Korn in Chains? Alice in Korn? Very few bands can exist without showing some obvious traits of those who inspire them. But there is a fine line between using a band as a starting point and just reworking their material. "Staind" does both. For every Layne Staley type whine and Jonathan Davis-esque bark that "Staind" singer Aaron Lewis envokes, there is a passage or movement that finds his vocal range complimenting his own stylings in a new light, instead of mimicking the aforementioned. The same thing can be said for the rest of the band. There are many times throughout this release that a truly tasty chunk o' heavy ass rock rolls through, but there are just too many backslides into music you've heard already to forgive "Staind." That's not to say this disk doesn't rock, because it most certainly does. With veteran hard rock producer Terry Date on board (Deftones, Prong, White Zombie, Soundgarden, Pantera), you know the sonic delivery is going to be impressive. Again, the problem is that every time "Staind" gets moving when they are at their strongest, they are too quick pulling back into that quiet moody drift to create a "dynamic" between the slow and hard that that it becomes formulaic and very predictable.

Witness the jagged guitar hook of "Raw" that starts the song at volume 11, but then pulls back into that Alice in Chains sludgy tempo and then toggles between the two for dymnamic. "Mudshovel" follows and shows that "Staind" are capable of writing something a little more their own with it's ability to let the bass carry the quiet dynamic and a juicy crisp chorus line that breaks out into a full on metal crush. I fear the late 90's suffers the same fate as the late 80's. Second and third generation imitators are taking clear blueprints for a sound, and approach and tweak them just enough to claim a separate entity, but are essentially regurgitating other bands ideas.

There are a few numbers on "dysfunction" that are truly "Staind." If the band could focus more on these elements, the possibility of achieving a more original musical force is definitely there. If you like the genre, and imitation doesn't rub you the wrong way, "Staind" aren't a bad bet. The big-ass guitar crunch they employ is usually worth the wait, as well the over-the-top metal romps and intensely distorted vocal barks, like the hit-and-screech bass poppin' "Crawl" that, of course, pulls back into a more Deftones sounding emo drift, but still my pick for coolest track here.

When "Staind" rocks hard they loosen up, and the comparisons are harder to nail. When "Staind" does the emotional whine slow tempo stuff, comparisons are hard to ignore and get in the way. Overall, and especially for how derivative "Staind" can get, "dysfunctional" is a good album. It's fun, has range and rocks often. Fullfillment for the listener will depend on your ability to digest imitation.