Mudvayne Reveal Their True Face

Mudvayne have taken it all off.

Notorious more for their makeup and changing their stage names with each album (freakish beasts and aliens being the most popular incarnations), metallically-charged group Mudvayne have made what might be the most shocking move with the release of their latest album Lost And Found: they've taken off the masks.

"Well, they weren't masks," corrects drummer Matt McDonnough half-jokingly. "We never did wear masks. I don't know who said we stopped wearing makeup. We never said we wouldn't do it again in the future."

Receiving more press for their aesthetics than their shiny new record lately, it's understandable that McDonnough is a bit gruff. Even during the course of this interview (and subsequent article you're skimming now), the conversation inevitably rolls around to the reason behind pulling a KISS and un-makeup-ing at this point in time.

"The point is that as artists, we have a plethora of tools to utilize. Sometimes you pick up the trowel. Sometimes you pick up the brush. We may come out as plushies in the future — we don't eliminate anything. I don't know why people feel the need to talk about our 'masks' more than our music anyway," he says. "That's not talking about where we are right now, which is most important."

Feeling the need to challenge where they were (that would be locked into the rut of coming up with goofy costumes for every tour) Mudvayne — McDonnough, singer Chad Gray, guitarist Gregg Tribbett, drummer and bassist Ryan Martinie — feel that this is the closest they've come to self-realization yet.

Yearning to escape the visual ties and deliver music with a sharper conceptual point, they feel that only by removing their get-ups could they give Lost And Found the attention it deserves. And only then could everyone become entirely dedicated to the music instead of the look.

Says McDonnough, "There's no constant in this. Life is an ever-changing thing that requires adaptation. We're not the same band we were six months ago, so this album is a lot different than our last ones. It's more specific so we want to get away from the visual side of things (and) try to keep in touch with the art we're making. That's the ultimate goal for an artist: maintain that level of awareness."