- Album list
- Singer Intro
Staind (/ˈsteɪnd/ STAYND) is an American rock band formed in 1995. The original lineup consisted of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Aaron Lewis, lead guitarist Mike Mushok, bassist and backing vocalist Johnny April, and drummer Jon Wysocki (who left in May 2011).
To date, the band has recorded seven studio albums: Tormented (1996), Dysfunction (1999), Break the Cycle (2001), 14 Shades of Grey (2003), Chapter V (2005), The Illusion of Progress (2008), and Staind (2011). The band has sold over 15 million records worldwide. Many of the band's singles have substantially charted on US rock and all-format charts as well, including 'It's Been Awhile', 'Price to Play', 'So Far Away', and 'Right Here'.
Musical style, lyrical topics, and influences
Topics of their lyrics cover issues of depression, relationships, death, addictions, finding one's self, betrayal and even Lewis' thoughts about becoming a father in the song 'Zoe Jane' from 14 Shades of Grey, as well as reflecting on his upbringing in the song 'The Corner' from The Illusion of Progress. Also from 14 Shades of Grey, the track titled 'Layne' was written about Alice in Chains frontman Layne Staley in response to his death in 2002. The song is also about Staley's legacy and the effect his music had on the members of Staind, especially Aaron Lewis. Staind has been categorized as nu metal, alternative metal, heavy metal, hard rock and post-grunge.
In 2001, Rolling Stone outlined the band's relationship to the nu metal label:
Staind got their first break in 1998 when [Fred] Durst signed the band to his Flip Records. That association has linked the group with 'new metal,' though Break the Cycle's sound is neither particularly new nor metal. The band doesn't rap, and though Mushok has adopted new-metal's minor-key guitar riffs, Lewis' dramatic voice and the anthemic quality of such songs as 'Open Your Eyes' and 'Fade' are more akin to Alice in Chains than to Korn. Aggressive yet reflective, Break the Cycle doesn't require a poisonous abundance of testosterone to be appreciated and is better suited to solitary listening than to the mosh pit.
Members of Staind have cited Pantera, Kiss, Van Halen, Led Zeppelin, Whitesnake, the Beatles, Alice in Chains, Black Sabbath, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Stone Temple Pilots, James Taylor, Korn, Crosby, Stills & Nash as influences.
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