It appears Mudvayne have quietly revisited their long-awaited 2025 comeback material.
Fans streaming the band’s first new songs in 16 years — ‘Sticks And Stones’ and ‘Hurt People Hurt People’ — may have noticed noticeable sonic differences across platforms like Spotify and Apple Music in recent days. Without any formal announcement, the gold-certified nü-metal veterans appear to have stealth-uploaded newly re-mixed and remastered versions of both tracks.
The songs, released in August and September of last year, marked Mudvayne’s first original material since 2009. While the excitement surrounding the releases was undeniable, both tracks were met with criticism from listeners who took issue with the mix and overall sound quality — with some fans even speculating that the songs sounded closer to demos than finished studio recordings.
That theory has since been put to rest.
The original versions were mixed by Josh Wilbur, whose résumé includes work with Lamb Of God, Korn, and Avenged Sevenfold. However, the band ultimately opted to revisit the material. The updated mixes were handled by Dave Fortman, a longtime Mudvayne collaborator who previously worked on Lost And Found and The New Game, and has also mixed albums for Slipknot and Evanescence.
In a Reddit post attributed to Fortman on January 17, he addressed the situation directly, explaining the decision to remix the tracks:
“The original mixes weren’t demos. They were mixed by Josh Wilbur but the band wasn’t happy with the results and the fans were unhappy as well according to feedback I got from their management. They called me to remix them so I took the same approach that I mixed ‘Lost And Found’ with. Seems to have worked! Glad you guys are digging it.”
Fortman also revealed that the changes went beyond simple balancing tweaks:
“I threw an entirely different spin on the intro and break of ‘Sticks And Stones’ with added piano notes and strings. Nothing has been rerecorded — that’s just me laying some ‘tickles’ in there. Enjoy!”
As of now, the revised versions do not appear to be reflected on the band’s official YouTube uploads, though they are live on most major streaming services.
Mudvayne also indirectly acknowledged the re-mixing process when providing an update on the delayed 7” vinyl release of the singles. In a message sent to customers, the band cited audio perfectionism as a contributing factor:
“Due to our desire to make the audio perfect, mastering took longer than planned. In addition, an unanticipated production delay in the vinyl world means the new delivery date is early April 2026.”
While Mudvayne have yet to formally announce the updated mixes, the changes suggest the band is taking fan feedback seriously as they continue their long-awaited return.
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