MUDVAYNE’s Chad Gray Shares His Vision for a ‘Never-Ending Album’

In a new interview with ‘Toilet Ov Hell’, Mudvayne frontman Chad Gray opened up about the band’s future and whether fans can expect a full-length album following their first new songs in 16 years, “Hurt People Hurt People” and “Sticks And Stones.”

He admitted:

“I don’t know. I like doing it like this.”

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Gray elaborated that releasing singles instead of traditional albums is an idea he’s wanted to pursue for years.

“It’s so funny,” he began. “Years ago, probably after The End of All Things to Come, maybe around the Lost and Found era, I had this idea of going to the guys and saying, ‘What if we created a never-ending record? We just start releasing songs — no beginning, no end — just a constant flow of music that we control.’ Everyone thought it was a really cool idea.”

He shared that the concept was inspired by the early days of 45s and cassingles, when artists would release standalone tracks on a consistent basis. But when he pitched the idea to Sony, who handled the band through Epic Records at the time, the label wasn’t on board.

“They told me, ‘We can’t do that because we need the first-week numbers from the album,’” he recalled. “That kind of shortsightedness drove me crazy.”

Even after Mudvayne changed labels, the resistance continued.

“We pitched it again, and they still said no,” he explained. “Then, a couple years later, the same label president was sitting there pitching the exact same idea back to me like it was his. I just looked at him and said, ‘Are you out of your fucking mind? We had this exact conversation three years ago.’”

Reflecting on those frustrations, Gray expressed satisfaction that he can finally release music on his own terms.

“So, back to your question — is there a full-length on the way? I like doing it this way,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to do it this way. Get together, write, record, and put it out. Do that 10 times and you have a full-length, but it doesn’t need to be packaged as one. I’m finally getting my way. I can write the never-ending album.”

In a separate interview with ‘Popdust’, Gray discussed what brought him back to Mudvayne following the end of Hellyeah after the passing of drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott.

“I was lost after Vinnie died,” he shared. “We did a couple of ‘celebration of life’ tours with Roy Mayorga on drums, but after that, I didn’t know what to do. My lawyer asked me what was next, and I said, ‘I don’t know, man.’ He told me, ‘You could go back to Mudvayne.’ At first, I didn’t want to. But he said, ‘You guys went away before people were ready. You could continue the Mudvayne legacy.’ That’s when it started to make sense.”

Those initial reunion discussions, Gray noted, were challenging but essential to rebuilding the group’s creative energy.

“We got in a room and made it happen,” he said. “It took a while to find that common ground again, but once we did, it clicked.”

He credited producer Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Deftones, Alice In Chains) for guiding the band’s direction and sharpening their sound.

“He really got us focused,” Gray said. “A producer manages the egos, keeps everyone in check, and helps find that middle ground. He was perfect for us.”

When it came to describing the sound of Mudvayne’s new material, Gray emphasized the importance of staying true to the band’s identity.

“I knew how we had to do it — we’re a heavy band,” he said. “I wasn’t going to come back with a radio single. I wanted to come back like, ‘Here we are, motherfucker.’ We did that with ‘Hurt People’ and then ‘Sticks And Stones.’ The response has been amazing. People waited 16 years, and they’re saying, ‘This is exactly what we hoped for.’ That’s a cool feeling.”

He concluded by reflecting on what defines Mudvayne after all these years.

“We’re a legacy band,” Gray said. “People know what we’re about — the heaviness, the weirdness, the intelligence behind it. There’s a level of extremity in Mudvayne, but also subtlety. That’s what makes us who we are.”

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