Source: Album Artwork
Florida rock band Shinedown are back with the follow-up to 2012’s Amaryllis; Threat To Survival. All this band can really be described as is modern rock. They are known for making a variety of songs from slower tracks like ‘I’ll Follow You‘ to the darker shades of ‘Sound of Madness‘.
The opening is track to this record is a bit more punk that expected from these guys. The repetitive guitar chord under the vocals at the beginning give off that vibe, which stays throughout the verse. Some strings kick in under the chorus, bringing back more of the old school Shinedown feel adding a slightly more epic feel to the track.
‘State of my Head‘ takes things to a more mellow place, harking back to the likes of ‘Second Chance‘. There is no doubt with this song that this is a Shinedown album. Brent Smith‘s unique, passionate vocal really shines through in the chorus to give it an extra edge.
Things get a little tribal with the introduction of ‘It All Adds Up‘. Everything is very rhythmic, the muted guitar strums and drums keeping the same time through the introduction and the opening verse. There are times in the track, particularly the title line, that it have something of an Alter Bridge sound to them, another straight up rock band.
Things never quite get as diverse on this album as you would hope from Shinedown. Previous tracks like ‘Call Me‘ and ‘I’ll Follow You‘, which are heavily piano led, add a beautiful extra dimension of emotion to their respective albums. The closest we get this time round is closing track ‘Misfits‘, but sadly it doesn’t quite tug at the heartstrings in the same ways as its predecessors.
While the album has some great meanings behind the songs, as Shinedown often do, it just doesn’t emit the emotion to the same degree as their past releases. The variety from song to song isn’t as prominent as it has been with past records either. For Shinedown fans, this album will be a hit, but as a rock album, it hasn’t done anything new or exciting to really wow a listener.
