Staind

The line-up of this US alternative metal act, comprising Aaron Lewis (vocals), Mike Mushok (guitar), Johnny April (bass) and Jon Wyscoki (drums), came together in February 1995. The following year, having established themselves as a leading live draw, the band recorded and distributed their debut, Tormented. The album went on to sell over 4,000 copies by word of mouth, and also gained them a high-profile support slot for Limp Bizkit's Connecticut show in October 1997. An initial misunderstanding about Tormented's satanic cover art almost saw them coming to blows with Fred Durst, but Limp Bizkit's lead vocalist was impressed enough to invite the band to record demos for his production company. A contract with Flip Records ensued in early 1998, and the band decamped to Pearl Jam's studio in Seattle to record their major-label debut with producer Terry Date. A reworking of Public Enemy's "Bring The Noise", featuring Durst, was left off the final tracklisting. This proved to be a good choice, as the songs on Dysfunction eschewed the overt hip-hop influence of Limp Bizkit for a more traditional style of hard rock rooted in the early 90s sound of Alice In Chains. The band's second album, Break The Cycle, debuted at the top of the US album charts in June 2001.