SURELY there can't be too much life left in American angst rock? If you thought the pain and torment of lost love had been expressed a million times by tattooed rockers across the globe, no one told Staind.

Bald frontman Aaron Lewis obviously does not have much luck with the ladies - he is in a world of hurt. Even his last album, Break The Cycle, going multi-platinum and the band's total record sales of eight million have not cheered him up. Certainly Lewis's voice is distinctively strong and Staind can generate a decent enough sound, but the songs are so uninspiring. Acoustic tear-jerker Zoe Jane has Lewis banging on about missing his daughter. Like most tracks, Reality builds from a quiet verse into a chorus of towering guitar riffs, epitomising how tired this genre has become. Avoid this earnest rock of the worst kind at all costs.

Updated: 10:31 Thursday, July 10, 2003