The New Game

The New Game is the fourth studio album by American heavy metal band Mudvayne. It was released on November 18, 2008, by Epic Records, and its first single, "Do What You Do", began receiving airplay on September 23, 2008. The album debuted and peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard 200, selling 48,000 copies in its first week, and more than 215,000 copies in the United States as of August 2009^[update].^[6]

The New Game
Studio album by Mudvayne
Released	November 18, 2008
Recorded	2007–2008[1][2]
Studio	Balance Production Studios (Mandeville, Louisiana)
Genre	Alternative metal[3] nu metal[4] hard rock[4]
Length	43:41
Label	Epic
Producer	Dave Fortman Mudvayne[5]
Mudvayne chronology
Lost and Found (2005) The New Game (2008) Mudvayne (2009)
Singles from The New Game
"Do What You Do" Released: September 23, 2008 "A New Game" Released: February 12, 2009 "Scarlet Letters" Released: March 9, 2009

Recording and production

Studio work for the album was put on hold in mid-2007 due to vocalist Chad Gray's and guitarist Greg Tribbett's touring commitments with Hellyeah. At the completion of the Hellyeah tour, Mudvayne reunited and began recording with producer Dave Fortman, who also produced their previous full-length release, Lost and Found. Having completed the tracking of the drums and guitars, as well as the recording of the bass and vocals, the band announced that the mastering stages were scheduled for completion by October 1, 2008.^[2] During the recording phase, Fortman revealed to MTV the tentative title The New Game, adding that the band planned to release a second full-length record six months after its release.^[2]

Promotion

A video previewing a possible album track was uploaded to Mudvayne's Myspace profile on July 16, 2008. A second video appeared on the profile on August 19 showing Gray tracking vocals. The second video was later made a feature on the band's official website. On September 16, 30-second previews of "Fish Out of Water", "A New Game" and "Do What You Do" were made available for streaming on the profile. The first single, "Do What You Do", first received airplay on September 23. Mudvayne also shot a video for "A New Game" and released a second single to radio, "Scarlet Letters", that was first broadcast on March 9, 2009.

A bonus song, "Fish Out of Water", was made available for download to customers who pre-ordered The New Game on the iTunes Store, or through Best Buy, and the deluxe digital version of the album also included a digital copy of By the People, for the People. On October 28, 2008, "Have it Your Way" was released exclusively by Revolver magazine through its website.

Musical and lyrical themes

Fortman said the album should please listeners, but also incorporate a distinct rock and roll sound unheard on previous Mudvayne records. "It's heavy and has great hooks, but it also has some moments that are a little more rock 'n' roll that are really cool. It's not anything drastic, but every now and then you'll catch a little hint of old school rock. Also, the tones are a little more earthy sounding and a little warmer than Lost and Found."^[2] Singer Chad Gray has stated the album is "not light years away from what we've done in the past, but it's not the same."^[1] The album's sound has been compared to Alice in Chains and Motörhead.^[4]

Reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	50/100[7]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]
Los Angeles Times	[8]
Rolling Stone	[9]
Sputnikmusic	1.0/5[3]

The album received mixed reviews from critics, earning a rating of 50 out of 100 on Metacritic,^[10] with positive reviews coming from Billboard, which wrote "Some of the fierce headbanging that is Mudvayne's stock in trade can still be found in 'The Hate in Me,' 'We the People' and 'Dull Boy,' but the bulk of the record finds the group playing its New Game with hard-hitting exuberance."^[10] Another positive review came from the Boston Globe, which wrote, "Mudvayne used to be viewed as somewhat of a joke band with its costumes and makeup, but they're more out front and naked now, with markedly more genuine results."^[10]

James Christopher Monger of AllMusic gave the album a mixed review and wrote "The problem is, Mudvayne's own predilection for predictable loud/soft/loud set pieces, forgettable melodies, and over-reliance on words like 'sorrow,' 'rage,' 'abused,' 'disease,' 'nightmares,' and 'beatings' keeps things from ever leaving the tarmac."^[4] Another mixed review appeared in Q, which said, "This fourth album finds them repeating the nifty trick of simplifying Tool's complex musical equations. Math metal for dummies, anyone?"^[10] Rolling Stone was also mixed in its response, writing, "Mudvayne write some decent guitar hooks (check the title track), but their imagination is parched, with most songs hewing to one formula: riff, whimper, shriek, repeat."^[10]

Negative reviews came from Sputnikmusic, who wrote that "The New Game signifies Mudvayne's transition from elite metal juggernaut to their inevitable fade into obscurity."^[10] The Los Angeles Times also panned the album, writing "The album's gooey, mid-tempo grind at best evokes System of a Down stripped of ambition and eccentricity, and might elicit sympathy with whatever culprit is running around that no-stoplight town."^[10]

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Fish out of Water"	3:30
2.	"Do What You Do"	3:36
3.	"A New Game"	5:03
4.	"Have It Your Way"	3:45
5.	"A Cinderella Story"	4:40
6.	"The Hate in Me"	3:22
7.	"Scarlet Letters"	3:56
8.	"Dull Boy"	4:14
9.	"Same Ol'"	4:49
10.	"Never Enough"	3:39
11.	"We the People"	3:07
Total length:		43:41

All tracks are written by Chad Gray, Greg Tribbett, Ryan Martinie and Matthew McDonough, unless otherwise noted

Deluxe edition tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"King of Pain" (The Police cover)	Gordon Sumner	4:36
2.	"Happy?" (Demo)		3:43
3.	"Forget to Remember" (Acoustic)		3:38
4.	"Dig" (Live)		4:27
5.	"Not Falling" (Demo)		4:02
6.	"Fall Into Sleep" (Demo)		3:40
7.	"On the Move" (Demo)		3:55
8.	"World So Cold" (Live)		6:20
9.	"Goodbye" (Demo)		6:41
10.	"Death Blooms" (Demo)		4:24

Personnel

Mudvayne[5] Chad Gray − lead vocals Greg Tribbett − guitars, backing vocals Ryan Martinie − bass Matthew McDonough − drums

Production[5] Mudvayne – production Dave Fortman − production, mixing Jeremy Parker – engineer Ted Jensen – mastering

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2008–09) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[11] 42 Japanese Albums (Oricon)[12] 144 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[13] 32 UK Independent Albums (OCC)[14] 29 US Billboard 200[15] 15 US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[16] 3 US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[17] 5 US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[18] 3

Year-end charts Chart (2009) Position US Billboard 200[19] 175 Singles Year Song US Alt. [20] US Main. US Rock [21] 2008 "Do What You Do" 13 2 21 2009 "Scarlet Letters" — 7 29

References

1. "Mudvayne Moving Forward On New Album". Billboard. March 30, 2007. Retrieved March 16, 2013.
2. "Exclusive: Mudvayne To Drop Two New Albums in Next Year". Headbangers Blog. 2008. Archived from the original on August 28, 2008. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
3. Simon K. (July 13, 2015). "Mudvayne - The New Game". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
4. Allmusic review
5. The New Game (booklet). Epic. 2008.
6. "Mudvayne Frontman Says Next Album Will Be 'A Little More Retro'". Blabbermouth.net. August 19, 2009.
7. "The New Game - Mudvayne". Metacritic. August 3, 2009. Retrieved May 8, 2012.
8. August Brown (November 17, 2008). "Album review: Mudvayne's 'The New Game'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 8, 2012.
9. Jody Rosen (November 7, 2008). "Mudvayne - The New Game". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 18, 2008. Retrieved May 8, 2012.
10. "The New Game by Mudvayne". Metacritic.
11. "Australiancharts.com – Mudvayne – The New Game". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
12. "The New Game - Mudvayne" (in Japanese). oricon ME inc. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
13. "Charts.nz – Mudvayne – The New Game". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
14. "Official Independent Albums Chart". Official Charts Company. January 11, 2009. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
15. "Mudvayne Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
16. "Mudvayne Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
17. "Mudvayne Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
18. "Mudvayne Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
19. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2009". Billboard. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
20. "Mudvayne Alternative Songs Chart History". Billboard.
21. "Mudvayne Rock Songs Chart History". Billboard.