Album : Break The Cycle (Warner Music) Artist : Staind

After the seemingly endless number of rap-metal acts that have appeared on the scene recently with nothing but ear-splitting noise and lyrics full of hatred and the f- word, the arrival of Staind is extremely welcome.

Instead of being pretentiously and annoyingly loud, frontman and songwriter Aaron Lewis, Mike Mushok (guitars), Johnny April (bass) and Jon Wysocki (drums) present a more melodic sound and sincere lyrics.

This New England-based band got their big break in 1997 when Limp Bizkit vocalist Fred Durst saw Staind perform live and was impressed by their demo tape.

Durst invited the band to jam and helped them land a record deal a year later.

Staind released their full-length debut album, Dysfunctional, in 1999 to little fanfare. But their second album, Break The Cycle, put the band in the spotlight, selling over a million copies in the first two weeks of release.

Yes, the album has parent-hating lyrics (Waste) and a metal sound, but it has a defter touch than many of the albums released recently.(Hera Diani)