LD-50

They walk the walk, they talk the talk, and, by golly, do they wear the make-up. Yup, Mudvayne, the latest US export to grace our metallic palette, fit snugly into the Top 40's most recent definition of nu-skool metal.

LD-50 is a bit heavily produced to be considered raw and although well endowed with plenty of guitarry distortion and chunky bassy riffs, the whole venture seems a little too polished.

'Cradle' opens with a wonky phaser effect, before the rabid screaming and clichéd guitar riffs kick in. 'Golden Ratio' boasts a relatively similar formula, which, although tried and tested, severely dampens any hope of diversity.

LD-50 isn't a particularly stunning debut, and despite firmly saluting every musical base in the 'Good Rock Song' equation, Mudvayne fall well short of the criteria set by their contemporaries.