Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Review: Staind - Staind

Ok, before you even start in on me, I know I’m reviewing a Staind album. I haven’t liked a thing they’ve done since Breaking The Cycle, and I wrote them off a long time ago. I always hoped they could somehow channel the energy they used on Dysfunction and make another album close to that. This self-titled effort is not exactly that, but I think it’s as close as we’re going to get with Staind. The opening track ‘Eyes Wide Open’ is exactly what I was looking for: heavy, well placed screams, and the expected clean soulful chorus to pull you back in. On top of that, there is a guitar solo, something I would have never thought I would hear on this album, and there are lots of them throughout. The album continues this way and really makes a mark. There are the more recent signature Staind-style songs that are slower, but they fit well with the album and are placed well in the order of songs. I will say one giant negative is the track ‘Wannabe’ – just skip over this song all together. It’s flat out horrible. Other than the opening track, stand out tracks for me are ‘Take A Breath’, ‘Paper Wings’, and the first single ‘Not Again’. This is one I’ll be picking up for sure, and you should do the same.

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