Staind is the eponymous seventh and the most recent studio album by American rock band Staind, released on September 13, 2011. It was released as a download, a standard CD and a limited deluxe digipak edition, which contains a DVD documenting the recording process of the album, plus two live bonus tracks for the European digipak release. The album marks the return to the band's more aggressive heavier sound that was predominant on their firstthreealbums. The album also returns the guitar solos of Staind's first album Tormented. It is the band's final studio album to feature the full original lineup, as drummer Jon Wysocki left the band after the recording sessions in May 2011. Rapper Snoop Dogg appears on the remix of the song "Wannabe", which appears as a Japanese bonus track.
Background and recording
The making of Staind was a stressful experience for the group. As lead singerAaron Lewis stated, "By the end of the first month we weren't even recording in the same places anymore." A number of factors created some dissension within the group during recording. Despite the deadline on the album's completion approaching, with the album less than half finished, Lewis continued to do solo gigs to promote his solo albumTown Line much to the other band members' discontent. In addition Lewis' working relationship with drummer Jon Wysocki broke down completely. Wysocki's departure from the group was announced on their website in May 2011. Many songs were released before the album's official release date. The lead single, "Not Again", was made available as a streaming video on the band's official website on July 12, 2011. It was released to radio stations on July 19, 2011. "The Bottom" was released on the . Additionally, "Eyes Wide Open" was released on June 30, and the song "Paper Wings" was released on August 8. The official music video for "Not Again" premiered August 30, 2011. The single topped the Mainstream Rock Songs chart for seven non-consecutive weeks, and peaked at No. 4 on the Rock Songs chart and No. 14 on the Alternative Songs chart. The second single was confirmed as "Eyes Wide Open". "Something to Remind You", despite not being a single, peaked at No. 19 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100, due to digital downloads. It would be released as the fourth single later on. On September 15 Staind played a benefit concert for the September 11 victims and presented the new album. Eight of the ten total songs were performed, excluding "Take a Breath" and "Now".
Music
The band views the album as a return to the more aggressive sound heard on earlier albums such as Dysfunction and Tormented. Mike Mushok said "It's like Dysfunction 2011. The music goes back to where we started, but there's still melody. We were ready to make an album that was heavy from beginning to end. It was time." Bassist Johnny April said "There's a deeper anger to the vocals and music. Some of the riffs Mike came up with were challenging and incredibly different. We've grown so much, and at the same time managed to find our way back to our roots."
Reception
The album debuted at number 5 on the Billboard 200, with first sales week of 47,000 copies, making the fifth consecutive top-five album for the band. However, the album has spent the least weeks of any Staind studio record on the chart, falling off after eight weeks. As of November 19, it has sold over 100,000 copies. The album received a score of 55 out of 100 from Metacritic based on "mixed or average reviews", with some critics, including IGN, calling it Staind's most mature and balanced release to date and praising the band for returning to their heavier, metal roots.
