release fucking good stuff. And by good stuff, [I mean] timeless. You want to create timeless music, and you have to ask yourself, ‘Is this timeless? Is this timeless music or is it a passing fad?’” the vocalist points out.
Longevity and new perspectives
Mudvayne was formed in 1996 and has sold over six million records worldwide, achieving gold status for three albums ( LD 50, The End Of All Things To Come , and Lost And Found ). The band is known for its sonic experimentation, innovative album art, face and body paint, masks, and costumes. Gray spent 15 years fronting Hellyeah , which released its sixth studio album, Welcome Home , in September 2019 via Eleven Seven Music .
The album marked the group's last work with drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott (ex- Pantera ), who passed away seven years ago. The band recently played in Brazil at Knotfest 2024 and did not tour to promote their fifth album, which received little promotion and sold poorly after its release. This new agreement with a globally recognized record label represents a new phase and new perspectives for the veterans.
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