STAIND's AARON LEWIS On Upcoming 'The Space Between The Darkness And The Light' Album: 'It's A Pretty Heavy, Driving Record'

In a new interview with "Whiplash", the KLOS radio show hosted by Full Metal Jackie, STAIND frontman Aaron Lewis spoke about the band's upcoming album, "The Space Between The Darkness And The Light", and the LP's recently released first single, "Ghosts". Asked if STAIND's ongoing tour celebrating the 25th anniversary of the group's seven-times-platinum "Break The Cycle" album affected the songwriting process for STAIND's new material, Aaron said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "No, not at all. The music that this new single is coming off of was pretty much done way earlier than all of this started. But there would be no reason to go backwards. We've written many records since then, and I feel like it's always a progression forward. It wouldn't make any sense to go backwards."

After Full Metal Jackie noted that "Ghosts" "feels like a perfect fit" in the STAIND catalog, Aaron concurred. "It should feel like it fits right in, because it's just the next installment of STAIND records over the years, which has always kind of been a timestamp in my life," he explained. "And that's the one common thread that kind of goes from the very first record all the way through, even all the way through all of my six or seven solo records that I have out, to that last STAIND record to this STAIND record. The common thread is it's still the same struggle."

Lewis continued: "I'm 54 years old and I'm still trying to make my way through life that started with a shattered childhood and childhood trauma. And the lyrics to the STAIND records have always kind of been my diary of the feelings that I have such a hard time expressing with words from one human being to another that in a conversation I wouldn't be able to express what I'm able to express through songs. And this record is the next chapter of my navigating. The name of the record is 'The Space Between The Darkness And The Light', and I feel like that the title itself is very fitting too. It fits right in, right in line with where it should be from the last record."

Asked how representative "Ghosts" is of "The Space Between The Darkness And The Light" as a whole, Aaron said: "I think it's a pretty good first foot forward as a representation of the record. There might be one song that could be considered a slow song or a ballad. It's a pretty heavy, driving record. It certainly wasn't intentional. I've touched on this already, but I'm 54. [Laughs] I'm not trying to get heavier as we go, but there's parts in this new record where you would think that that might be the case."

"Ghosts" came out last month via Alchemy Recordings/BMG. The track marks STAIND's first new music drop since 2023's chart-topping "Confessions Of The Fallen" album. Once again, the quartet — Aaron Lewis (vocals, guitar),Mike Mushok (lead guitar),Johnny April (bass, backing vocals) and Sal Giancarelli (drums) — teamed up with producer Erik Ron (GODSMACK, BAD OMENS, PAPA ROACH) in the studio.

"Ghosts" opens with a chugging detuned riff punctuated by Mushok's signature harmonics. This deluge slips into the undertow of a stark verse pinned to April's ominous bass line and a head-nodding beat courtesy of Giancarelli. The groove quakes beneath Lewis's instantly recognizable vocals. Distortion boosts an unshakable refrain, and the frontman laments, "Fading and failing…Ghosts that I've never found." Veering from one extreme to the next, the track alternates between a beautiful bridge and a bludgeoning last gasp powered by his guttural scream.

You could say "Ghosts" conjures the past, present, and future eras of STAIND all into one concentrated and cathartic burst of emotion and energy.

"We went down to Nashville for a writing trip with Erik," Mushok previously recalled in a press release. "We had gotten together, and I came up with the riff on the spot. From there, Erik and I put the track together in just one day and finished it up. Aaron listened to it a little later and did this really great vocal over it. 'Ghosts' ended up being a very dynamic song."

"It seemed like everybody had gravitated towards 'Ghosts'," added Lewis. "It's a little different, and it surprised all of us. It's got some heavy elements, but it's certainly melodic too. It's definitely STAIND."

After selling out nearly every date of the first leg of the North American "Break The Cycle" 25th-anniversary tour, STAIND will return to the road for round two in 2027. They will once again be celebrating 25 years of their breakout 2001 opus "Break The Cycle", which just picked up a seven-times-platinum certification, logged three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in the summer of its release, and spawned generational hits like "It's Been A While" and "Warm Safe Place". Thanks to a groundswell of fan support, the latter exploded on TikTok as 2026's most unexpected viral phenomenon, bringing the quartet's streams past the one-billion mark this year. STAIND has also sold out most of the vinyl variations of its live record, "Break The Cycle (25th Anniversary Live)".

Produced by Live Nation, the 27-city date trek will feature special guests SEETHER and HOOBASTANK, joined by HINDER on all dates except Cleveland. The tour kicks off on March 6 at SNHU Arena in Manchester making stops in Pittsburgh, Dallas, Seattle and more before wrapping up in Cleveland at Rocket Arena on April 16.