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Staind’s sixth release The Illusion of Progress is a poetic, compelling alt-rock affair.  The lyrics are dark and morose at times (well most times).  Back to back ballads Believe and Save Me could almost be part one and part two of the same long-suffering track.  But don’t interpret the melancoly as a bad thing.  Here, Staind use the gritty tone to full advantage, and back off enough with some juice to keep the album interesting.  This is It is a sharp attention-grabbing song that was released as a digital single ahead of the full album release.

Tracks across the album come at the same, slow burn pace that makes a Staind song. But somehow, the band avoids any monotony from the electrifying fretwork on Pardon Me to invoking Johnny Cash on Tangled Up in You that strips away the band’s signature fuzz to great effect.  The album draws to a close with the gospel-tinged track The Corner, a standout track that has been streaming on their MySpace page.  Fans of the band will not be disappointed by Illusion and this is a great album for Staind to find attract new followers.

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