Break the Cycle

Background

A total of five singles were released from this album—"It's Been Awhile", "Fade", "Outside", "For You" and "Epiphany"—all of which did incredibly well. There were videos made for each of these songs (some of which can be found on Staind's 2002 DVD MTV Unplugged). The first four singles had varying degrees of success in the UK, "It's Been Awhile" charting the highest of the four released in both countries. The album also includes a track called "Waste", dedicated to a teenage fan who committed suicide. Like Staind's previous album, Dysfunction (1999), Break the Cycle has alternative metal/nu metal sounds. However, the album also shows the band's softer post-grunge sound, an element that the band wished to progress further with more acoustic and soft ballad tracks. This included an acoustic rendition of the entire album as a second disc, but this was not finalized.

There is also a bonus track on the album. In the United States, the bonus track is an acoustic version of "It's Been Awhile". However, on the Australian and European editions, the bonus track is a live acoustic version of "Outside", performed with Fred Durst in Biloxi, Mississippi, on the Family Values Tour 1999.

Sales

Because of the record's high recording budget of $800,000, there were many worries about whether the album would be successful, and the album almost had to top charts internationally just to break even with studio costs. Break the Cycle debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, with first-week sales of at least 717,600 copies. It remained at the top the following week, with 329,299 copies. In the third week it was number one again, with 244,698 copies. In the fourth week it dropped to number two, with 221,179 copies. It sold over 1 million copies in the first three weeks. The album sold 4,900,000 copies in the US and was certified 5× platinum by the RIAA. Break the Cycle also topped charts in the UK, where it was certified platinum; in New Zealand; and in Canada, where it had multiplatinum status. In 2001 the album was the tenth best-selling globally, selling 5.6 million copies.

Reception

{{nowrap| (2011)}} Initial critical response ranged from mixed to average. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 55, based on nine reviews. Michael Gallucci of AllMusic gave Break the Cycle three out of five stars, saying, "Cycle is ultimately no more than 50 minutes of standard-issue desolation" and "Staind wraps up all this pain in deceivingly melodic packages, sort of like Nirvana's "All Apologies" without the depth."

Track listing

Personnel

Staind

• Aaron Lewis – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
• Mike Mushok – lead guitar
• Johnny April – bass, backing vocals
• Jon Wysocki – drums

Additional musicians

• Fred Durst – additional backing vocals on "Outside" (live version)
• Mike Kezner – sitar on "Warm Safe Place"

Artwork

• Craig Howell – art direction, illustration
• Gayle Boulware – art direction
• Clay Patrick McBride – photography
• John Baptiste – styling

Technical personnel

• Josh Abraham – production
• Joseph Bogan – assistant engineers
• Paul Conaway – assistant engineers
• Steve Sisco – assistant mixing engineer
• Jordan Schur – executive producer
• Vlado Meller – mastering
• Andy Wallace – mixing
• Dave Dominguez – recording

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

References

References

1. (September 2001). "STAIND".
2. "Guitar World - Mike Mushok August 2001 Interview".
5. (September 1, 2014). "University: Post-Grunge 101". Rhapsody.
6. "VH1 | Celebrity Reality Television Series".
7. (May 2001). "Staind – Break The Cycle".
8. (November 26, 2001). "Outside [CD Single] by Staind (2001-11-26)".
9. "Recording Industry Association of America". RIAA.
10. (May 31, 2001). "Staind Helps Hard Rock Get Rolling Again". [[Los Angeles Times]].
11. White, Adam. (February 16, 2002). "Dido, Linkin Park Lead the Global 20 of 2001".
12. {{AllMusic. Michael. Gallucci
13. Unfortunately, the production smoothes down the band's sharp edges to an overly polished finish. [Jun/Jul 2001, p.116]
14. (22 May 2001). "Staind - Break the Cycle".
15. Morgan, Laura. (May 11, 2001). "Break the Cycle Review".
16. Bezer, Terry. (22 May 2001). "Staind - Break the Cycle".
17. Shiels, Liam. (May 19, 2001). "Dirty Deeds {{!}} Albums". [[EMAP]].
18. Garner, George. (November 2011). "Staind: Break the Cycle". [[Bauer Media Group]].
19. All this introspection wouldn't be so bad if Stained put a bit of oomph behind it, but the musical changes lack dynamism and frame the groaning vocals almost reverentially. [#180, p.111]
20. Walters, Barry. (June 7, 2001). "Staind: Break The Cycle: Music Review".
21. "Break the Cycle (2001): Reviews". CNET Networks, Inc.
22. "Canadian Metal Albums - Top 50". [[Jam!.
23. (September 22, 2001). "Eurochart Top 100 Albums - September 22, 2001".
24. Salaverri, Fernando. (September 2005). "Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002". Fundación Autor-SGAE.
25. "ARIA End of Year Albums Chart 2001". Australian Recording Industry Association.
26. "Canada's Top 200 Albums of 2001 (based on sales)".
27. (December 22, 2001). "European Top 100 Albums 2001". Music & Media.
28. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts". offiziellecharts.de.
29. "Top Selling Albums of 2001". The Official NZ Music Charts.
30. "Årslista Album – År 2001". Sverigetopplistan.
31. "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2001". Official Charts Company.
32. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2001".
33. "Top 50 Global Best Selling Albums for 2001". [[International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.
34. "Canada's Top 200 Alternative albums of 2002".
35. "Top 100 Metal Albums of 2002".
36. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts". offiziellecharts.de.
37. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2002".
38. (December 19, 2009). "The Decade in Music - Charts - Top Billboard 200 Albums".
39. (May 28, 2003). "-Staind, Deftones Secure Top Spots On Next Week's Billboard Chart". [[Blabbermouth.net]].