Staind - The Illusion Of Progress

Staind - The Illusion Of Progress Album Release Information

Riding on the success of their last three chart topping albums, Staind is back with the highly anticipated release of their sixth studio album, The Illusion of Progress. The new Flip/Atlantic recording will be released on August 19th with the first single, Believe, hitting radio on June 24th. Staind' s last 3 studio albums have debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 Album chart, putting them in an elite class that includes U2, Metallica, Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band, Van Halen, and Disturbed. Over the past decade, Staind has sold more than 15 million records worldwide. They' ve had four #1 singles that span three different radio formats, including two massive crossover singles, It' s Been Awhile and Right Here (certified RIAA gold). But the band has never let their massive success get to their heads, lead guitarist Mike Mushok says that above all the band values a record that we love, and after that, we want other people to hear it, like it and be able to relate to it. Working with renowned producer Johnny on the album, it will be impossible not to love what Lewis considers the band' s most musical CD with songs that are pretty timeless in their texture. Staind will be on the road all summer with 3 Doors Down headlining shows in over 40 cities across the country before joining Nickelback in September to continue the tour internationally.

Staind - The Illusion Of Progress - Various Reviews

Staind seem to sneer at the very notion of forward movement on the title of their sixth album, The Illusion of Progress, and that disdain very well may be a Freudian slip, as the Jacksonville, FL, rock band stubbornly refuses to evolve over the course of a decade. If anything, with each album their aggression erodes and the angst of frontman Aaron Lewis mellows into a mild grumpiness that surfaces only when he's not singing profane songs of devotion, which is most of the time. Ballads have always been his forte, a convenient vehicle for his quivering sensitivity and accidental melodicism, yet it's still startling how slow The Illusion of Progress unfolds, as Staind rarely muster the energy to move beyond midtempo even when they deign to crank up their amps for anthems of mild alienation or vague inspiration. Instead, they prefer to spend their time plucking electrics as if they were acoustics, creating arpeggios that recall "It's Been a While" while sidestepping replication because this slow, stately crawl is now the sound of Staind: they're easy listening grunge, music for recovering extreme sports addicts. So, it should come as no surprise that The Illusion of Progress is filled with love songs from Lewis, a married father of three who pledges his commitment and chronicles his insecurities and dreams in moody minor chords; it's not just an album recorded at his home studio, it's about his home. As always, Lewis' sincerity is disarming and strangely endearing, as unlike so many of his posturing peers he seems like a genuinely good guy, which is enough to make it hard not to wish that he could break free from his inadvertent lyrical clichés, clumsy expletives, and obvious Bob Dylan allusions, to say something specific instead of something sweeping, but that would be progress, something that Staind don't desire because they're perfectly content with where they are. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Staind changes musical direction (again!), going for what I call "Medium Heavy Melody". Gone are the pop-like (hyperbole here, folks) beats of their prior two albums, replaced with a Breaking Benjamin sound alike contest between Aaron Lewis and his band. In the end, I'd say Aaron won, as he's competently mirroring BB's vocal tenor; i.e., fake crescendo.

I'm afraid, my friends, that the Staind that gave us "Dysfunction" and "Break the Cycle" are dead and gone; instead, we've got the current incarnation, writing music for teens to hold each other and feel sorry for themselves too. I guess young folks don't like LOUD these days.

Don't get me wrong, the album isn't bad. I've listened to it a few times and sort of enjoy most of it. "This Is It" is a great way to start the album, subdued but not sappy, and original enough to have given me hope that the rest of the album was going somewhere (I bought "The Illusion of Progress" on that one song's merit, in fact). Well, turns out that the album title was much more literal than I'd anticipated. The rest of the tracks meander from one pleasant Heavy Medium Melody to the next, rarely taking a breath to change pace or reevaluate direction.

So should you buy it? Mmmmm, depends on what you like. If you only liked Staind's first two albums and are waiting for them to return to form, then I'd say definitely not; you'll just get mad at yourself for believing that's even feasible after 8 years. On the other hand, if you prefer their later work, then I'd say probably. It might even be an bonus that two of the songs on "Illusion" have the word `rain' in their title!

Well structured overall, Staind delivers a neat, clean product of likable (though boring and mundane) radio-friendly rock songs. Take your chances; at the very least it won't make you gag. - A Staind Fan

The Illusion Of Progress - Song Titles

1. "This Is It" - 3:46
2. "The Way I Am" - 4:18
3. "Believe" - 4:17
4. "Save Me" - 4:52
5. "All I Want" - 3:29
6. "Pardon Me" - 5:02
7. "Lost Along The Way" - 4:19
8. "Break Away" - 4:09
9. "Tangled Up In You" - 4:35
10. "Raining Again" - 3:53
11. "Rainy Day Parade" - 4:16
12. "The Corner" - 5:17
13. "Nothing Left To Say" - 4:40

Bonus tracks

Staind Official Website

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