The track is the second helping from the band’s forthcoming studio album
Nu metal legends Mudvayne have released a new single “Sticks and Stones.” The track follows the previously released “Hurt People Hurt People,“ the band’s first new piece of material in 16 years. Stream the official visualizer for “Sticks and Stones” below now via Alchemy Recordings.
“I was always told ‘sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me,'” frontman Chad Gray says of the new track. “Well, it’s a great nursery rhyme, but I couldn’t disagree more. I’ve carried a lot of words throughout my life as if they were just spoken to me. The reality is — they do hurt. I’ve tried my best to shed them, but when they come from dear friends, family — people that are suppose to love you — the words have teeth and they won’t let go. Blood doesn’t wash out; iit stains. I think I’m just trying to remind people to love their children. Don’t use them as a bullet to fire into your ex or whomever you’re with now. They’re innocent and they are impressionable. And trust me, as a child, that was used as a weapon, your words will hurt them…long after you say them.”
The band has also launched a pre-order for a double A-Side 7″ vinyl featuring both songs. There will be a standard version, as well as a variant that is signed and limited to 500 units. Both are available exclusively through the band’s webstore alongside a brand new merch capsule. Check out the album art below, plus a link to order.
A while back, Gray also commented on the band’s first new song in over a decade and a half.
“‘Hurt People Hurt People’ has probably been around since the beginning of man. Certainly longer than the phrase ever existed. The endless cycle of projecting our pain onto others. I think I wrote this song as a reminder to myself to break the cycle. We create our own suffering, our own hurt. It’s time for us to create self-love and let go of the pain. It was never ours to begin with.”
In just two weeks, Mudvayne are embarking on their L.D. 50 25th Anniversary Tour, bringing their acclaimed debut album back to the stage. Joining them on the road are special guests Static-X and Vended. Static-X will support the tour as they celebrate 25 years of their iconic album Wisconsin Death Trip. Produced by Live Nation, the 30-city tour kicks off on September 11 in Dubuque, Iowa making stops across the U.S. in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Nashville and more before wrapping up in Uncasville, Connecticut at Mohegan Sun Arena on October 26.
Tickets for all shows are on sale now.
Mudvayne broke out with major label debut in 2000, L.D. 50, released under Epic Records. Produced by Garth Richardson and executive produced by Slipknot’s M. Shawn Crahan, the record is known for its innovative sound, blending intense metal with complex rhythms and time signatures. It also introduced their elaborate stage personas and make-up, contributing to their unique identity.
Mudvayne’s subsequent albums, including 2002’s The End of All Things to Come and 2005’s Lost and Found, continued to build on their success, with singles like “Not Falling” and “Happy?” achieving notable chart success and radio play. These albums further developed their style, mixing heavy, aggressive metal with more melodic and accessible elements. The band’s last studio effort was their 2009 self-titled LP. The album produced two singles – “Beautiful and Strange” and “Scream with Me.”
After a 12-year hiatus, Mudvayne are reunited back in 2021. The band will be performed at all four Danny Wimmer Presents U.S. festivals, including Louder Than Life in Kentucky, Aftershock in California and Welcome To Rockville in Florida, plus a headlining performance at Inkcarceration Music & Tattoo Festival in Ohio. These dates mark the band’s first shows since 2009. Later that summer, the band toured with Rob Zombie and Alice Cooper. In 2023, Mudvayne mounted a massive amphitheater tour with Coal Chamber, Butcher Babies, and Nonpoint. Last year, the band served as special guests for Megadeth on their Destroy All Enemies Tour.
Fans can pre-order now HERE