At midnight on September 11th, Mudvayne have decided to surprise fans by releasing another new song, titled "Sticks and Stones", this time without any hints. Two weeks ago, the band unleashed their first new music in sixteen years on the world with "Hurt People Hurt People". Now that we have two new songs, one would assume that a new album is on the way, but an official announcement has yet to come.
This track is vastly different than "Hurt People Hurt People", slower and not as heavy and in your face. The main complaint I had about the first release was that Ryan Martinie's bass needed to be turned up, but that is not an issue for this one. Still not as prominent as it is on L.D. 50, but it is definitely more audible. It's unfair to compare everything that the band does to their iconic debut album, but it was (and still is) so unique and innovative, and that's where this song lost me. It's not bad, but it's not great. Just kind of generic in my opinion. The song doesn't really go anywhere, with the exception of a 20 second crescendo during the lyrics "Tired of my wounds and stitches / Tired of my scars", but immediately comes back down to repeat the chorus a few more times.
"Hurt People Hurt People" was a great choice to return with, but this leaves something left to be desired.
Listen to "Sticks and Stones" below:
Mudvayne have also dropped some new merch to coincide with these new tracks, including a "Sticks and Stones" hoodie, "Hurt People Hurt People" t-shirt, and two variants of a 7" featuring the aforementioned singles, one of them even coming with an autographed insert.
This release comes on the first day of their headlining tour celebrating the 25th anniversary of L.D. 50, accompanied by Static-X (who are also celebrating the 25th anniversary of Wisconsin Death Trip) and Vended.
09/11 Dubuque, IA
09/13 Waukee, IA
09/14 Chicago, IL
09/16 Milwaukee, WI
09/17 Youngstown, OH
09/19 Louisville, KY *
09/20 Chesterfield, MO
09/21 Omaha, NE
09/23 Denver, CO
09/24 Albuquerque, NM
09/26 Las Vegas, NV
09/27 Phoenix, AZ
09/28 Hollywood, CA
09/30 Portland, OR
10/01 Airway Heights, WA
10/03 Pocatello, ID
10/05 Sacramento, CA *
10/07 Salt Lake City, UT
10/09 Tulsa, OK
10/11 Dallas, TX
10/12 San Antonio, TX
10/13 Houston, TX
10/16 Durant, OK
10/18 Nashville, TN
10/19 Atlanta, GA
10/21 Raleigh, NC
10/22 Virginia Beach, VA
10/24 Montclair, NJ
10/25 Boston, MA
10/26 Uncasville, CT
Nu Metal Agenda may earn an affiliate commission via purchases on ticket links through this article.
