The New Game

The New Game
Studio album by Mudvayne
Released November 18, 2008
Recorded 2007–2008
Genre Heavy metal, alternative metal
Length 43:41
Label Epic
Producer Dave Fortman
Mudvayne chronology
Lost and Found
(2005)		 The New Game
(2008)		 Mudvayne
(2009)
Alternative cover
Deluxe Edition cover
Singles from The New Game
  1. "Do What You Do"
    Released: September 23, 2008
  2. "A New Game"
    Released: February 12, 2009
  3. "Scarlet Letters"
    Released: March 9, 2009
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source Rating
Metacritic 50/100[1]
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [2]
Los Angeles Times [3]
Rolling Stone [4]
Sputnikmusic [5]
TuneLab Music [6]

The New Game is the fourth studio album by American heavy metal band Mudvayne. It was released on November 18, 2008 by Epic Records. The first single from the album, "Do What You Do", entered airplay on September 23, 2008. The album debuted and peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard 200 with 48,000 copies in its first week.[7] It also features much more varied guitar playing from Greg Tribbett. The album has sold 215,000 copies in the United States as of August 2009.[7]

Contents

Recording and production

The fourth studio album by the heavy metal band Mudvayne was originally put on hold in the summer of 2007, due to vocalist Chad Gray and guitarist Greg Tribbett touring with Hellyeah. Following the tour, Mudvayne reunited and began recording the album with producer Dave Fortman, who also produced their previous effort, Lost and Found. The band has completed tracking drums and guitars and is preparing to record bass and vocals, with the mastering stages scheduled for completion by October 1, 2008.[8] Fortman reported to MTV that the album is tentatively titled The New Game, and will be followed six months later by a second full-length record.[8]

Promotion

On July 16, 2008, a video was uploaded to Mudvayne's MySpace profile, previewing a possible album track. A second video appeared on the band's MySpace profile on August 19, which showcases vocalist Chad Gray tracking vocals presumably for the album. This 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 band's MySpace profile. The album's first single, "Do What You Do", began airplay on September 23. Mudvayne have shot the video for "A New Game". They also release a second radio-single, "Scarlet Letters", began airplay on March 9.

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

Musical and lyrical themes

Producer Dave Fortman attested that while the album should please listeners, it will also incorporate a distinct rock and roll sound unheard on previous Mudvayne records. "It's heavy and has great hooks," said Fortman, "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."[8]

Legacy

The album versions of "Do What You Do" and "Dull Boy" appeared on the compilation Playlist: The Very Best of Mudvayne, which was released by Legacy Recordings in 2011.[9]

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

Deluxe songs

No. Title Length
1. "King of Pain" (The Police cover) 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

Chart positions

Album
Chart (2008) Peak
position
Australian Albums Charts[10] 42
New Zealand Albums Chart[11] 32
The Billboard 200[12] 15
Singles
Year Song US Alt.
[13]		 US Main. US Rock
[14]
2008 "Do What You Do" 13 2 21
2009 "Scarlet Letters" — 7 29

References

  1. ^ "The New Game". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/music/the-new-game. 
  2. ^ Allmusic review
  3. ^ Los Angeles Times review
  4. ^ Rolling Stone review
  5. ^ Sputnikmusic review
  6. ^ TuneLab Music review
  7. ^ a b "Mudvayne Frontman Says Next Album Will Be 'A Little More Retro'". Blabbermouth.net. 2009-08-19. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=125567. 
  8. ^ a b c "Exclusive: Mudvayne To Drop Two New Albums in Next Year". Headbangers Blog. Headbangers Blog. 2008. http://headbangersblog.mtv.com/2008/08/14/exclusive-mudvayne-to-birth-two-new-records-in-2009/. Retrieved 2008-08-14. 
  9. ^ "Playlist: The Very Best of Mudvayne - Mudvayne". Allmusic. 5 October 2011. http://www.allmusic.com/album/playlist-the-very-best-of-mudvayne-r2271453. 
  10. ^ "Australian chart positions". australian-charts.com. http://australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Mudvayne&titel=The+New+Game&cat=a. 
  11. ^ "New Zealand chart positions". charts.org.nz. http://charts.org.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Mudvayne&titel=The+New+Game&cat=a. 
  12. ^ "The New Game - Mudvayne". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/album/mudvayne/the-new-game/1186583#/album/mudvayne/the-new-game/1186583. 
  13. ^ "Mudvayne Alternative Songs Chart History". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/artist/mudvayne/chart-history/407856#/artist/mudvayne/chart-history/407856?f=377&g=Singles. 
  14. ^ "Mudvayne Rock Songs Chart History". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/artist/mudvayne/chart-history/407856#/artist/mudvayne/chart-history/407856?f=902&g=Singles. 
Mudvayne
Studio albums
Extended plays
Kill, I Oughtta  · Live Bootleg  · Mudvayne - EP (iTunes exclusive)
Compilations
Videos
Singles
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