Customer Reviews

14 Shades of Grey (with Limited Edition Bonus DVD)

5 star:		(309)
4 star:		(99)
3 star:		(45)
2 star:		(34)
1 star:		(61)

 

 

Oh yeah, this is it. Staind's fourth cd just blew me away! Every single song on this album is excellent, i didn't skip a single one. It may be a different listen to for people who started out with the heavier "Dysfunction" or "Tormented", they sound more mellow and happier on this album. Here are the track descriptions:

1. Price To Play - First single off this album, the song that made me get this record, its a heavier song compared to the others, could have a better bridge. 9/10

2. How About You - In my opinion the BEST song off this cd, the chorus was the best thing i've ever heard, pity this wasn't a single, it can be put on repeat and not get boring. 11/10

3. So Far Away - Second single off the album, it's a slow and melodic song with a bridge that really moved me: "I'm so afraid of waking, please don't shake me". Definite must listen to. 10/10

4. Yesterday - Nice drum intro, with some special effects in the verses, and a really heavy but melodic chorus. Could have been the single too. 10/10

5. Fray - The chorus was way too overplayed for my liking, but it features a long interesting intro with drums and soft guitar playing that lets you smoothly into the song. 8/10

6. Zoe Jane - Tied for the best song in this album, easily the slowest and most moving song on the album, it's a song about the Aaron Lewis's(Vocals) baby girl, this song is soo good, it never gets boring. It can make you cry if you read the lyrics and you listen to the song in depth. 11/10

7. Fill Me Up - Very impressive harmonious singing in the chorus, sounds a bit like "Fray" but much faster. Also one of the best on the album. 10/10

8. Layne - Didn't really like this one, it's a tribute to Layne Staley, sounds really country style and vocals are just plain random singing which doesn't really suit me. 7/10

9. Falling Down - One of the heavier songs on the cd, yet melodic, sounds similar to the other songs but still has it's own unique parts. It gets boring after a while. 9/10

10. Reality - A slower song, very good guitar intro that sets the mood for the song, it's kind of sad(listen to the chorus). Sounds very similar to some of the other songs. 9/10

11. Tonight - A very nice intro, more intersting to listen to, the vocals displays how good he sings in the chorus, try singing it like him. Really moves you after a while. 10/10

12. Could It Be - Also one of the best on the cd, I like the really melodic chorus and it's also moving too, the bridge is very nice with the vocals and bassist singing a harmony. This one does not get boring. 10/10

13. Blow Away - One of the slower ones on the cd, a sadder song but not angst. Takes a while to warm up, I didn't find it to my liking until after a few listens. 8/10

14. Intro - Why would they put an Intro at the end of the record, that's just absurd, they should've called it an "Outro". It's the vocalist thanking everyone who had an influence in his life and thanks people who have helped him become what his is today. 9/10

All in all, this is one impressive album, a must get!!

Alright, I'm the first person to review this album! Alot of you are probably going to give this album a bad review and start labeling Staind as "sellouts". Everytime a band slightly changes their style, everyone automatically labels them as sellouts... anyway, here's the review:

Don't buy this album expecting a super-heavy, nu metal sound. Buy this album if you want to hear down to earth, melodic music. Don't get me wrong, its still heavy, but its not "metal" anymore... with the exception of a few songs. But thats ok, because I would not have been pleased with a copy cat of Dysfunction and Break the Cycle.

I can honest say that I can listen to this album without skipping one single song. I cant say that about the past two Staind albums. The new songs are just amazing. I was a little worried about whether or not they would be able to top Break the Cycle, but they did! Almost all of the songs on the new cd are capable of being hit singles. And another new change, not all of the songs are about aaron's bad relationship with his parents *gasp*!! That was one of the biggest complaints about this band... that they kept whining about their family life. Not so on this cd.

Overall this is a great album, the songs sound very different from eachother and very diverse. Its a great buy... go out and get it!!

Tormented had a few songs I liked. Dysfunction was a heavy/depressing album that you could play through and have the same feeling for. Very consistent. Break The Cycle was even more depressing, which was a good thing. If a person couldn't relate to every single song on BTC, then I'm not sure they have feelings. Amazing CD. And now we have 14 Shades of Grey, which I have had for about 5 days now and have been listening to nonstop. This CD, like the 2 before it, is just BRILLIANT. Again, like the previous 2, brings out certain emotions inside you. It's just beautiful music. Aaron has the best voice in rock today, by far. Nobody comes close. I'm going to put down my thoughts on each song, and none of that 10/10 garbage I see on here so much. They're all 10's, read on..

Price To Play - First single I'm sure everyone has heard. This is a nice hard rock song that also has a great message. There's a price for everything you do in life.

How About You - This song you can tell is not going to be heavy. It's basically about being yourself.

So Far Away - By far, THE best song on the CD. It has a certain sound to it and the lyrics are brilliant. It is depressing in a happy upbeat kind of way. It could make me cry every time. I love it. This song should be the next single.

Yesterday - Starts out a bit heavier. This song is about living for today. Great chorus.

Fray - This song sort of reminds me of a BTC style song... I don't know why. It isn't very upbeat like some of the rest.

Zoe Jane - Definitely the sofest song on the CD. Beautiful song about his daughter.

Fill Me Up - Somewhat heavy love song. I like it.

Layne - Song about Layne Stanley. Could be the next single. It's a very good song.

Falling Down - This song has a certain catch to it. It's about being very high up in life, and having to come down. Nice message.

Reality - This is one of my favorites. It's another dark song. I love the depressing ones.

Tonight - Also one of my favorites. This one is rather sad too.

Could It Be - This song starts off a bit different than your typical Staind song. Sort of has a happy tune to it. Very good song, though.

Blow Away - Longest song on CD. Pretty dark song. It's very god, though.

Intro - Nice name for the final song on CD. It's a nice finisher. Aaron's voice sounds a bit distant.. But it works. Good way to close the album.

Dysfunction = Masterpiece.
Break The Cycle = Masterpiece.
14 Shades of Grey = Masterpiece.

I'm not suprised they pulled this off. Can't wait to see what's next from Staind. Thank you for another beautiful album.

I love this album. On Dysfunction, Staind had a raw heavy energy that meant a lot of the songs were filled with yelling and screaming. Good stuff, but somehow it didn't feel right. Break the Cycle was an improvement, a mixture of great heavy yet melodoc songs and out and out ballads. This album just improves on that, with a few lighter, happier songs that give some variety.

1-Price to Play-Great song, typical Staind, melodic yet heavy and angsty 10/10

2-How About You-Even better song, great vocals and lyrics, lighter music 10/10

3-So Far Away-Another great song, softer and slower with an acoustic backing (until the chorus) and great vocals. A song about finding happiness 9/10

4-Yesterday-Again, this is typical Staind, heavy, melodic and angsty with great vocals and lyrics 10/10

5-Fray-Good song, heavier and angstier than most on the album, similar to Suffer or Change 8/10

6-Zoe Jane-Beautiful, slow song dedicated to his daughter 9/10

7-Fill Me Up-Love song 8/10

8-Layne-I'm not a huge fan 5/10

9-Falling Down-Good song, fairly heavy at times and soft at others 9/10

10-Reality-GREAT SONG, great music, lyrics, vocals, the works 11/10

11-Tonight-Another great song, great vocals, mix of heavy and soft music 10/10

12-Could It Be-This song changes tone a bit, from seemingly downcast to fairly upbeat, but still good 8/10

13-Blow Away-Reasonable song-7.5/10

14-Intro-Thanks all the fans and everyone in his life, but not a song i like 5/10

Okay, I used to like this band, back when I was a sophomore in high school, and the only knowledge I had of rock and roll was what they played on the local "heavy" rock station. I soon broadened my musical palate, and in doing so discovered how whiny, derivative, uninspired, and trendy Staind is. Their sound is completely boring and washed out. Grey, indeed. Go ahead and click the unhelpful button! Come on, Staind fans, show me how mad you are! Then go listen to Aaron cry about his "pain."

I am not going to pretend that I am the biggest fan of the band Staind. I have never really been very fond of the current metal scene which consists of Korn, Limp Bizkit, the Deftones, and Staind. Their music always came off as whiny, machismo rock music. My musical tastes is more underground. I prefer the heaviness of industrial bands like KMFDM, old Ministry, Front Line Assembly, Funker Vogt, etc..etc... . There a few metal bands that I do enjoy...Evanescence and Lacuna Coil. Now I can throw in Staind to the list, or at least "14 Shades of Grey". The trailer for the film "The Punisher" uses "So Far Away". Since the song wasn't included on the soundtrack, I decided to buy "14 Shades of Grey". Thankfully I found a copy in the used bins yesterday so I bought it (along with a couple of other cds). Much to my surprise, I found myself enjoying "14 Shades of Grey" as a whole, and not just for "So Far Away". Next to "So Far Away", my other favorite ballad on the cd is the tender ode to Aaron Lewis' daughter "Zoe Jane". I was actually moved by Aaron's promises to his daughter. I also found myself enjoying "How About You", "Yesterday", and "Layne" (a tribute to the late Layne Staley). I guess the one flaw about the album is how monotonous Aarons' vocals sounds. He has a terrible tendency to drone on. For songs like "So Far Away", "How About You", and "Zoe Jane", his monotonous vocals works out well while his vocals for "Price to Play" and "Reality" droned on and on. The other flaw is the lyrics. Songs like "Price to Pay" and "Falling Down" sounds whiney to me. That is just my opinion. Personally I think industrial bands do a much better job at composing angst-filled lyrics than most metal bands today. But for all its flaws, "14 Shades of Grey" is solid rock album. I didn't expect to be enjoying this album as much as I thought I would be. Sometimes it is good to be surprised by a band that you originally thought sucked lemons. I don't know if I would continue buying Staind's cds but if they are as good as "14 Shades of Grey", then I would.

Staind's fourth album is much different than its three predecessors, and it's really the most distinguishable album in this Massachusetts quintet's catalogue. Staind have built a career around heavy, metallic riffs and slow, melancholy ballads, and, here, they seem to just focus on the ballads. Some of the songs, like the deceptive album opener "Price To Play," are still heavy, and most of the choruses still have riffs in them. But, for the most part, this album is completely different. About 20% of "14 Shades of Gray" is driven by acoustic guitars or some other kind of strings, and these songs are much more low key, slow, mellow, melodic, and pretty. Frontman Aaron Lewis's vocals are the best instrument in the band, if you ask me. His voice is usually (aside from some occasional droning), very impressive. He sings, mewls, whines, cries, moans, croons, and about everything in between. His vocal styles on this disc prove that his voice is not only very tuneful, but it is also capable of carrying a tune. Plus, he helps to make many of the songs (i.e. "Could It Be") both melodic and melancholy. Other notable songs include the downright depressing ballad to Aaron's daughter, "Zoe Jane," "Layne" is a sweet homage to Staind influence (the late Layne Staley of Alice In Chains fame), the anguished filled and cleanly sung "How About You," and "So Far Away," which is a very pretty, and nicely assembled melodic track. "14 Shades of Gray" is dragged down a little because its song structures (soft verses-heavy choruses and acoustic interludes) are quite cliche, and, over the course of these 14 songs, they become rather tiresome and predictable. Overall, though, this is another good, impressive album from the guys in Staind.

If you are looking for something new and exciting from Staind, don't buy this album. If you are looking for haunting lyrics, lots of guitars, and an album that rocks, then this is the album for you. I don't hear anything new or different; but then again, I wasn't really looking for that. I like Staind for who they are and the music they produce. Sometimes change is not good and it is best to stay with what works. The band footage on the special additional DVD that was included was pretty cool too.

What does everyone have against 14 Shades of Grey? Is it because it isnt as heavy as Dysfunction or Tormented? Is it because it is too "whiney?" Personally, I think that Staind did a very good job on this cd. There are some pretty heavy songs on it also, such as "Price to Play," "Yesterday," "Fray," and "Falling Down." Mike Mushok played awesome on this cd. In most songs there are about 2 guitars playing different things and it sounds really cool because one is playing low power chords, and the other is playing higher notes. Aaron Lewis's voice has greatly improved on this cd, not that it was bad before, but it just sounds more mature. This whole album sounds more mature than the other 3. And about the song writing. Everybody says Aaron is too "whiney." The guys just letting a bunch of stuff off his chest. It's always nice to tell someone when something is going wrong, and that's what hes doing. The profanity isnt as bad as it was in the other cds, especially when compared to Tormented. The only songs Aaron cusses in are "Yesterday," "Fray," "Falling Down," "Blow Away," and "Intro." Sure, this cd isnt near as heavy as Dysfunction, but it shows that they can pull of different styles. Plus, they say that their new cd, "Chapter V" (Coming in June), will have some of their heaviest songs yet. Give 14 Shades of Grey a chance, it may suprise you.

I've been listening to Staind since the release of "Dysfunction", which was a great, dark and heavy album. "Break The Cycle" was significantly more radio-friendly but I have to admit I liked it even more. Now on "14 Shades Of Grey", they've put out an even MORE radio-friendly album. I think the majority of Staind's core fans want to hear something loud and heavy....if you're one of those fans, this album probably isn't for you. This album sounds more along the lines of past tunes such as "Fade", "Waste" and "Epiphany". The album's first single, "Price To Play" is an awesome, catchy little song but it's probably as heavy as the album gets. Generally I'd be disappointed if a hard rock band put out a more mellow album, but when I first listend to this CD, I found myself singing along by the end of every song. Some of the other great songs include "Zoe Jane", "How About You" and "Layne", which is about the late Layne Staley (singer of Alice In Chains). I can't tell you how interesting it is to hear this song, because they recorded it as if it were an AIC song, with the haunting harmonization and bluesy notes and everything. It just goes to show just how great of song-writers the guys in Staind really are. So it may not be that heavy, or sound too similar to "Break The Cycle", but as far as I'm concerned it's a good album and I'll be listening to it a lot this summer!