Mudvayne certainly came up as nü-metal was exploding, but calling the band solely a "nü-metal band" feels like a miscategorization. Mudvayne's rhythm section is progressive as hell and the vocals never quite reached Korn-levels of hip hop influence. Still, vocalist Chad Gray is cool with people calling the band nü-metal.
In an interview with Revolver, Gray said he finds it hard to deny being called nü-metal and names early Korn, Deftones, and Machine Head as influences on the band.
"I mean, I don't think we can deny it. We came up in the middle of all that shit. We do have a level of prog to us, and there were definitely some progressive elements. But I think that kind of stopped with the band, because what I brought to it was more… I felt like I had more of that nü-metally vocal [delivery]. [Greg] was into it, too. We were into nü-metal. Like, fucking [drummer Matthew McDonough] probably could give two shits, you know what I mean?
"Obviously, Greg and I are inspired by the Metallicas, the Slayers, the Panteras of the world. But we were also very much inspired by Korn, like the first album by Korn. Also Deftones and early Machine Head. Greg and I were inspired by a lot of music that came to be known as nü-metal or whatever. And I feel like that's kind of what I brought to the table, those inspirations or whatever."
Guitarist Greg Tribbett chimes in, saying "I thought we were categorized as 'math-metal' at first." Gray responded: "I think I actually coined that term. In an interview I called us math-metal, and it just stuck." Tribbett's assessment feels pretty accurate – a lot of early Mudvayne had some pretty weird time signature stuff going on. As for Gray inventing the term… well, maybe?
Gray then continued, saying Mudvayne certainly had some nü-metal elements in their music, but again – they were never explicitly nü-metal.
"I mean, I think there were nü-metal elements to us, because [Greg] didn't play leads. The fucking riff in 'Death Blooms,' 'Nothing to Gein.' Any of those early riffs, man, they're very nü-metal-forward, I think. But it basically stops there. It stops with the riff, and it stops with the vocals. [Bassist Ryan Martinie] is definitely doing his thing. Matt is definitely doing his thing. And they're not necessarily doing their things together."
Mudvayne is currently working on their first new material since 2009.
