"35" Mudder is in the MONSTER rock vein, and boy, are they a shot in the arm," begins HITZ Magazine reviewer Jimmy Barnes in a recent issue. "The overall vibe is heavy as a tank and fires just as hard."

Now for the punch line: this MONSTER rock sound does not hail from the thriving East Coast hardcore scene that has produced such power houses as Vision of Disorder and Sick Of It All. Nor does it claim the up-and-coming West Coast movement, which has introduced Korn, the Deftones and HeadPE in recent years, as its homefront. The treacherous tank that is 35" Mudder is rolling out of Ames, Iowa, and it's rolling fast.

This November, 35" Mudder will release "Stained,", the eagerly-awaited follow-up to the band's self-released debut, "Definition of Purpose," which has sold over 2,000 copies in Central Iowa.

"'Stained' is a much more intense record than 'Definition,'" says Brian. "Not only are the riffs and tones heavier, the lyrical content is much more aggressive." Dave adds, "'Stained' has a lot more East Coast flavor to it, which is what we're been moving towards for a while now."

Released on January 1, 1998, "Definition of Purpose" spent two months on Ames' Musicland's Top 20 Best Sellers chart, peaking at No. 4. The first single, "It All Comes Back To Me," was immediately picked up by Lazer 103.3 out of Des Moines and, within weeks became a consistent Top 5 requested tune, despite only receiving air-play on a Sunday evening local music show. These requests launched 35" into regular rotation as Mudder became the first and only unsigned band to do so in Lazer 103.3 history. "It All Comes Back To Me" reached as high as No. 3 on Lazer's Top 5 list and was followed by "21 Years of Pain," which peaked at No. 2 on the request log. The second single also reached No. 1 on Ames' KURE 88.5's metal chart.

And things keep getting better. The same week Korn released its recent hit singe "Got The Life," 35" Mudder released "Full Scale War," the first single from "Stained." The two songs tied for the No. 1 requested song for the week on Lazer, proving that 35" can hang with the big boys. The song has remained on the Top 5 since and has become an anthem for Mudder fans.

"'Definition of Purpose' was made on such a small budget in such a short amount of time," Dusty explains. "All we hoped for was a good enough sound to get gigs. When it started to take off, we were shocked. I look at 'Definition' differently now. I guess it was a better record than we thought. Once we realized it was more than a demo to our fans, we started seriously thinking about putting the time and money into another record."

35" Mudder recorded "Stained" over the summer at SR Audio in Des Moines with accomplished producer Sean McMahon. It was the first chance for Mudder to record with Brian, who replaced Tim Vanhaaften in January, and Cory, who became a full-time member in February. The new, stronger line-up proved pivotal in the creation of "Stained."

"My role is more defined," Dusty says. "I get to handle most of the hardcore-style vocals, while C-Bone is the hip-hop flavor." Cory adds, "It worked well for us. Dusty and I figured out early what we would be doing for the sound. We thought everything was really hitting in the rehearsal room, so we were excited to get into the studio. When we were finished with the vocal tracks, we were definitely pleased with the trade-offs."

35" Mudder formed in the fall of 1996, when Dave moved to Ames from New Jersey and began assembling a band. Originally a challenge to get a gig anywhere in Iowa, Mudder quickly built a hardcore scene that now boasts dozens of anti-folk bands playing everything from punk to rapcore. Since 35" formed, they have played with Deftones, Limp Bizkit, Snot, Incubus, System of a Down, Jimmy's Chicken Shack, The Urge and Goldfinger. Mudder also performed at Iowa State University's spring festival show at Hilton Coliseum, a bill that included The Crystal Method and Tonic. Last summer, the band headlined the second stage at Mancow's Lazer Luau in Des Moines, which attracted over 22,000 people to see national acts Anthrax, Local H, Candlebox, Drain S.T.H. and Brother Cane. They were also on the bill for this summer's Lazer Luau.

Mudder looks to conquer new territory with the release of "Stained," along with a split 7" record with Ames' own Grubby Ernie, featuring an alternative recording of "Full Scale War." "Stained," along with "Definition of Purpose," is available at all Ames and Des Moines record stores and will be distributed regionally through Best Buy.

Look for the 35" Mudder tank to roll into your town sometime soon.