Unless you live in the Boston area, chances are that you might not have heard of Staind until the song "Mudshovel" (from their first album "Dysfunction") started getting play on MTV. With the release of the song "Outside", from the Family Values tour, Staind were suddenly at the top of every radio station's playlist.

Staind deals with deep, dark, emotional and introspective subject matter. Few situations we encounter in life are monolithic, and Aaron Lewis is very good at putting complex feelings into words. Instead of just writing about lost love, Lewis clearly elucidates the turmoil of inner feelings ranging from hope to anger to confusion and, ultimately, reconciliation, and that makes for some great songwriting. It's got the depth of Fish (from the band Marillion) without the over-theatricality, and much heavier sound. The other musicians are an important part of this package as well --everything is well written and performed, and it sounds great too.

Staind, as a band, have progressed with "Break The Cycle", both musically and from a songwriting aspect. The playing is better, as well as the composition of the songs. The tapestry of the music itself is more complex than on "Dysfunction", with a heavier emphasis on melody, while maintaining the "slam" Staind is known for. With the release of "Break The Cycle", Staind have given their faithful fans a great CD, as well as some quality rock on the radio, in the form of "It's Been A While" and "Outside" (both currently being played to death on a radio station near you). It's pretty rare that I praise an album on the basis of radio hits, but this is one exception to that rule. Both songs are absolutely chilling in their brutal honesty, and I defy anyone to listen to either of these songs and not feel something, which is what makes them so brilliant.