It's been awhile since we last saw you, and we're thrilled you're back again for another episode of the P.O.D. Kast! This month, it's all about one of nu-metal's most divisive bands, Staind. A band that Bryan hated and John liked, the division in age between Bryan and John becomes clear as Bryan was fully moving away from nu-metal in 2001 when this album came out, and John was fully entrenched. Wherever you stand on the age line might determine how much you liked it, but one thing is certain: in 2020, it isn't great.

We dive into more of nu-metal's weird history with this band, from Fred Durst nearly kicking Staind off of his tour due to an objectionable album cover to eventually signing them and becoming their "dad", to Aaron Lewis' redneck beginnings (and endings--guy is a Trump country artist now). This album contains multitudes, an $800,000 production budget with songs directly aimed at topping the charts mixed in with paint-by-numbers nu-metal and some songs that still hit pretty hard if they get you at the right moment. Staind was the sound for 2001, a bridge between the nu-metal monsters they toured with and the butt rock juggernauts that were soon to follow, and we get into their entire complicated history right here.

If you want some more complicated history, you can head on over to https://patreon.com/thepodkast, where $4/month gets you access to a great bonus episode every month AND our entire back catalogue of bonuses. Last month, we had our great friends Stefan Heck and Brett Payne on to discuss Korn: Unplugged, and this month, it's a nu-metal superpod (that's what you call the supergroup of podcasts), as we get together with our friends in Roach Koach to discuss a truly awful Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2003 soundtrack. We also introduced a new tier this month, where a $20 donation gets you a personalized review of any nu-metal song, and of course for $50, you can tell us what album to do for a bonus episode. It's all there, we hope you join us!