At the heart of Staind's loud, angst-laden music are the confessional lyrics and introspective personality of frontman
Aaron Lewis. While other
post-grunge bands were able to successfully mine the dark caverns once explored by
Soundgarden and
Alice in Chains,
Lewis allowed his sensitivity to pour freely from his words and often pensive vocals, enabling Staind to strike a balance between
heavy metal bombast and thoughtful, melodic
rock. Born in Springfield, VT,
Lewis listened to
folk music as a child.
The son of divorced parents,
Lewis chronicled the emotional turmoil in his childhood with Staind, namely on tracks like "Epiphany" and "For You," from Break the Cycle. Like the late Kurt Cobain from
Nirvana,
Lewis casts an unpretentious, no-frills image, exhibiting a brooding disposition and emotional vulnerability that troubled youths can relate to.
Lewis recorded his first album with Staind, Tormented, in 1996. Staind remained on the fringes of mainstream acceptance until "Outside," a live collaboration between
Lewis and
Limp Bizkit's
Fred Durst during the 1999 Family Values Tour, blew up on alternative and mainstream
rock stations a year later. With only his acoustic guitar as his musical backing,
Lewis delivered a raw, anguished performance of a song that Staind would later record in the studio for Break the Cycle. The track carved the path for Staind's subsequent commercial breakthrough. ~ Michael Sutton, All Music Guide
