Mudvayne - Live Dosage 50 - Live In Peoria DVD

Recorded in their home town of Peoria, Illinois in 2001, Live Dosage 50 showcases nu-metal purveyors Mudvayne's live act. Ploughing similar terrain to Slipknot, whom they have supported, Mudvayne's sound is a composite of Kiss-style theatrics (face-paint, spiked-hair), metal, grunge and hardcore. The obsessions that feed into their lyrics include Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, the LSD guru Terence McKenna and serial killer Ed Gein, whom they somewhat gormlessly glorify on "Nothing to Gein" ("He didn’t give a f*** what anyone said"). While their biography,... included here, is packed with warnings about how intense and subversive and toxic they are, for all their influences, Mudvayne come across as rather pat, nu-metal clowns. Even vocalist Kud's constant use of the f-word seems contrived. Although their music has moments of subtlety and shading in the verses, in particular the wheedling style of bassist Rykrow, come the chorus and it's the usual predictable, crashing tsunami of riffery and petulant vocal chundering. Mudvayne pander glibly to the usual legions of suburban green-haired adolescents seething with nihilistic, existential rage at having to tidy up their bedrooms once in a while. On the DVD: Live Dosage 50 on disc is a superb presentation for fans. Well-edited, and using a variety of angles, it highlights the band's undoubted penchant for live theatre. Dolby Digital 5.1 sound quality is fine, although steeped as the band are in dry ice, picture clarity isn't especially an issue here. Extras include a decent "director’s cut" of the video for "Death Blooms", a text-only biography that feels like a press release and some dispensable footage of the band cruising around their home town chatting inconsequentially. --David Stubbs [show more]

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