The New Game by Mudvayne
The New Game is the fourth studio album by the American heavy metal band Mudvayne. It was released on November 18, 2008 by Epic Records, and its first single, "Do What You Do," began receiving airplay on September 23, 2008. The album debuted and peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard 200, selling 48,000 copies in its first week, and more than 215,000 copies in the United States as of August 2009. Studio work for the album was put on hold in mid 2007 due to vocalist Chad Gray's and guitarist Greg Tribbett's touring commitments with Hellyeah. At the completion of the Hellyeah tour, Mudvayne reunited and began recording with producer Dave Fortman, who also produced their previous full-length release, Lost and Found. Having completed the tracking of the drums and guitars, as well as the recording of the bass and vocals, the band announced that the mastering stages were scheduled for completion by October 1, 2008. During the recording phase, Fortman revealed to MTV the tentative title The New Game, adding that the band planned to release a second full-length record six months after its release.
The Police’s reggae rhythms and post-punk guitars may have placed them in the lineage of The Clash but they were a pop band at heart—witness the irresistible, blood-pumping choruses within “Roxanne”, “Can’t Stand Losing You” and “So Lonely”. Those melodic impulses have continued throughout Sting’s solo career, even during his jazziest and most sombre excursions. From the stately simplicity of obsessive’s anthem “Every Breath You Take” to “Fragile”’s acoustic melancholy, this is a testament to magnetic pop-writing.
