STAIND Is Working On First New Music In Nearly A Decade

BLABBERMOUTH.NET

STAIND has finally commenced work on its first new music in nearly a decade. The news of a possible new record from STAIND was broken yesterday (Tuesday, June 9) by frontman Aaron Lewis, who was a guest on GODSMACK frontman Sully Erna's Internet show, called "Hometown Sessions". Speaking about his current activities, Aaron said: "I'm working on new STAIND shit… We're toying around with some creativity." Lewis also confirmed that he is making a new solo LP, presumably to be released later this year. "I've got a completely acoustic [album] — no coloration to it. It's not gonna be country, it's not gonna be anything except an acoustic guitar and vocals. That's what's next. "The last show that I played here in Nashville, just me acoustically, with no back-up band or anything," he added. "I was playing some of the songs off the country records, and I was playing some of the songs from STAIND, but all just me and the acoustic guitar. That simplifies everything — that takes away the country flavor, that takes away the rock flavor, that takes away everything and just leaves the skeletal structure. And Scott Borchetta, the president of my record label, was so moved by that show, this next record he wants from me, which would have been a country record, he wants a totally acoustic record." STAIND played its first full live show in five years last September at the Louder Than Life music festival in Louisville, Kentucky. The band was scheduled to support DISTUBED on "The Sickness 20th Anniversary Tour" throughout North America this summer. The amphitheater trek has since been postponed to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic which is sweeping the globe. STAIND has released seven albums since 1995, the latest being the 2011 self-titled effort. The band has had a number of hit songs during its first two decades, including the Top 10 smash "It's Been Awhile" from the No. 1 album "Break The Cycle". Follow-up LPs "14 Shades Of Grey" and "Chapter V" also topped the Billboard chart. Last year, Lewis said that new STAIND material would likely sound "pretty brutal. It would be continuing back to how heavy we were to begin with, when 'It's Been Awhile' and 'Outside' and 'So Far Away' and songs like that, that were radio songs, confused everything. 'Cause if you came and saw us at a show, the show was a hell of a lot heavier than most of the songs that you would hear on the radio. And I would have to say that it would be going back in the direction of just heavy… I think I've got some pent-up stuff that would probably flow out quite nicely over some of Mike's [Mushok] heavy riffs." Lewis released his third full-length country album, "State I'm In", in April 2019 via Big Machine imprint Valory Music. Mushok and ex-THREE DAYS GRACE vocalist Adam Gontier unveiled SAINT ASONIA in early 2015, releasing a self-titled debut album and scoring a Top 10 rock single with "Better Place". SAINT ASONIA's second full-length effort was released last year via Spinefarm Records. Photo credit: Glen Rose Photography