Shinedown is a pretty new discovery to me. This kind of modern radio friendly metal isn’t usually my bag at all, but when I discovered their last album The Sound Of Madness (2008) just a couple of years ago, I was floored. Completely! I just don’t get how I could miss out on such a fantastic band for so long?
Well, well, better late than never. That said, this album’s predecessor still feels a bit new to me which lead to me not having to wait that long for the new one. I mean, it was four years since the last released an album. Shinedown are one of those bands that keeps on selling shitloads of records, especially in the USA, even though anyone could easily illegally download it, and I don’t think that will change with this album. Because this album is even more radio friendly than the last one. Not that it’s cheesy or soft by any means.
Shinedown still rock with the best of them and there is still enough metal to make the older fans happy. But the production is more slick and there are more songs with sticky choruses on top of the hard rock / metal foundation. ”Adrenaline”, for example, is a killer opener. Fast, heavy and catchy, first single ”Bully” is brilliant, catchy as hell and without a doubt a big hit, the title track is a great half ballad, ”Unity” is an uptempo pop song and a single to be, if their label boss isn’t out of his mind. And the same goes for ”Enemies”, a poppy rocker that’s bound to be a hit. Catchy, hard rock songs just gets my adrenaline pumping and ”I’m Not Alright” and ”My Name (Wearing Me Out)” are also such songs. Both of them killers.
”For My Sake” is almost symphonic and shows the band’s diversity and ”Through The Ghosts” is a orchestrated ballad with an amazing melody. Goosebumps on that one. Safe to say, Shinedown has another killer album under their belt and I could bet the two six packs of Corona, that I just bought, that no Shinedown fan will have anything to complain about here. More so, this album will probably add to the million fans that already exists. Now it’s time for the rest of the world to wake up and embrace this brilliant foursome!
Jon Wilmenius (9/10)
Tracklist:
01. Adrenaline
02. Bully
03. Amaryllis
04. Unity
05. Enemies
06. I’m Not Alright
07. Nowhere Kids
08. Miracle
09. I’ll Follow You
10. For My Sake
11. My Name (Wearing Me Out)
12. Through The Ghost
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