Though they hail from Springfield, Massachusetts and spent their early career touring all over New England, Staind's sound is very different from the skewed indie rock of East Coast forebears like the Pixies and the Lemonheads. Indeed, they have far more in common with the melancholy metal of Washington State's Pearl Jam and Alice In Chains. Staind first rose to prominence thanks to a helping hand given by Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit. Despite at first hating them for the gross-out artwork of their Tormented debut, Durst was mightily impressed by their rampaging live show. He invited them down to work with him in his hometown Jacksonville, then signed them to his own Flip label. The result is Dysfunction (actually recorded and mixed in Seattle with ex- Soundgarden producer Terry Date), a rumbling, thundering outburst of grunge, most notable for the dramatic, Staley-esque vocals and torrid, tormented and painfully confessional lyrics of Aaron Lewis--an appropriately fraught and thought-provoking soundtrack for these unstable times. Seattle is alive and well, and living in New England. --Dominic Wills