| L.D. 50 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Mudvayne | ||||
| Released | August 22, 2000 | |||
| Recorded | The Warehouse Studio, Vancouver | |||
| Genre | Heavy metal, alternative metal, nu metal | |||
| Length | 68:32 | |||
| Label | No-Name/Epic | |||
| Producer | GGGarth and Mudvayne | |||
| Mudvayne chronology | ||||
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L.D. 50 is the debut studio album by American heavy metal band Mudvayne. Released in 2000, it is the band's first release on Epic Records, following the independently-released extended play, Kill, I Oughtta. L.D. 50 was coproduced by GGGarth & Mudvayne and executive produced by Steve Richards & Slipknot member Shawn "Clown" Crahan. The band's elaborate visual appearance resulted in increased recognition of the band and L.D. 50 peaked at #85 on the Billboard 200. The album was appraised by critics for its technical and heavy style of music.
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Mudvayne formed in 1996 in Peoria, Illinois. The band became known for its strong visual appearance, which included horror film-styled makeup.[1] After independently releasing their debut extended play, Kill, I Oughtta, the band signed to No-Name/Epic Records.[1] L.D. 50 was produced by Garth "GGGarth" Richardson[2] and executive produced by Steve Richards and Slipknot member Shawn "Clown" Crahan.[1][3] Epic Records initially chose to promote the band without focusing on its appearance and early promotional materials featured a logo instead of photographs of the band. However, the band's appearance and music videos increased recognition of the album.[1]
L.D. 50 features a technical style of music which they have referred to as "math metal."[4][5] Mudvayne was influenced by performers such as Emperor, King Crimson and Porcupine Tree.[5] Mudvayne's musical style incorporates elements of death metal,[6] jazz fusion,[7] hardcore punk,[6] speed metal[6] and progressive rock.[6]
The musical style of L.D. 50 has been described as alternative metal,[8] heavy metal[7][8][9] and nu metal.[10]
The album's 1st track, "Monolith", refers to Stanley Kubrick's film 2001: A Space Odyssey.[2] The album's title derives from the medical term used by chemists to refer to the dose required to kill half the members of a tested population.[2]
During the songwriting process, the band members paired riffs with lyrics based on what Matthew McDonough referred to as "number symbolism".[6] According to McDonough, while he and Chad Gray wrote the lyrics to "Nothing to Gein", Greg Tribbett performed a riff which alternated in bars of 4 and 5. Because the number 9 is a lunar number, McDonough felt that the riff would fit the song's lyrics, which referred to serial killer and grave robber Ed Gein, whose actions McDonough associated with nighttime activity.[6]
A sound collage entitled "L.D. 50", composed and recorded by MjDawn, appears on the album as a series of interludes. The complete piece appeared as a bonus track on The Beginning of All Things to End, Epic Records' reissue of the band's 1997 self-released EP Kill, I Oughtta.[3][11]
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [8] |
| Blabbermouth.net | [12] |
| College Music Journal | (favorable)[13] |
| The Daily Cardinal | (favorable)[9] |
| Martin Charles Strong | [14] |
| Melody Maker | [10] |
| Rolling Stone | [7] |
| Q | [15] |
L.D. 50 peaked at #1 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart and #85 on the Billboard 200.[16] The singles "Dig" and "Death Blooms" peaked at #33 and #32, respectively, on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.[16]
Allmusic reviewer William Ruhlmann, Rolling Stone reviewer Ben Ratliff and Q magazine each gave the album three out of five stars.[7][8][15]
Ratliff noted the band's technical background, comparing the songwriting style to that of Nirvana and stating that the album's interludes are better than those of Slipknot.[7] Ruhlmann found the band hard to take seriously.[8] Q referred to the album as "a clever amalgam of Korn, Tool and Mr. Bungle".[15]
Melody Maker gave the album 3 and a half out of 5 stars, calling it "A slithering cesspit of fetid malignance".[10] College Music Journal called the album "Futuristic aggro-metal".[13]
Blabbermouth.net reviewer Borivoj Krgin gave the album 8 out of 10 stars, praising it's technicality and heavyness.[12] The Daily Cardinal reviewer Nate Finn wrote that L.D. 50 "[represents] nihilism in the form of music".[9] In The Essential Rock Discography, Martin Charles Strong gave the album six out of ten stars.[14]
L.D. 50 was repackaged with The Beginning of All Things to End in a budget priced reissue on August 30, 2011.[17] A live recording of "Dig" and the demo version of "Death Blooms" appeared on the compilation By the People, for the People, which was compiled from selections voted for by fans through the band's website.[18] The album versions of "Dig", "-1" and "Death Blooms" appeared on the compilation Playlist: The Very Best of Mudvayne, which was released by Legacy Recordings in 2011.[19]
All songs written and composed by Chad Gray, Ryan Martinie, Greg Tribbett and Matthew McDonough.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Monolith" | 1:52 |
| 2. | "Dig" | 2:43 |
| 3. | "Internal Primates Forever" | 4:25 |
| 4. | "-1" | 3:58 |
| 5. | "Death Blooms" | 4:52 |
| 6. | "Golden Ratio" | 0:54 |
| 7. | "Cradle" | 5:14 |
| 8. | "Nothing to Gein" | 5:29 |
| 9. | "Mutatis Mutandis" | 1:43 |
| 10. | "Everything and Nothing" | 3:14 |
| 11. | "Severed" | 6:33 |
| 12. | "Recombinant Resurgence" | 2:00 |
| 13. | "Prod" | 6:03 |
| 14. | "Pharmaecopia" | 5:34 |
| 15. | "Under My Skin" | 3:47 |
| 16. | "(k)Now F(orever)" | 7:06 |
| 17. | "Lethal Dosage" | 2:59 |
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Total length:
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68:32 | |
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Album
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Singles
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