STAIND Parts Ways With Drummer

Massachusetts rockers STAIND have parted ways with drummer Jon Wysocki. The remaining members of the band said in a statement, "We wish [Jon] the best, and thank him for all the years he dedicated to STAIND." The group adds, "Drummer Will Hunt [EVANESCENCE, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, TOMMY LEE] will join us on our upcoming dates. We look forward to seeing [the fans] at Rock On The Range, the Miller Lite Carb Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and Rocklahoma."

STAIND recently regrouped after a year-long break in to begin writing the follow-up to 2008's "The Illusion Of Progress". Singer Aaron Lewis described the CD to AOL's Noisecreep as "the heaviest thing we have recorded in a long time. It's definitely one of the heaviest collection of songs that we have put together."

When asked if the band was going back to the band vibe it had before its 1999 major-label debut "Dysfunction", Lewis said, "Well, we're going back to before these songs that I've brought to the table over the years blurred that line as to who and what STAIND was. It's back to the 'Dysfunction' days, but it's not a carbon copy. It's new material with a heavy sound. . . It allows STAIND to go back to being the heavy band that we always were without any confusion."

The group is recording the follow-up to 2008's "The Illusion Of Progress" in a converted barn on Lewis' property in rural Massachusetts. Johnny K, who produced "Illusion", is back at the helm.

"On the last record, what we did was we took my barn and Johnny K brought all his transportable equipment in a big trailer and set it up in the [barn]," Lewis explained. "And at the end of the record we all felt that sonically as far as the raw tones went it sounded better than any studio we recorded at yet. So when Johnny was gonna come in again we said, 'Hey listen, instead of bringing all of your stuff like you did last time, we'll give you our corporate credit card and why don't you attain all of the stuff that you brought last time, or as close [to it] as possible, and bring it with you and set it all up. And when you leave, leave it.' So we now have a vintage Neve recording studio right here on my property in the Berkshires in Massachusetts."

The new disc will be STAIND's final release under its contract with Atlantic Records, and Lewis told The Pulse Of Radio that the quartet plans to explore other options in the future. "There are different ways of doing it that are much more favorable to the artist if the artist has a core fan base that are gonna want to continue to get their music regardless of whether it comes out of a music store on a CD or not," he said.