Audio Cassette review:
Staind - Break the Cycle

Staind - Break the Cycle

Band: Staind Title: Break the Cycle Rating: Release Date: 22 May, 2001 Media: Audio Cassette Tracks: 1: Open Your Eyes 2: Pressure 3: Fade 4: It's Been Awhile 5: Change 6: Can't Believe - Aaron Lewis 7: Epiphany 8: Suffer 9: Safe Place 10: For You 11: Outside 12: Waste 13: Take It

Editoral Review If you don't treat your kids right, they're gonna up and start an alt-metal band to share the angst you've brought on them with the world. Watch out, mom and dad. After all, who needs therapy when you've got a million kids hearing your pain on MTV? Staind has never been a band to gloss over personal issues. They've given their albums names like Torment and Dysfunction, and their lyrics delve deep into singer Aaron Lewis' difficult past. Contrary to the title, Staind's third release, Break the Cycle, sticks with the tormented cycle, covering the same themes of heartbreak, self-doubt, and broken homes. Lewis has almost three decades of personal material to mine, and as familiar as his issues are, Break the Cycle still feels like a new, honest look into difficulties that can hit people across the board. "Waste," a song written to a fan who committed suicide, is particularly poignant as it grabbles with Lewis's empathy and anger for a boy he's never met. "Outside" is another album standout. It's a slower, partially acoustic number that builds on its own emotion. The songs on Break the Cycle are drenched in melancholy melodies and slow, heavy riffs typical of the sensitive side of the alt-rock genre. Lewis sometimes breaks out into either a hearty yell or a throaty gurgle that sounds like the devil vomiting ("Can't Believe"), but the best songs keep his passion a little more controlled. You've probably heard rock like Break the Cycle piping from mainstream radio stations already, but Lewis's ability to turn his breakdowns into his art should capture a new round of fans happy to find kindred spirits in the band. --Jennifer Maerz .. You can see a complete list of all Staind discography, or go back to the Staind tabs