A lot of people don't realize that Staind made their original mark in the music industry with head thrashing metal music. Then the hit single "Outside" was released a few years ago, and the mainstream fickle crowd jumped on the Staind bandwagon. Which then lead to some tatted up headbanger boys pisst and feeling betrayed.

All you metal fans will be happy to know that Staind plans on coming back with the original sounds you know. However, before any of that......the band will be taking a break.

Following the release of the new compilation "The Singles: 1996-2006," frontman Aaron Lewis tells Billboard.com that the Massachusetts quartet is "gonna take some time off. Everybody needs some time off. I like to try to make sure the surface is clean. You've got to let all the build-up from being on tour and playing the same songs over and over again go away and have a clean slate to start over with so we don't repeat ourselves."

No argument their. This band has proven themselves over and over with hit after hit.

Before any of you Top 40 fans get ready to write the band off, Araon Lewis has announced he will be moving forward with a solo album.

"I think that there's gonna be kind of a separation of the two styles," explains Lewis, who's also developing a reality show about rock'n'roll roadies called "The Crew." "My (solo) thing will go more in the direction of the songs that I've always written -- 'Outside,' 'It's Been Awhile,' 'So Far Away,' 'Everything Changes.' That's more in the line of what the solo project will be, and let Staind go back to being the heavy band that you get to see if you come and see us live."

I wish I had something dirrty to say about the band, but for once I will keep my mouth shut.

Rox ON