Staind

Staind biography

Staind ( ) is an American rock band that was formed in 1995 in Springfield, Massachusetts. For 16 years, the band consisted of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Aaron Lewis, lead guitarist Mike Mushok, bassist Johnny April, and drummer Jon Wysocki (who left in May 2011). To date, the band has recorded seven studio albums: Tormented (1996), Dysfunction (1999), Break the Cycle (2001), 14 Shades of Grey (2003), Chapter V (2005), The Illusion of Progress (2008), and their self-titled album (2011). The band has had five chart-topping singles and sold over 15 million records worldwide.

History

Early days and Tormented (1995-1998)

Staind formed on September 23, 1995 in Springfield, Massachusetts. The band met through friends and started covering KoRn, Rage Against the Machine, Pearl Jam, Tool, and Alice in Chains, among others, and played at local clubs (most commonly playing at Club Infinity) for a year and a half. Staind self-released their debut album, Tormented, in November 1996, citing influences Pantera and Machine Head. Until recently, the album was difficult to obtain, as only four thousand copies were originally sold.

During this time, Staind acquired a concert slot with Limp Bizkit through longtime friend Justin Cantor. Shortly prior to the performance, Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst was appalled by Staind's grotesque album cover and unsuccessfully attempted to remove them from the bill. His perception changed, however, after being impressed with their performance.

Dysfunction (1999-2000)

On April 13, 1999, Staind released its major label debut Dysfunction on Flip Records. The album, which was co-produced by Fred Durst and Terry Date (who also produced acts like Soundgarden, Deftones, and Pantera), received comparisons to metal giants Tool and Korn. In particular, Aaron Lewis was lauded for his vocals, which were likened to those of Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder.

The album achieved slow success, with the album reaching the #1 spot on Billboard's Heatseaker Charts almost six months after its debut. In the same week, the album jumped to #74 on Billboard's Top 200 Album Charts.

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Break the Cycle (2001-2002)

Staind toured with Limp Bizkit for the Family Values Tour during the fall of 1999, where Aaron Lewis performed their first mainstream hit "Outside" with Fred Durst at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum. Staind released their third studio album Break the Cycle on May 22, 2001. Propelled by the success of their first single "It's Been Awhile", the album debuted at #1 on Billboard's Top 200 Album charts, selling 716,000 albums in its first week. The album's first week sales were the second highest of any album that year, a significant achievement for a hard rock band at a time when music charts were largely dominated by hip hop and teen-pop acts.

The album saw the band move away from the nu metal sounds of their previous album and turn to an alternative metal sound. The album spawned five hit singles: "It's Been Awhile" (which hit the Billboard Top 10), "Fade" (which has been featured on a number of movie soundtracks and television shows), "Outside", "For You", and the acoustic ballad "Epiphany". It also included a track called "Waste", devoted to two teenage fans who committed suicide shortly before the album was released. "It's Been Awhile" spent a total of 16 and 14 weeks on top of the modern and mainstream rock charts, respectively, making it one of the highest joint numbers of all time. On 2001, Break the Cycle sold 4 million copies worldwide making it one of the best selling albums that year. Break the Cycle would go on to sell 7 million copies worldwide, making this Staind's best selling album.

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