SHINEDOWN DEVOUR THE REST OF THE PACK WITH THE SOUND OF MADNESS
If you’re br00taler than br00tal, stop reading this review right now. If you only care to listen to the heaviest shit possible and can’t be bothered by hard rock, stop reading. But if you can keep your cool-o-meter in check and want to know about an awesome record, then keep going. That record is The Sound of Madness by Shinedown, and it’s easily the best hard rock record of 2008, eons ahead of the pack of the ho-hum radio rock bands with which they’re usually lumped in
What makes Shinedown so much better than the Breaking Benjamins and Seethers of the world? I’m not really sure, but in so many ways Shinedown is just infinitely better than any band you’re likely to hear on your local active rock radio station. Maybe it’s the dynamic songwriting or endless guitar and vocal hooks. Maybe it’s Brent Smith’s astonishing pipes. Maybe it’s this band’s desire to just ROCK without worrying about “cred.”
Whatever it is, it’s working; The Sound of Madness is a return to form for a band who kind of went off the deep end with their sophomore release Us and Them; while 2002’s debut Leave a Whisper was heavy and epic, Us and Them explored a much more raw, southern and toned down version of the band’s driving hard rock sound that left a lot of fans wondering why the bottom dropped out. With The Sound of Madness the band has returned to their heavier roots, thanks in no small part to the huge production of studio vet Rob Cavallo (Green Day, Butthole Surfers, Kid Rock).
But the best part of The Sound of Madness is without a doubt the songs. Shinedown goes back and forth between heavy riff-rockers and ballads with ease; every single song has a catchy, but never cheesy hook. Lead single “Devour,” “Sin With a Grin” and “Cyanide Sweet Tooth Suicide” rock, drive and roll with larger-than-life guitar riffs that steamroll ahead, while “Second Chance” and “If You Only Knew” are absolutely undeniable modern power ballad classics. The only misfire here is the Nickelback-esque “Breaking Inside,” but this dud hardly detracts from the overall quality of the record.
The Sound of Madness is truly an album’s album; every song is unbelievably solid. Anyone looking for a great hard rock record with absolutely zero pretention should buy this record right away.
-VN
(four and a half out of five horns)
