Staind

Discovered by Limp Bizkit front man Fred Durst, Staind was one of the leading nu-metal acts to come storming out of the US in the late 1990s, going on to notch up record sales of over 15 million, and producing three US Number 1 albums. Early albums Tormented (1996) and Dysfunction (1999) raged with thunderous riffs and desperate angst, but it was the raw, emotional depth of Break The Cycle (2001) that brought huge commercial success, topping the charts in the US, UK and Canada and selling over 7 million copies. Unlike many of their hard-rocking contemporaries, they embraced melody and lyrical vulnerability and the single It's Been Awhile made the US Top 5 while their acoustic performance on MTV Unplugged introduced them to a whole new audience. A loyal fan base ensured that later albums 14 Shades of Grey (2003), Chapter V (2005) and The Illusion of Progress (2008) all sold well, but never quite matched the earlier heights. Nevertheless, Staind are cited as the band which brought the sincere, emotional intensity of grunge into the metal scene.

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