Mudvayne - Forget to Remember

Forget to Remember is the third single from Mudvayne’s Lost & Found. Lacking the force of Determined or the hooks of Happy?, Forget to Remember is not likely to bring Mudvayne to any unsuspecting audiences, but ahead of their upcoming Big Day Out tour, it is a great reminder of what this band can do.

All of the bands strengths are on display. The opening riff is crunchy and heavy, a glimpse of what’s to come, before it all drops away and Greg Tribbett’s lone guitar leads us into the verse. As the rest of the band join him, Ryan Martinie’s bass proceeds to play around the guitar line rather than with it, while Chad Gray’s clean vocals have gotten better with each album. The pre-chorus is one of the song highlights, switching around established song dynamics to bring the response before the call:

Thoughtlessness (I feel)
Selfishness (I feel)
Hopelessness (I feel)
We’re all dead

The second verse is where drummer Matt McDonough gets to shine. The more straightforward drum beat of the first verse is replaced with a far more complicated rhythm. For the listener this gives the feeling of something which is familiar but slightly unsettling, and only after a few listens do you figure out what has changed. It’s kind of like one of those spot-the-difference pictures, but with music.

Then we hit the chorus, and the energetic release promised in the intro is what comes through. This and the bridge allow the power of Gray’s screams to become the focus. With all bases covered, the band brings it home with another chorus and a few more screams. Forget to Remember doesn’t change any of the conventions of heavy music, or even of Mudvayne, but in this case the focus seems to have been on writing a strong song instead. With a catchy chorus and all the bands strengths included, what better way could they advertise what to expect on their upcoming visit?

(Originally published on FasterLouder)