Aaron Lewis – Vocals, Guitar
Mike Mushok – Guitar
Johnny April – Bass
Jon Wysocki – Drums

            The band that started on the other side of this century comes back with their sixth album release. Back in 1996 the band from Springfield, Massachusetts released an independent album called Tormented on their way to hit radio listeners with hit singles like: my favorite “Mudshovel,” “It’s Been Awhile,” “Outside” and “So Far Away.” Three years removed from their last release Chapter V, they have hit stores once again with The Illusion of Progress. The album beings with the track “This Is It,” which was available for download on iTunes and for the game Rock Band, prior to the release of the album. The track offers much of the same tactics that Staind has used before. The busty vocals of Mr. Lewis, which everyone have come accustom to with the earlier releases. They don’t get to crazy with the song, keeping most of it simple yet good.  Although it’s not much of the genre that they usually get place in (alt-metal) it does pick the pace up a bit more than most of the tracks. “The Why I Am” kind of brings back some of the bass of “Mudshovel” in the opening cords, but quickly brings the drums forward for listeners to devour. It also lets fans into a ripe lyric tree with lines ready to pick of and enjoy. “Believe,” the first single off the album, is featured third on the long hour long adventure. The track is a very strong track, but seems like they cloned the track from others off other albums. Aaron’s voice does suit that type of vocals very well, but a little spice would be nice. “Save Me” is another slow track that focuses on lyrics more than the rest of the song. “All I Want” has a very nice beat to another slow track. I actually like this one better than the other ballad “Believe” as it has an easier beat to get into. This is the hidden gem on the album. “Pardon Me” has a great guitar solo that will get a lot of looks as “Lost Along the Way” gets the juices flowing a bit more than most of the album music wise, but the lyrics and vocals are what stand out on this track. Listeners seriously have to take a very close listen to it. “Break Away” also turns the amps up just a tiny bit, but they don’t get crazy. The vocals seem pretty distance sounding in some parts, but they are steady the entire way through. “Tangled Up In You” is an extremely slow song that has ballad written all over it as “Raining Again” has a cool riff in the beginning and add in cool effects. It again is a slow ballad type track showcases Aaron’s vocals. “Rainy Day Parade” is a track that I got into pretty quickly. The beat is nice; the vocals are great as usual and its one of the better tracks on the album. The album ends with the track “Nothing Left To Say.” The song as a cool beat to it but that’s about it. Overall the album isn’t something that you can put into your CD player and jam to, instead it seems to be something you would listen to if you are having a bad day and/or needed something to fall asleep with. Staind just didn’t have much piazzas on this album; it’s just a bland album that doesn’t offer much.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10

My favorite tracks:

All I Want, Rainy Day Parade,

Track List:

1.      This Is It

2.      The Way I Am

3.      Believe

4.      Save Me

5.      All I Want

6.      Pardon Me

7.      Lost Along the Way

8.      Break Away

9.      Tangled Up In You

10.  Raining Again

11.  Rainy Day Parade

12.  The Corner

13.  Nothing Left To Say

Website (s): www.staind.com