Staind

BIOGRAPHY

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Staind (1995-2012, 2014, 2017, 2019-present): a Nu-Metal band from Springfield, Massachusetts, USA.

tarted on Christmas of 1995 Staind was created by vocalist Aaron Lewis and guitarist Michael Mushok who almost immediately hooked up with drummer Jon Wysocki and an unknown bassist. Johnny April would become the bassist after a gig in February 1995. The band started life covering Korn, Rage Against the Machine, Pearl Jam, Tool, and Alice In Chains, among others, while playing at local clubs.

In late 1996, the group financed their own debut in the form of the US only release of Tormented, an album boasting a fitting title, for the contents featured a depressing nu-metal approach. Encouraged by modest sales, they pounced at the chance to play on the same bill as Limp Bizkit in late 1997. But while singer Fred Durst took exception to the act's quasi-satanic cover art, they were soon sending demos, and getting accepted by, 'Elektra' backed imprint label 'Flip' with Dysfunction arriving in 1999 to a 74 US. The album pulled out all the stops by spawning three radio hits in the form of Mudshovel, Just Go and Home with supporting tours along side Kid Rock, Korn and Limp Bizkit following. It was a solid performance in both cases but proved to be an uninspiring example of post-grunge.

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MTV then came calling when Staind were named the headline act for their Return Of The Rock deal. Amidst all the media hype their Break the Cycle emerged in 2001 to a 1 US spot.

14 Shades of Grey (2003) sold two million copies and debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 when it was released. The album saw a departure from the band's traditional nu-metal sound by mostly containing a lighter and more melodic post-grunge style. The album also saw two mainstream hits in the form of Price to Play and So Far Away.

The spin-off singles So Far Away and Price to Play came with two unreleased tracks, Novocaine and Let It Out, which were released for the special edition of the group's subsequent album Chapter V (2005). The album would go certified platinum in the U.S. soon later. The first single specific to the album, Right Here, would prove to be the biggest success from the album, garnering much mainstream radio play and peaking at number 1 on the mainstream rock chart.

Staind then unsuccessfully sued their logo designer Jon Stainbrook in New York Federal Court for attempting to re-use the logo he had sold to the band. They re-opened the case in mid-2005.

Staind then went on the road when the album came out, doing live shows and promoting it for a full year, including participating in the Fall Brawl tour with P.O.D., Taproot, and Flyleaf.

The collection The Singles: 1996-2006 was released on November 14, 2006. It included all the band's singles, the three covers performed at the New York show, and a remastered version of Come Again from their Tormented release. The Illusion of Progress followed in 2008.

On May 20, 2011, drummer Jon Wysocki left the band. Drummer Will Hunt filled in for a few dates, while Wysocki's drum tech Sal Giancarelli filled in for the rest of the tour and would subsequently become a full time member. His first recorded appearance would be on the self-titled independently released follow-up later that same year.

This new line-up didn't last, for the band went on "hiatus" shortly later. "Hiatus" according to the band's official statements but really a split-up with intermittent meetings in 2014 and 2017, until the more permanent reformation in 2019 under the 1012 line-up. Confessions of the Fallen (2023) would follow.

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