Shinedown – Sound of Madness
Posted by Pingk on Thu, 04 Mar 2010.
Brent Smith - Vocals
Zach Myers - Lead Guitar
Eric Bass - Bass Guitar
Barry Ker - Drums
Sound Of Madness is Shinedown’s eagerly awaited third album, it’s been 3 long years since ‘Us and Them’, but it was well worth the wait...
The album starts with a glorious crescendo - and the bass guitar is so eager to start that when it does the song almost explodes. Devour is the best start to the album, which entices you to just want more.
The Sound Of Madness continues the punchy onslaught of heavy metal, and Brent produces his gravelly vocals with such ferocity that he believes he has lived up to the song’s name. The bridge is just a taste of what’s to come: the drums die out and for a brief couple of seconds Brent’s voice softens to give a false sense of calmness, until the drums are revived once more.
Songs like "Second Chance", "The Crow & The Butterfly", "Breaking Inside", "If You Only Knew" and "What A Shame" are much more introspective and soft, but not quite a soft-rock ballad as the drums and guitar still aching to break free. They’re positioned at just the right places in the album to calm you down slightly, just in time for the vicious, raw power of songs such as "Sin With A Grin", "Cyanide Sweet Tooth Suicide" and "Cry For Help". These go back to the infectious, extroverted energy of heavy bass and powerful drums, with the striking balance of Zach’s guitars.
The album finishes on the comparatively soft note of Breaking Inside, which provides a relaxing ending to an overall energetic album; although it still has a balanced sprinkling of drums and guitars.
I would have no problem with recommending this album to anyone who likes heavy metal and/or rock or to those who like bands such as to Breaking Benjamin and Black Tide.
Nickesh Chauhan