|
In a time of empty lyrics, promotion of appearance over talent, and the
ever-reigning rap/metal bands, come bittersweet choruses and angst-filled
guitar riffs known as the band Staind.
Very rarely does a band expose their fans to a winding road full of pain
and hopelessness like Staind does. The band's first album, Tormented,
revealed the raw feelings of a band whose front man Aaron Lewis captivated
the minds and souls of teenagers and young adults tired of the vanity that
has overcome life.
On the second album, and first major-label debut Dysfunction, Staind
took their talent a step further. With tighter riffs and a balance of
melodies and sorrowful screams Staind continued to reach out to more fans
making a place for themselves in modern rock.
Staind's newly released album, Break the Cycle, not only shows the
continuing pure talent of this band, but it shows that despite fame and
exposure there are bands that remain true to their ways. Break the Cycle is
the candid progress of Staind. The album's many layers flourish with each
spin. This time around, Staind approaches its fans with more melodic lyrics
that contrast greatly with the raw growls that draw support from the
distorted guitars. Bass playing lays the foundation to the concavity of the
album's lyrics.
Break the Cycle exposes the vanity that continues to blind us from the
wrong ways of this world. Lewis narrates a story of his own in each song as
he describes a world of never ending pain in which we refuse to open our
eyes; a world that longs to suffer and yearns to hear of anger and fear; a
family that refuses to see the truth and lives in the rotting world of
silence.
On Break the Cycle, the band uses its feelings of emptiness to reveal
the dreadful and frightening world we live in. From his infinite hole of
depression, the unstained purity of Lewis' voice and lyrics grabs the hearts
of those experiencing anguish and pain. Through the bittersweet choruses,
Aaron Lewis opens his heart and lets his demons out with each story of love,
hate, and despair.
Lewis, without a doubt, has one of the most expressive voices in modern
rock. Though his lyrics primarily were for his sole emotional support, they
now touch thousands of the band's fans. Break the Cycle is a perfect cure for
anyone feeling depressed and empty. At the end of the album it becomes
obvious that you're not the one who's messed up - the world is.
