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If ever there was a sign that the nu-grunge bandwagon is rapidly running out of steam then this is surely it. Staind, like fellow whingers Puddle of Mudd, first came to our attention a couple of years back via a Fred Durst endorsement (yeah, cheers for that Fred) and a just-below-average debut album "Break The Cycle" which basically featured the brooding magnificence of their debut single "It's Been A While" plus a load of songs which were basically variations on the same theme only with less of a tune.
But hey, apparently it sold well in the States so now they're back with a second effort. Which is basically even more of the same - pedestrian plod-rock with lead singer Aaron Lewis' cig-heavy growling becoming more and more grating as "14 Shades Of Grey" (never has an album been so aptly named in terms of dullness) shuffles onwards. Safe to say that you should avoid this although given that Staind's comeback single made the (ahem) dizzy heights of number 38 in the chart I suspect that most of you will anyway.
But fear not folks - with FUN finally coming back into fashion in the rock world as epitomised by the rise of the Darkness and the Wildhearts' triumphant comeback, brighter times may just be on the horizon for all of us. In the meantime, let's just quietly consign "14 Shades Of Grey" to history's bargain bin and have done with it.
Rating: 3/10
Reviewed by Andy James
