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Rating: 14 Shades Of Grey... Because life is not just black or white, but sometimes it hangs in the balance, in the grey.
It sounds like a slogan, yet this is precisely the meaning behind the title of Staind's 4th album, which aims to replicate the sales success of the previous "Break The Cycle".
This group, praised by critics and hated by metalheadz (also because it's produced by the omnipresent Fred Durst), indeed tries to replicate what they already did in the previous record; that is, an easy-listening (and commercial?) rock made of melodic ballads or quite energetic pieces composed of slow verses that explode in the chorus, offering nothing new. After careful listening, I noticed that the album features good songs, like the single "Price To Play" (a song that powerfully opens the CD), the sweet "How About You", the melodic "So Far Away", the strong "Yesterday", the beautiful "Fill Me Up", and the ballad "Zoe Jane" which the singer dedicated to his daughter. Now you might say: so what? The fact is that the album, up to the midpoint, until track no. 7 "Fill Me Up", features good songs and at times even qualitatively better than Break The Cycle, but from the midpoint onwards it really leaves much to be desired with useless songs that have nothing truly noteworthy, exposing the more monotonous side of Staind's sound (how boring!); only the good "Reality" and the fairly decent closing "Intro" are worth mentioning. A note for "Layne," a song dedicated to the late singer of Alice In Chains, which however only makes me want to skip the track. The sounds of the CD are, as mentioned, more or less the same as the previous work with a few small modifications (it seems less 'dark' than its predecessor) and there's a noticeable increase in melody, which makes the songs too similar to each other. The lyrics, true to Staind tradition, speak of disappointments, sadness, but also hope with a good dose of anger. There's nothing to say about Aaron Lewis's performance, stunning, powerful, and melodic voice, and always damn clean.
In short, I expected something more (I prefer Break The Cycle), but Staind manage very well to play this kind of melodic rock (post-grunge/nu metal or however you want to define it) and if they are listened to without many problems and prejudices, they can sometimes convey a lot of emotions. However, this album only succeeded halfway; and moreover, it lacks heavier tracks like "Pressure" "For You" or "Open Your Eyes".
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Price to Play (03:36)
Fail to see
How destructive we can be
Taking without giving back,
'Till the damage can be seen
Can you see?
Can you see?
Chorus:
The more you take, the more you blame
But everything still feels the same
The more you hurt, the more you strain
The price you pay to play the game
And all you seek, and all you gain
And all you step on with no shame
There are no rules, no one to blame
The price to play the game
Apathy- the chosen way to be
Blindly look the other way
While you waste away with me
Can you see?
Can you see?
Chorus:
The more you take, the more you blame
But everything still feels the same
The more you hurt, the more you strain
The price you pay to play the game
And all you seek, and all you gain
And all you step on with no shame
There are no rules, no one to blame
The price to play the game
What you pay to play the game
What you pay to play the game
What you pay to play the game
What you pay to play the game
Chorus:
The more you take , the more you blame
But everything still feels the same
The more you hurt, the more you strain
The price you pay to play the game
And all you seek, and all you gain
And all you step on with no shame
There are no rules, no one to blame
The price to play the game
What you pay to play the game
What you pay to play the game
What you pay to play the game
What you pay to play the game
03 So Far Away (04:05)
This is my life, it's not what it was before
All these feelings I've shared
And these are my dreams
That I'd never lived before
Somebody shake me
'Cause I, I must be sleepin'
Now that we're here, its so far away
All the struggle we thought was in vain
An' all the mistakes one life contained
They all finally start to go away
An' now that we're here, it's so far away
An' I feel like I can face the day
An' I can't forget that I'm not ashamed
To be the person that I am today
These are my words
That I've never said before
I think I'm doing okay
And this is the smile
I've never shown before
Somebody shake me
'Cause I, I must be sleeping
An' now that we're here, it's so far away
All the struggle we thought was in vain
An' all the mistakes one life contained
They all finally start to go away
An' now that we're here, it's so far away
An' I feel like I can face the day
An' I can't forget that I'm not ashamed
To be the person that I am today
I'm so afraid of waking
Please don't shake me
Afraid of waking
Please don't shake me
Now that we're here, its so far away
All the struggle we thought was in vain
An' all the mistakes one life contained
They all finally start to go away
An' now that we're here, it's so far away
An' I feel like I can face the day
An' I can't forget that I'm not ashamed
To be the person that I am today
04 Yesterday (03:47)
you don't know what you've put me through
it's okay, i've forgiven you
but in some way, hope it fucks with you
hope it fucks with you that i'm okay and i've made it through
but whos to say what your going through
i'll say no names, though i've wanted to
isn't it strange how it seems like;
[Chorus:]
Yesterday, a boy and already afraid
locked deep inside, my place to hide
to hide from how you made me feel
and i wonder how's your brother
did he end up fucked up like me?
lost in himself, crying for help - it's safe to say
i learned to live without a pride
just a shell, with me stuck on the inside
a prison, not a place to hide
not a place to hide
i'm okay and i've made it through
but whos to say what your going through
i'll say no names, though i've wanted to
isn't it strange how it seems like;
[Chorus:]
Yesterday, a boy and already afraid
locked deep inside, my place to hide
to hide from how you made me feel
and i wonder how's your brother
did he end up fucked up like me?
lost in himself, crying for help - it's safe to say
[Chorus:]
Yesterday, a boy and already afraid
locked deep inside, my place to hide
to hide from how you made me feel
And i wonder, how's your brother,
Can he finally punch through like me,
Finding himself, not needing help - I'd like to see!
05 Fray (05:04)
I know that it never goes away
All I feel, everything I'm not today
So I try and I try to make everything right
I don't feel like I'm doing it, it affects me
Chorus:
You wouldn't listen even if I told you
Who the fuck am I to say?
You're too busy with the lies they sold you
Another cure to fix your day
Open wide for all the shit they feed you
While the TV defecates
And blindly walk wherever they will lead you
While the edges slowly Fray
I know that everything can change
What I need is to open up again
So never again will I look back in vain
Cause today's not the past
I don't need to relive it
Chorus:
You wouldn't listen even if I told you
Who the fuck am I to say?
You're too busy with the lies they sold you
Another cure to fix your day
Open wide for all the shit they feed you
While your TV defecates
And blindly walk wherever they will lead you
While the edges slowly Fray
Are you satisfied?
I've given all I can
And are you pacified
Or do you want more from me?
Chorus:
You wouldn't listen even if I told you
Who the fuck am I to say?
You're too busy with the lies they sold you
Another cure to fix your day
Open wide for all the shit they feed you
While the TV defecates
And blindly walk wherever they will lead you
While the edges slowly Fray
I've learned that this life's not just a game
Just a line between the pleasures and the pain
Chorus:
You wouldn't listen even if I told you
Who the fuck am I to say?
And you're too busy with the lies they sold you
Another cure to fix your day
Open wide for all the shit they feed you
While the TV defecates
And blindly walk wherever they will lead you
While the edges slowly Fray
06 Zoe Jane (04:37)
Well, I want you to notice
To notice when I'm not around
I know that your eyes see straight through me
And speak to me without a sound
Chorus:
And I want to hold you
Protect you from all of the things
I've already endured
And I want to show you
Show you all the things
That this life has in store for you
And I'll always love you
The way that a father
Should love his daughter
When I walked out this morning
I cried as I walked to the door
I cried about how long I'd be away for
I cried about leaving you all alone
Chorus:
And I want to hold you
Protect you from all of the things
I've already endured
And I want to show you
Show you all the things
That this life has in store for you
And I'll always love you
The way that a father
Should love his daughter
Sweet Zoe Jane
Sweet Zoe Jane
So I wanted to say this
Cause I wouldn't know where to begin
To explain to you what I have been through
To explain where your daddy has been
Chorus:
So I want to hold you
Protect you from all of the things
I've already endured
And I want to show you
Show you all the things
That this life has in store for you
And I'll always love you
The way that a father
Should love his daughter
Sweet Zoe Jane
Sweet Zoe Jane
07 Fill Me Up (04:25)
Well I just had to let you know
Cause I don't always let it show
You give me needed room to grow
And I just had to tell you so
Chorus:
You fill me up
You're in my veins
A look could take my breath away
And all these things you give away
Sometimes I take for granted
It's just like poetry inside
To hear you breathing by my side
Like I'm in Heaven and I've died
So glad you're with me for this ride
Chorus:
You fill me up
You're in my veins
A look could take my breath away
And all these things you give away
Sometimes I take for granted
I see your face to start my day
Makes my all bad dreams go away
And all the stupid games we play
Wouldn't have it any other way
Chorus:
You fill me up
You're in my veins
A look could take my breath away
And all these things you give away
Sometimes I take for granted (x2)
08 Layne (04:26)
I heard today that you were gone
I had to stop and sing along
The song they played to say goodbye
A song that gave
Gave me back life
Chorus:
You'll never fade
The words you gave
My life you saved
Your name was Layne
And on that day a child was born
To someone who you helped along
And helped see through his darkest times
Because of you, this child, she is mine
Chorus:
You'll never fade
The words you gave
My life you saved
Your name was Layne
Bridge:
The words you said
You made me feel like they were all for me
The words you said
They will always be a part of me
The words you said
You made me feel like I was not alone
Witrh word instead
You gave me all the strength to carry on
Chorus (altered) :
So to me you'll never fade
Your life you gave
My life you saved
Your name was Layne
10 Reality (04:38)
The lights are on but you're not home
You've drifted off somewhere alone
Somewhere that's safe
No questions here
A quiet place
Where you hide from your fears
Chorus:
Sometimes when you're out of rope
The way to climb back up's unclear
The walls you build around yourself
I guess they also keep you here
Are you afraid of what they think?
Whoever they happen to be
Or are you hiding from the scars of your own reality?
So you sedate and drown in vain
You've got a pill for every day
A suit and tie to mask the truth
It's ugly and it's starting to show through
Chorus:
Sometimes when you're out of rope
The way to climb back up's unclear
The walls you build around yourself
I guess they also keep you here
Are you afraid of what they think?
Whoever they happen to be
Or are you hiding from the scars of your own reality?
Bridge:
The monster you're feeding
Your lack of perception
The things you do
To fulfill your addictions
The light at the end of your tunnel is closing
What is it that you're so afraid of exposing?
You'd give it all up for what's there for the taking
Whatever it takes to keep your hands from shaking
The same things you're thinking might make you feel better
The same things that probably got you here
Chorus:
Sometimes when you're out of rope
The way to climb back up's unclear
The walls you build around yourself
I guess they also keep you here
Are you afraid of what they think?
Whoever they happen to be
Or are you hiding from the scars of your own reality?
Bridge:
The monster you're feeding
Your lack of perception
The things you do
To fulfill your addictions
The light at the end of your tunnel is closing
What is it that you're so afraid of exposing?
You'd give it all up for what's there for the taking
Whatever it takes to keep your hands from shaking
The same things you're thinking might make you feel better
The same things that probably got you here
11 Tonight (04:25)
Just try to understand
This isn't what I planned
This ride's out of my hands
So now I'm forced to be
Something I can not be
If only I could make you see
Chorus:
Tonight I'm alive
I've watched you all grow up and so have I
Inside this isn't really what I had in mind
I no longer relate
To this world of hate
That's forced upon my plate
I tend to disagree
I hope its not just me
Alone if only I could make you see
Chorus:
Tonight I'm alive
I've watched you all grow up and so have I
Inside this isn't really what I had in mind
I had in mind (x2)
Chorus:
Tonight I'm alive
I've watched you all grow up and so have I
Inside this isn't really what I had in mind
This time
I watch you all grow up and so have I
Inside this isn't really what I had in mind
I had in mind
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