Break the Cycle

Break the Cycle is the third studio album by American rock band Staind, released through Elektra Entertainment and Flip Records in 2001. It is Staind's most successful album to date and was the album that broke them into the mainstream. It was a huge international success for the band, as it spent three weeks at number-one position in the U.S. album charts and many weeks in the top-10 album charts of the Billboard 200, the UK and New Zealand. It sold at least 4 million copies in 2001. The album was certified 5× platinum by the RIAA for sales of over five million units in the US.[1]

Break the Cycle
The album cover features a tree against a cloudy sky on grass. In the image we see "Staind" and "Break the Cycle".
Studio album by
Staind
ReleasedMay 8, 2001[1]
RecordedAugust–December 2000[2][3]
StudioNRG (Los Angeles, CA), Long Farm View (North Brookfield, MA), Southbeach (Miami Beach, FL) and Electric Lady (New York City, NY)
Genre
Length50:49
Label
ProducerJosh Abraham
Staind chronology
Dysfunction
(1999)		 Break the Cycle
(2001)		 14 Shades of Grey
(2003)
Singles from Break the Cycle
  1. "It's Been Awhile"
    Released: March 20, 2001
  2. "Outside"
    Released: May 2001
  3. "Fade"
    Released: July 2001
  4. "For You"
    Released: December 2001
  5. "Epiphany"
    Released: August 2002

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 MTV Unplugged DVD). 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, 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.[10] 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[11]

Reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic(55/100)[12]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[13]
Blender[12]
Entertainment WeeklyC[14]
NME(2/10)[5]
Q[12]
Rolling Stone[15]
Yahoo! Music UK[7]

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.[12]

Track listing

All lyrics written by Aaron Lewis, all music by Staind, except where noted.

No.TitleMusicLength
1."Open Your Eyes" 3:50
2."Pressure"
3:22
3."Fade" 4:03
4."It's Been Awhile" 4:24
5."Change" 3:36
6."Can't Believe" 2:47
7."Epiphany"Lewis4:19
8."Suffer" 4:00
9."Warm Safe Place" 4:36
10."For You" 3:25
11."Outside"Lewis4:53
12."Waste" 3:56
13."Take It" 3:37
Total length:50:49
U.S. edition + bonus track
No.TitleLength
14."It's Been Awhile" (Acoustic)4:30
Total length:55:19
Australian and European edition + bonus track
No.TitleLength
14."Outside" (Family Values Version 1999)5:40
Total length:56:29

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

Charts

Certifications
Certifications for Break the Cycle
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[51] Gold 35,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[52] 2× Platinum 200,000^
Germany (BVMI)[53] Gold 150,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[54] 2× Platinum 30,000^
Sweden (GLF)[55] Gold 40,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[56] Platinum 300,000^
United States (RIAA)[57] 5× Platinum 4,900,000[58]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
  2. Halbersberg, Elianne (September 2001). "STAIND". www.mixonline.com.
  3. "Guitar World - Mike Mushok August 2001 Interview". staind-online.com.
  4. "The 50 best nu metal albums of all time". April 2022.
  5. Pattison, Louis (August 10, 2001). "Album Reviews - Staind : Break The Cycle". NME. Retrieved September 28, 2012.
  6. "Dotmusic - Album Review". Archived from the original on August 28, 2001.
  7. Oliver, Lisa (August 20, 2001). "Staind - 'Staind - Break The Cycle (EastWest)'". Yahoo! Music UK. Archived from the original on November 3, 2004. Retrieved September 28, 2012.
  8. "VH1 | Celebrity Reality Television Series".
  9. "University: Post-Grunge 101". Rhapsody. September 1, 2014. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
  10. "Staind Helps Hard Rock Get Rolling Again". Los Angeles Times. May 31, 2001. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  11. White, Adam (February 16, 2002). "Dido, Linkin Park Lead the Global 20 of 2001". Billboard. Vol. 114, no. 7. p. 42. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  12. "Break the Cycle (2001): Reviews". Metacritic. CNET Networks, Inc. Retrieved March 13, 2009.
  13. Gallucci, Michael. Break the Cycle at AllMusic. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
  14. Morgan, Laura (May 11, 2001). "Break the Cycle Review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 21, 2009. Retrieved March 23, 2012.
  15. Walters, Barry (June 7, 2001). "Staind: Break The Cycle: Music Review". Rolling Stone. No. RS 870. Archived from the original on April 16, 2008. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
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