Mudvayne — Chad Gray [vocals], Greg Tribbett [guitar], Ryan Martinie [drums], and Matthew McDonough [drums] — have just dropped their second recent new single since reuniting in 2021, with “Sticks and Stones” – following the explosive “Hurt People Hurt People!” Both tracks are out now via Alchemy Recordings. It was well worth the wait. Watch the visualizer and listen to the song here.
While “HURT PEOPLE HURT PEOPLE” immediately clamped down on the jugular and was a primal scream return for the band, “Sticks and Stones” is a bit more measured in its ferocity. It showcases the band’s mastery of quiet-loud dynamics and steadily escalates to an utterly monstrous breakdown.
“I was always told ‘sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me,'” says Gray. “Well, it’s a great nursery rhyme, but I couldn’t disagree more. I’ve carried a lot of words throughout my life as if they were just spoken to me. The reality is — they do hurt. I’ve tried my best to shed them, but when they come from dear friends, family — people that are suppose to love you — the words have teeth and they won’t let go. Blood doesn’t wash out; iit stains. I think I’m just trying to remind people to love their children. Don’t use them as a bullet to fire into your ex or whomever you’re with now. They’re innocent and they are impressionable. And trust me, as a child, that was used as a weapon, your words will hurt them…long after you say them.”
The band has also launched a pre-order for a double A Side 7″ vinyl featuring both songs. There will be a standard version, as well as a variant that is signed and limited to 500 units. Both are available exclusively through the band’s webstore alongside a brand new merch capsule. Go here to get yours.
Additionally, there will be a variant available exclusively through Revolver.
Mudvayne are looking towards their future as they also celebrate their impactful past. The song arrives on the eve of the band’s L.D. 50 25th Anniversary headline tour, which kicks off today, September 11, and runs through October 26. L.D. 50 was the band’s debut studio album, arriving in August 2000 via Epic Records and established the band as a new yet major player in the hard rock scene. It eventually went on to achieve a Gold certification. Years after its release, both Revolver and Metal Hammer deemed the album an essential of the ’00s metal class, rightfully so. The tour will feature support from Static-X, while Vended will open. All dates are below. Get
The tour will feature support from Static-X, while Vended will open. All dates are below. Get tickets here. https://www.mudvayneofficial.com/
Mudvayne ON TOUR:
WITH STATIC-X + VENDED:
9/11 — Dubuque, IA — Q Casino — Back Waters Stage
9/13 — Waukee, IA — Vibrant Music Hall
9/14 — Chicago, IL — Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom
9/16 — Milwaukee, WI — The Rave/Eagles Club — Eagles Ballroom
9/17 — Youngstown, OH — Covelli Centre
9/19 — Louisville, KY — Kentucky Exposition Center
9/20 — Chesterfield, MO — The Factory
9/21 — Omaha, NE — Steelhouse Omaha
9/23 — Denver, CO — Fillmore Auditorium
9/24 — Albuquerque, NM — Revel
9/26 — Las Vegas, NV — Palms Casino Resort — Pearl Theater
9/27 — Phoenix, AZ — Arizona Financial Theatre
9/28 — Hollywood, CA — Hollywood Palladium
9/30 — Portland, OR — Moda Center — Theater of the Clouds
10/1 — Airway Heights, WA — Northern Quest Resort & Casino — BECU Live
10/3 — Pocatello, ID — Portneuf Health Trust Amphitheatre
10/5 — Sacramento, CA — Discovery Park
10/7 — Salt Lake City, UT — The Union
10/9 — Tulsa, OK — Tulsa Theater
10/11 — Dallas, TX — Gilley’s Dallas — South Side Ballroom
10/12 — San Antonio, TX — Boeing Center at Tech Port
10/13 — Houston, TX — Bayou Music Center
10/16 — Durant, OK — Choctaw Casino & Resort Durant — Grand Theater
10/18 — Nashville, TN — Nashville Municipal Auditorium
10/19 — Atlanta, GA — Coca-Cola Roxy
10/21 — Raleigh, NC — Red Hat Amphitheater
10/22 — Virginia Beach, VA — Virginia Beach Dome
10/24 — Montclair, NJ — The Wellmont Theater
10/25 — Boston, MA — MGM Music Hall at Fenway
10/26 — Uncasville, CT — Mohegan Sun – Arena
ABOUT MUDVAYNE:
Just before the turn of the century, Mudvayne rose up from the twisted heart of the country and redefined what heavy music could sound like, look like, and feel like. Hailing from Peoria, IL, the Gold-certified GRAMMY® Award-nominated quartet psychotically pushed metal to its breaking point at both ends, stretching their enigmatic sound from moments of mind-bending musicality to bloodletting melody. They carved out a catalog without comparison highlighted by a triptych of Gold-selling classics, including L.D. 50 [2000], The End of All Things To Come [2002], and Lost and Found [2005], which bowed at #2 on the Billboard 200. Beyond contributing music to franchises such as Saw, the band earned a place in the zeitgeist, achieving cultural recognition with an infamous MTV VMA moment (accepting a trophy with bullet-holes in their foreheads) and overtaking social media with their seminal breakout “Dig.” As it would be hard to imagine the advent of “djent” or nu-metal’s resurgence without them, Loudwire cited L.D. 50 among “The Top 50 Nu-Metal Albums of All Time,” while Revolver christened them “one of the biggest metal institutions of the 2000s.” Following a decade-plus hiatus, the group mounted a powerful comeback in 2021, headlining major rock festivals, playing packed arenas and amphitheaters with the likes of Rob Zombie and Megadeth, and transfixing another generation of fans. Mudvayne take a much-deserved victory lap with the L.D. 50 25th Anniversary Tour, but they also leap forward with the release of their first new music since 2009. They’re back with the brutal and bulletproof anthem “Hurt People Hurt People,” paving the way for their Alchemy Recordings/BMG debut. Welcome back to their fucked up world…