Post by Josh McLaughlin on Sept 29, 2011 4:31:36 GMT -5
Staind
Self-titled
Produced by Johnny K
Released September 2011
Staind were a huge deal several years ago, rising from their position in the fading nu-metal genre with hugely successful singles such as "So Far Away", "Outside" and "It's Been Awhile". This accessible, mainstream hard rock sound apparantly hasn't satisfied the band after the lacklustre sales performance of 2008's "The Illusion of Progress"; as with their new self-titled release they are back to the heavy, hard-hitting aggression seen in the early stages of the band such as the hugely successful "Dysfunction" album in 1999.
"Eyes Wide Shut" starts the album; immediately with a thumping drum track leading into a very mean and angry guitar riff. The vocals are aggressive and emotive; kind of similar to other post-grunge bands such as Seether. It's clear these songs aren't easy-listening radio tunes like their last release. "Not Again", the album's lead single, is next, with more kickass guitar riffs, but this time with a more mellow vocal track in the verse. Aaron Lewis seems at home in this type of music. The chorus picks up with a mixture of catchy rock vocals and screaming; which works decisively well.
The next song, "Failing", feels very similar to an Alice in Chains release; having that mid-90's grunge feel. The screaming in this song sounds extremely forced; and not used to naturally progress the song, showing that the band seems to be making heavy music just because they can, rather than because it fits the song. The next song, featuring Snoop Dogg of all people is "Wannabe", another rough aggressive song. Snoop's parts work surprisingly well in conjunction with a very angry-sounding Lewis, creating parts that sound similar to Limp Bizkit. The chorus works well at mixing extreme heaviness with catchy hooks.
"Throw It All Away", the fifth song on the album is a little less in-your-face; which prevents the album from becoming monotonous. This song is heavier than their previous release, but still largely tame and acceptable. "Take A Breath" is very melodic to start, quickly falling back into the thrashing, pumping metal side of the band. The vocals are slow and powerful, crescendoing towards the chorus; which is again catchy but dark and hard-hitting. "The Bottom", another angsty song works really well, standing out amongst the tracks on the album. The vocals are catchy, the band is tight and the guitar-work is great.
"Now" starts off with shredding guitar and a heavy drum track courtesy of Jon Wysocki, who left the band after recording this album, having been a member since the band's formation. The song is more mainstream than most other songs on the album; working quite well again to create a balance between radio rock and metal. "Paper Wings" is bass-heavy and full to the brim with metal riffage and you can't help but be pumped up listening to it. The last track on the album is "Something to Remind You", which is a lot softer than other songs on the album; reminiscent of their biggest hits such as "It's Been Awhile". It's a strong ending to the album, and a great song in general.
In all, the album is crisp and strong, and the band had no problems giving angst-ridden, furious intrumentals that worked well to show that the band hasn't gone soft. At times, the aggression seems very forced; but the album still works marginally better than their previous release; which was critically panned. Staind are back; and while I don't think this release will in any way get them substantial chart posititions or radio hits; it shows the band is still around and still kicking ass. A solid album; not amazing by any means, but a very solid release overall.
7/10
Self-titled
Produced by Johnny K
Released September 2011
Staind were a huge deal several years ago, rising from their position in the fading nu-metal genre with hugely successful singles such as "So Far Away", "Outside" and "It's Been Awhile". This accessible, mainstream hard rock sound apparantly hasn't satisfied the band after the lacklustre sales performance of 2008's "The Illusion of Progress"; as with their new self-titled release they are back to the heavy, hard-hitting aggression seen in the early stages of the band such as the hugely successful "Dysfunction" album in 1999.
"Eyes Wide Shut" starts the album; immediately with a thumping drum track leading into a very mean and angry guitar riff. The vocals are aggressive and emotive; kind of similar to other post-grunge bands such as Seether. It's clear these songs aren't easy-listening radio tunes like their last release. "Not Again", the album's lead single, is next, with more kickass guitar riffs, but this time with a more mellow vocal track in the verse. Aaron Lewis seems at home in this type of music. The chorus picks up with a mixture of catchy rock vocals and screaming; which works decisively well.
The next song, "Failing", feels very similar to an Alice in Chains release; having that mid-90's grunge feel. The screaming in this song sounds extremely forced; and not used to naturally progress the song, showing that the band seems to be making heavy music just because they can, rather than because it fits the song. The next song, featuring Snoop Dogg of all people is "Wannabe", another rough aggressive song. Snoop's parts work surprisingly well in conjunction with a very angry-sounding Lewis, creating parts that sound similar to Limp Bizkit. The chorus works well at mixing extreme heaviness with catchy hooks.
"Throw It All Away", the fifth song on the album is a little less in-your-face; which prevents the album from becoming monotonous. This song is heavier than their previous release, but still largely tame and acceptable. "Take A Breath" is very melodic to start, quickly falling back into the thrashing, pumping metal side of the band. The vocals are slow and powerful, crescendoing towards the chorus; which is again catchy but dark and hard-hitting. "The Bottom", another angsty song works really well, standing out amongst the tracks on the album. The vocals are catchy, the band is tight and the guitar-work is great.
"Now" starts off with shredding guitar and a heavy drum track courtesy of Jon Wysocki, who left the band after recording this album, having been a member since the band's formation. The song is more mainstream than most other songs on the album; working quite well again to create a balance between radio rock and metal. "Paper Wings" is bass-heavy and full to the brim with metal riffage and you can't help but be pumped up listening to it. The last track on the album is "Something to Remind You", which is a lot softer than other songs on the album; reminiscent of their biggest hits such as "It's Been Awhile". It's a strong ending to the album, and a great song in general.
In all, the album is crisp and strong, and the band had no problems giving angst-ridden, furious intrumentals that worked well to show that the band hasn't gone soft. At times, the aggression seems very forced; but the album still works marginally better than their previous release; which was critically panned. Staind are back; and while I don't think this release will in any way get them substantial chart posititions or radio hits; it shows the band is still around and still kicking ass. A solid album; not amazing by any means, but a very solid release overall.
7/10