In the ever-unfolding and expanding musical lives of multi-platinum Massachusetts-based band STAIND, CHAPTER V opens the book on a new phase of their journey. The 12-song album, produced by David Botrill (Tool, Godsmack) features the first single, the classic, mid-tempo and dynamic 'Right Here,' as well standouts like the edgy, dark 'Falling,' the poignant, retro-feeling 'Schizophrenic Conversations,' and the soaring 'Everything Changes.' CHAPTER V is Staind at their best, with songs ranging from forceful to quiet, from industrial-tinged to melodious, often within one song and with singer AARON LEWIS' instantly recognizable voice heartfelt and fervent.
Many of those fans have been with Staind for more than 10 years. It's been a decade since Staind played their first gig in February, 1995, and the ensuing years have been an escalating cycle of musical and personal growth and increasing success, without the accompanying blown-up egos that destroy so many bands. TORMENTED, Staind's self-released debut, came out in 1996, and, playing the New England area over the next several years, the quartet came to the attention of Flip Records. DYSFUNCTION came out on the label in 1999, achieving platinum-plus status thanks to songs like 'Just Go,' 'Mudshovel' and 'Home.' A cut on the FAMILY VALUES TOUR 1999 CD, 'Outside,' became a #1 rock single, while a hit version also appeared on Staind's next album, 2001's BREAK THE CYCLE. That CD entered the Billboard Top 200 albums chart at #1 and has sold more than eight million albums to date. The songs 'Fade,' 'For You,' 'Epiphany' and 'It's Been Awhile' from BREAK THE CYCLE made the band certified superstars, with 'It's Been Awhile' spending 16 weeks at #1 on Billboard's Modern Rock chart. A gold-certified MTV UNPLUGGED DVD followed in 2002, with 2003 seeing the release of the critically-acclaimed 14 SHADES OF GREY, a CD that was praised by the New York Post for its 'intense, propulsive melodies' and lauded as a 'slow-burn collection' with 'staying power.' 14 SHADES OF GREY marked the band's second #1 entry on the Billboard 'Top 200 Album Chart.'
Staind is happy with the growth evinced on CHAPTER V, and while they know fans worship TORMENTED and DYSFUNCTION, to mine similar musical or lyrical territory would be to regress, Lewis feels. 'My life, up to a point was shit,' begins the frontman. 'But I've come a long way. I grew up in a trailer park in Vermont. That was the shit I got out of me in TORMENTED and DYSFUNCTION, and tailing into BREAK THE CYCLE. But the title, BREAK THE CYCLE, says it all.' Still, Lewis admits on CHAPTER V, as with every new record, he feels apprehension as the process begins: 'The beginning of CHAPTER V I was feeling uninspired. But pressure helps me out. I set myself up to be under extreme duress. The only record we've ever done that I've been ready for was the first one.' But as the dozen songs on CHAPTER V bear out, the pressure certainly worked to the band's advantage. In some ways, the song 'Falling' sums up Lewis' ? and the band's ? development and current state of mind, as he sings, 'the falling is easy, it's getting back up that becomes the problem.' Lewis concludes: 'I can't keep talking about how easy it is to fall. Life is about getting back up and brushing yourself off after the fall.'
