Staind
Chapter V

THE REVIEW

Fifth chapter for Aaron Lewis's band, and it's definitely appropriate to say: nothing new under the sun.
It's truly curious how Staind, after achieving a dazzling success with Break the Cycle, have been offering the same formula for five years that, in the long run, is starting to show its flaws.
The causes of this artistic decline are certainly to be found in the lack of worthy musical and compositional technique; if 14 Shades of Grey already demonstrated how, upon a second listen, most tracks appeared banal and predictable, I believe it might have been time to reinvent themselves or at least return to the beaten path, intensifying the anger and seeking more effective harmonies.
But perhaps Aaron likes to eat rice all the time, so he continues to rely on what's already been tested, and thus follows the usual album.

Chapter V doesn't start badly at all; for the first five tracks, it's somewhat convincing with "Right Here" and "Paper Jesus" showing us the best sides of the group: the first is light and melancholic, the second gritty and effective, almost seeming to emerge from the pen of the late Cantrell/Stanley duo.
Then the album collapses, and what follows is the festival of recycling and déjà heard, inevitably making you start skipping tracks between yawns and the predictable on a second listen.
The album closes with "King Of All Excuses" and "Reply," two other tracks worthy of a dignified listen.
At the end, you take the CD and realize that even the cover falls into anonymity... a real pity.

Thus, Staind too are sent back to a future exam, when, hopefully, they will rediscover better verve and inspiration, hoping that someone will be willing to listen to them and have the patience to wait for them.