The artist credits on Mudvayne's second major-label album, The End of All Things to Come (not to be confused with the 2001 reissue of its 1997 indie album, Kill I Oughtta, retitled The Beginning of All Things to End), might suggest that the band has undergone a complete personnel change, but in fact the group members have just changed their pseudonyms.

Singer Kud now calls himself Chüd, guitarist Gurrg has become Güüg, bassist Ryknow is R-üD, and drummer sPaG is Spüg.

Otherwise, not much has changed for the band in the two years since its first album for Epic Records, L.D.

50.

The musicians still churn out standard-issue heavy metal thrash à la Metallica to support Chüd's nihilistic pronouncements, usually sung in an enraged howl.

But much else has changed surrounding the band.

A year and a half's worth of gigs opening for others propelled L.D.

50 to gold status as Mudvayne's cartoonish costumes and makeup were embraced by metal fans for their novelty and, oh yes, the September 11 terrorist attacks altered the aesthetic climate in which the band functions.

At least, you'd have thought it did.

Mudvayne still thinks nothing of putting out lyrics like, "I need a barrel of cyanide, a pile of strychnine until the whole damn world is dead start over again" (from the album's title song), as if it hadn't become painfully obvious that there actually are people in the world willing to act on such ridiculous sentiments.

The amusement value of such posturing is reduced when reality comes so close to dark fantasy.

To Mudvayne, however, it all still seems to be a joke.