Staind released their seventh studio album (eighth if you count Aaron Lewis’ solo album), this one being a self-titled album. I’ll call it STA for this post. Given that this is their seventh album and the figure depicted in the album art happens to have seven limbs doesn’t strike me as a coincidence. This album is Staind going back to their roots. It’s by far the hardest album they’ve put out in a decade and certainly the hardest since “Dysfunction”, if not “Tormented”, their second and first albums, respectively. But, here’s the thing. While it’s raw and hard like their early albums, it’s also very intricate, detailed, and refined or even polished to a certain degree.
The biggest theme of the album seems to be the end, whether that end takes the form of reflecting, finishing a chapter in one’s life, moving on to something new, or even death. It also seems to focus several songs on parting words, of sorts, towards multiple individuals and groups.
There was also one interesting tidbit in the artist thanks section. Aaron Lewis thanked everyone for supporting him through his ‘creative schizophrenia’. Most long-time fans will know exactly what he’s talking about here. I remember saying to my girlfriend shortly after Aaron Lewis put out his country/acoustic solo album that if they hold to their historic pattern, the next album we’ll see is going to be harder than we’ve gotten used to. And, on that note, onto the songs.
“Eyes Wide Open” starts the album and it’s only a couple seconds before the rage hits. This sets the tempo and the mood for the whole album – angry, dark, and reflective. It’s basically saying that we’re paying attention now. It also has a focus on a particular person, but doesn’t really push that angle as much.
“Not Again” comes second. It picks up where “Eyes Wide Open” left off and is a natural follow-up because if the last track was saying that now we’re paying attention, this one is saying that history won’t repeat itself because now we’re paying attention. Like the previous track, it has a connection to someone, but that’s not pushed as much.
“Failing” slows the tempo down quite a bit from the first two songs, though it still is a hard song. It’s a dark, despair-filled song talking about trying to make that connection with another person and not succeeding, hence the title. It also starts to zero in on a particular person in relation to the first two tracks.
“Wannabe” is a co-op with Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit and Snoop Dogg. I find it very difficult to compare this song to the rest of the album because of how different it is from the others. This is by far the weakest song on the album, but it is a good intermission or break of sorts to change the sound and tempo of the album for a song. It’s a fun, even catchy, song and a blast from the past. It also fits into the theme of the album better than one may initially think because, if we’re talking about an album with a theme of tying up loose ends, it’s not unreasonable to want to get the last word, the parting shot, in with the wannabes.
As an aside, Limp Bizkit basically brought Staind to the big stage many years ago and Staind took over. I’d go so far as to say Limp Bizkit’s greatest contribution to music was Staind rather than anything Limp Bizkit did because their rock-rap hybrid genre pretty much went extinct by the early to mid 2000’s while Staind’s contributions to change rock are far more lasting.
“Throw It All Away” starts the ramp back up after the interlude of the last track, but not quite all the way. It also gets us back on the theme of change and endings with some personal focus.
“Take a Breath” continues the ramp, being a bit harder and faster than the last track. I suspect this one is tied closely to many of the earlier songs on this album because the adversity conveyed in those songs can have this kind of maddening effect on a person.
“The Bottom” is a hard song with some sinister guitar riffs and vocals, but it’s also kind of slow until it speeds up about half-way through before decelerating into the end. The combination works very well for the song and the general vibe and message of the song. As the title implies, it’s a race to the bottom and follows on the personal connection established in the main core of the album.
“Now” is one of my particular favourites and it’s unique in sound not only on this album, but throughout Staind’s career. The speed picks back up here. It’s a very well-done, high-energy song about coming to the fork in the road, making the choice, going down that path, and continuing down it. There’s a great guitar riff in the middle here, too.
“Paper Wings” slows the tempo back down from the last track and resumes the hard and angry vibe from the rest of the album. This one particularly reminds me of some of Staind’s early work because it talks about doing whatever you have to do to escape the pain.
“Something to Remind You” lightens the sound and tempo to close the album. It’s acoustic Staind at their finest. This is a very reflective song, looking back on the long road to get where they are today. With lyrics like, “So this is it. I say goodbye to this chapter of my ever-changing life,” and, “Just one more song, A little something to remind you when I’m gone,” it sure sounds like a swan song, which is a sad thought for me.
Overall, I loved the album. It’s a very easy album to listen to straight through and doesn’t suffer from the blurring issue I notice on many other albums. Then again, the issue of tracks blurring together has just never been a problem for Staind. There were a lot of solid guitar riffs throughout the album and some good Staind growling. You can also hear the evolution of the band in the quality of the vocals, strings, and drums.
I’m worried, however. Given the feel of the album, the return to Staind’s roots in sound (and even the use of Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit and Snoop Dogg), and two particular songs, “Now” and “Something to Remind You,” I’m worried this will be Staind’s last studio album. I don’t have any confirmation of this yet, but I have a feeling it will be.
Obviously, I hope I’m wrong, but if I’m right, this was a great way for them to go out and I hope they tour periodically. They’ve been at it for a long time. “Tormented” came out in 1996, if I recall correctly, which means 15 years now and I can’t believe it’s been that long. If this is the end of the line for the single most dominant rock band of the 2000’s, then I at least get to say thanks for everything.
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