{"id":23100,"date":"2012-10-21T05:23:27","date_gmt":"2012-10-21T10:23:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=23100"},"modified":"2013-02-05T16:32:27","modified_gmt":"2013-02-05T21:32:27","slug":"staind-live-from-mohegan-sun-cd-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2012\/staind-live-from-mohegan-sun-cd-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Staind | Live From Mohegan Sun<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

by John Kindred<\/span>
\n– Publisher —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"StaindLive From Mohegan Sun<\/em> is the first official live album released by Staind. The CD was recorded in November 2011 at the Mohgan Sun Casino in Montville, Conn. The experience also was captured on film and subsequently has been released on DVD and Blu-ray by Eagle Rock Entertainment. The concert was recorded during their first tour stop supporting the self-titled seventh studio album. <\/p>\n

After the departure of drummer Jon Wysocki earlier in the year, Staind returned to the road. The lineup featured new drummer Joseph \u201cSal\u201d Giancarelli, along with Aaron Lewis, Mike Mushok and Johnny April. The live album features 16 songs, and even though it was the first show of the tour, the band seems to be in good musical form. <\/p>\n

The band\u2019s modern metal approach is built around down-tuned guitars and bass riffage. And while it might make it easier for a vocalist to sing over, if he doesn\u2019t have a great vocal range, it doesn\u2019t make the music any heavier. Oftentimes, the presentation is a muddy indistinguishable mess, especially live. The fact is that heaviness can be created with slower, plodding tempos. While most metal usually is tuned down a half step to E-flat; tuning to D or C tends to make the music sound sloppy and loose. <\/p>\n

Staind likes to tune down, and the singer likes to try and be death metal with attempts at guttural vocals. Within the context of their plodding modern metal tunes, this type of vocal delivery doesn\u2019t work. Lewis has a voice that appeals to \u201cregular Joes;\u201d it\u2019s nothing spectacular. But his voice has an emotional appeal that works when he sings at a quieter volume or performs in an acoustic, unplugged setting. <\/p>\n

Sonically, the band sounds pretty tight, and the music is mixed fairly evenly. They open with \u201cEyes Wide Open.\u201d On the CD, there is no introduction of the band, with no fanfare at all. The heavy tune is a bit jarring as it leaps at you out of the blue. The heavy music Staind performs doesn\u2019t compare to their more emotional songs; it\u2019s as if they are trying too hard. The hits \u201cFor You,\u201d \u201cRight Here\u201d and \u201cSo Far Away\u201d have a radio-friendly familiarity theme. It seems like the music shines when they add the textures of acoustic-electric guitars and quiet verses with powerful heavy, anthem-style choruses. <\/p>\n

Honestly, fans of Staind will like Live From Mohegan Sun. But their music is jarring and indecisive and non-fans will be confused about the identity of the band, just from this live album alone. <\/p>\n

Genre: Modern Heavy Metal<\/p>\n

Band:
\nAaron Lewis (vocals, guitar)
\nMike Mushok (guitar)
\nJoseph Giancarelli (drums)
\nJohnny April (background vocals)<\/p>\n

Track Listing:
\n01.\tEyes Wide Open
\n02. Falling
\n03. Right Here
\n04. Throw It All Away
\n05. Spleen
\n06. Fade
\n07. Failing
\n08. So Far Away
\n09. Crawl
\n10. For You
\n11. Paper Wings
\n12. Outside
\n13. Not Again
\n14. It\u2019s Been Awhile
\n15. Mudshovel
\n16. Something To Remind You <\/p>\n

Label: Armoury Records \/ Atlantic<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven rating: 6\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by John Kindred – Publisher — Live From Mohegan Sun is the first official live album released by Staind. The CD was recorded in November 2011 at the Mohgan Sun Casino in Montville, Conn. The […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6772],"tags":[2636],"class_list":{"0":"post-23100","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-arcrvws2012","7":"tag-staind"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23100","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23100"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23100\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23100"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23100"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23100"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}