Musical Over Dose is proud to present Since January 2002 another new release, have fun .: about release :. Name .:. Staind - Confessions Of The Fallen Genre : Rock Source : CDDA Type .:. Album Artist : Staind Label : Bmg Rights Management (Warner) Titel : Confessions Of The Fallen Tracks : 10 Playtime : 35:28 Size : 71,09 MB Encoder : VBRNEW - LAME3.100 - V0 Quality : VBR kbps / 44.1kHz / Joint-Stereo Bitrate : avg. 279kbps [ Tracklist ] 01.Lowest in Me 03:07 02.Was Any of It Real? 02:51 03.In This Condition 03:29 04.Here and Now 03:58 05.Out of Time 03:16 06.Cycle of Hurting 03:50 07.The Fray 04:03 08.Better Days 03:46 09.Hate Me Too 03:17 10.Confessions of the Fallen 03:51 Total 35:28 Min I wonÆt go with the obvious line to start this review, but iconic rock band Staind are back with their first studio album in twelve years, Confessions of the Fallen. Drip feeding us singles since April, the full album is here and it is definitely the essence of the world nostalgia for fans of nu-metal adjacent rock fans of the early 00s. From the first track, which was also the first single they released, æLowest in MeÆ that distorted, muddy, bass-heavy sound crashes over you like a wave. This is not a surprise though, especially since we seem to be diving headfirst into a huge nu-metal/early 00s rock resurgence as of late. The one thing that always stands out about this band is just how incredible Aaron Lewis is as a vocalist. His voice helped pioneer the rock vocalist sound back then and continues to be an absolute force. After a decent start to the album, the next track æWas Any of It RealÆ starts with an almost Korn/Nine Inch Nails vibe. Sexy. Hypnotic. It feels like it belongs on a soundtrack for an underground vampire film, think Queen of the Damned, Underworld etc. That digitisation has an almost cyber element but itÆs the juxtaposition with the rock elements that Staind does so well that gives it life. It is a short track and while there is a little more of this style later in the album, it would have been more satisfying if it had been just a little longer. Muddy and a little sultry was our first taste, but æIn This ConditionÆ gives us a little more dynamics. Switching between distorted and clean guitars keeps the feeling fresh. The riffs are catchy and the mix puts the guitars at centre stage. This is also where we start to hear a little more harshness of the vocals, but we will get to that. One thing that a lot of heavier music listeners may not realise is that the late 90s/early 00s nu-metal (and the rock adjacent bands) had a huge impact on the lyrical content of what was being discussed. Nu-metal took on a heavier (emotionally) tone and could be quite more introspective, especially in comparison to the metal bands that came before them. Staind were one of those bands who always took that in their stride, especially when you listen to the way Lewis sings. His emotions drench every song and the rest of the band rises to the mood. Tracks like æHere and NowÆ and æOut of TimeÆ are brilliant examples of this style. Gut-wrenching, personal and emotional. The former does it in a more classic power ballad style and the latter takes a heavy route. Remember how I mentioned we would get back to the more harsher style of vocals? In comes æCycle of HurtingÆ. Lately, it has been evident that this sort of style of nu-metal/rock has influenced a lot of modern metalcore. Bands like Bad Omens and Spiritbox have nods to this style in their music. This track feels almost like a full-circle moment, pardon the pun. There is a modern influence vocally and guitar-wise, but that influence is the current version of the sound bands like Staind helped create in the first place. The beauty of this track is that it shows the band is not stagnant in their sound. The first half of the album, while great tracks, were not showing anything, we had not heard before from the band so itÆs relieving to hear they are still growing as musicians. I admit I had been worried at the start that this album was just a nostalgia trek. As much as I do like the music of the early 00s, it can be tempting to get stuck in the glory years. æThe FrayÆ also follows suit on the innovation. Yes, it is a solid stadium rock power track, but it still feels so fresh and honestly, deserves a heap of airplay from any radio station playing current rock. There is also an essence of longing and pain that is sewn through this album lyrically and sonically. It is especially evident in the way æBetter DaysÆ follows æThe FrayÆ. Along with the longing, there also feels like a sense of hope and healing, showing why so many people have always sought refuge in StaindÆs music over the years The last two tracks finish off the album on a heavy note. æHate Me TooÆ puts the rhythm section in the spotlight. Setting the pace for guitars, drummer Sal Giancarelli and bassist Johnny April consistently deliver through this album, but this performance takes the cake. The title track, æConfessions of the FallenÆ is a dark finale. It is still fun, but it is a real headbanger that ties together what is overall quite a solid album. Sometimes bands do not need to reinvent the wheel to put out a great album. The elements of StaindÆs music that truly make up their signature sound are front and centre in this album. For a band that has not been consistently releasing music, they are always able to come together and put out something with feeling and intention. While I would love to see them step further into the elements they had started to modernise, you cannot knock a band that remains authentic to who they are. https://www.facebook.com/Staind https://twitter.com/staind https://www.instagram.com/staindofficial/?hl=en https://staindofficial.com