Review by Vinny for Staind - Confessions of the Fallen (2023)

As alternative metal goes, Confessions of the Fallen has been a neat find over the past week for me. Triggered by some algorithm somewhere, the 2024 deluxe edition fell into my recommendations and here I am, five days on, writing a review. As I read back my review of 2001’s Break the Cycle it is interesting that my thoughts are largely still the same when it comes to a record that has come out circa twenty-two years after that album. Clearly a trademark of the band, that depressive, self-loathing, over-thinking, underachieving and sullen take on life is once again at the forefront of the twelve tracks that make up the record. Such an expression of feelings is not wrong by any means. Indeed, when they hone it appropriately, it works well to produce memorable, catchy and emotionally taut songs. However, just like it was in 2001, here in 2025 (accepting the album came out in 2023) it becomes a bit of a slog after four or five tracks.

Thankfully, the better tracks are interspersed amongst the filler well enough in terms of arrangement to make the album more than palatable. After a strong opening three tracks, the power ballad ‘Here and Now’ presents the first of the infectious, written for the big screen moment. Sarcasm aside, it is a great track, and I can’t stop playing it, so fair play Aaron and co. Similarly, ‘Better Days’ follows a simple format with a memorable dictation of the chorus line to ensure hooks are firmly embedded in the brain. Confessions of the Fallen is not just about bleating ballads and overly expressive vocals though, when Staind riff on this thing they truly drop the weight on the listener, and for me it has more impact than any of the lyrics or arrangements. The album opens with ‘Lowest in Me’ which shows the teeth of the band early on deploying some core mentality towards the final third of the track. The title track is probably the heaviest of these moments, it’s implied darkness from the lyrics borne out in the crushing riffs that are present on the track also.

The filler does bring the score down, however. ‘Cycle of Hurting’ with its electro pulses and more nu-metal ethos just stands out as an obvious dud to me. Likewise, ‘Full of Emptiness’ has an almost laughable level of clunkiness to it and should have been left for a B-side compilation at some point in the future. Ending on a positive note though, there is a grit to Aaron’s vocals nowadays that does provide some mature edge to proceedings (much needed at times) and for all my gripes, the album has grown on me since I first picked it up. This is rare for this sub-genre as it represents one of the smaller percentages of my collection overall, so fair play once again guys.