Shinedown - The Sound Of Madness Review

Posted by Dan Marsicano on 06.24.2008

Hard rock band Shinedown has just released their third album, the follow-up to Us And Them. Can the band continue the success of their previous two albums?

The Band

Brent Smith-Vocals
Nick Perri-Guitar
Zack Myers-Guitar
Eric Bass-Bass Guitar
Barry Kerch-Drums


The Track Listing

1. Devour-3:49
2. Sound of Madness-3:53
3. Second Chance-3:40
4. Cry For Help-3:20
5. The Crow and the Butterfly-4:13
6. If You Only Knew-3:46
7. Sin With A Grin-4:00
8. What a Shame-4:18
9. Cyanide Sweet Tooth Suicide-3:11
10. Breaking Inside-3:51
11. Call Me-3:42





The Review

Jacksonville, Florida hard rockers Shinedown have been cranking out solid rock albums since their formation in late 2001. The band hit it big with the single “45,” the emotional rock ballad on their debut album Leave A Whisper. The song made Shinedown a band to look out for in the future and the success of sophomore release Us and Them and single “Save Me” only augmented this further. The Sound of Madness has the band honing in their sound, with the help of producer Rob Cavallo, and creating an album that has Shinedown’s heaviest, and softest, songs to date.

“Devour” is the band’s current single and is the track that is sweeping the airways on all the major rock radio stations. The song is politically charged, with Smith employing a new vocal style on the verses to add to his extensive arsenal; a rushed, frantic barking that has Smith spitting out the words like a man possessed with an M16. The band follows suit, successfully keeping up with Smith the whole time, until Smith shows off some high notes in the catchy chorus. The song is powerful and an excellent start to The Sound of Madness. The title track continues this frantic pace with another excellent rocker that is guaranteed to get the live crowds moving.

Unlike most modern albums, the band is able to balance out the heavy tracks and the softer, more “ballad-like” tracks. “Cry For Help” is a mid-paced song with an edge to it, augmented by great guitar work and an absolutely scorcher of an ending. “Cyanide Sweet Tooth Suicide” is the fastest song the band has ever written and, at moments, almost sounds like a punk song. The song flies by, only slowing down at the end for a snail-paced breakdown.

The band was made famous by a rock ballad, “45.” So, of course, there are a few ballads spread throughout The Sound Of Madness. Shinedown isn’t content with doing the same old crap that most rock bands do and actually takes some chances with the slower, more melodic tracks. “Second Chance” uses a heavy string presence and makes sure not to waste them on the track. They stay in the background, waiting for their moment to come out on the chorus and provide that extra emotional impact. A personal favorite moment of mine is when Smith hits this ungodly high note and the violins follow suit, keeping up with him. “The Crow and the Butterfly” has been around for a while, being played at live shows before the recording of the album, and it sounds as good as in the live shows, especially with the violins added in. “What A Shame” is the band’s “45,” a ballad with an edge to it. It wouldn’t have sounded out of place on Leave A Whisper.

“Call Me” is the band’s biggest departure to date. The song reminds me of “Proud Of You,” the closer off of Division, 10 Years’ recent album. A largely piano ballad with minimal string involvement, Smith shows genuine emotion and conviction in his voice and this makes “Call Me” the best closing track the band has ever done (yes, even better than “45”).

Brent Smith pulls out an phenomenal vocal performance and shows the world why he is one of the most underrated vocalist in rock today. The rhythm section of Eric Bass and Barry Kerch do a competent job together, and the chemistry between them is evident, considering that this is Bass' first album with the band.

In a recent interview with Billboard.com, Brent Smith commented about the new album, "It's time to just go over the top, literally go above and beyond what a human being thinks they're capable of recording. We want to do a huge hard rock record that has a lot of crossover potential, but also some of the most insanely intense and heavy material that this band has ever tried - and see if we can pull it off." With The Sound Of Madness, I really think the band accomplished what they set out to do. So far, it definitely is one of the top 10 rock albums of the year and is a huge success for the band. My only criticism is that I would have liked to have had another rock song or two, as I think having two ballads back to back in the middle and at the end kills the flow of the album a bit. Other than that, The Sound of Madness is the best album I have heard from the Jacksonville rockers and a sign that they are finally showing their true potential.

The 411: The Sound Of Madness is an album that finds the band fine tuning their sound and cutting out some of the fat that their earlier albums had ("Lady So Divine," anybody?). The album has some of the heaviest and softest songs the band has ever done, with a fine balance between the two. While the album could have benefitted from another rocker or two, as near the middle and end, there are ballads back to back, The Sound Of Madness is the best album Shinedown has created to this date and a sign that the best is yet to come from these Jacksonville rockers.

Final Score:  8.0   [ Very Good ]