Customer Reviews

The Sound Of Madness

5 star:		(123)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I have been a huge fan of this band since I first heard "Fly From the Inside" on the radio, and still hope that "Us and Them" goes platinum one day like "Leave a Whisper" did. I have been highly anticipating this album since I heard Devour for the first time on the radio. The whole time I was listening to it, the thought "This band seems familiar" kept running through my head. I googled the lyrics and thought, "Yeah, that makes sense...it was a great song."

This album is phenomenal. I don't know why I was surprised, Shinedown has never disappointed. True, "Us and Them" has some songs I tend to skip over (What were they thinking with "Atmosphere"?), but all in all it's an awesome album that I've listened to hundreds of times through.

Once again, they have changed their sound. While their first album was calculated with meticulous attention to detail, chord progressions, lyrical content, and a passionate singing style, and heavy overall, and their second album was much more radio friendly while still maintaining a truth and vitality that is lacking in much of today's music, with several ballads that blow you away whenever you hear them, this album breaks through new boundaries.

It is true that much of the album is radio friendly, but in this case that's a positive thing. They aren't going anywhere for a while, which is good. However, they've brought back much of the musical aptitude that was missing on their second album and combined it with some interesting choices as far as melody are concerned. Let's break down the songs, one by one.

1 - Devour (9/10): This song kicks off the album with intensity. It is unlike anything they've ever done, and while it's similar to the style of other modern bands out there, it still seems to have some signature Shinedown flare to it. That may be Brent's singing, or the intricate guitar work. Either way, it's a great song.
2 - Sound of Madness (10/10): One of my favorites on the album, the chorus is like a lesson in lyrical creativity, and the guitar riff is, how shall I say..."rollicking", to say the least. It's hard not to bob your head to this song when it's on, and I love singing along.
3 - Second Chance (8/10): While it's lyrically interesting, it sounds to me like a throwback to "Us and Them", which had several songs with similar chord progressions and verse-chorus formulas. That either makes it signature Shinedown, or a disappointment, and on an album of this caliber I tend to lean toward the latter. That's not to say I don't love it, which I do (8 out of 10 is a great score from me), but it's sounds like "been there, done that."
4 - Cry For Help (8/10): When I first heard this song, I thought back to Oleander's "Joyride", which this is reminiscent of. Another rocker, that is great on this album, but not the best one on here. Still, I'm very glad to see Shinedown embrace this type of music. They've never really done anything like this. All the songs on their first album that were "rockers" were hard rockers, more like Nu-Metal, not like this. This is true rock, which is awesome.
5 - The Crow and the Butterfly (9/10): I love this song. Another song that sounds like it's from "Us and Them", but it's just so good I don't care. The lyrics are good, too, and I can almost visualize the girl slowly moving away from Brent's outstretched hands when he's singing. It's just a powerful song with some really cool chords thrown in.
6 - If You Only Knew (9/10): This is another song that's pretty much awesome. However, I do like the verses better than the chorus, which gets kind of generic as far as lost love songs go. The beginning is my favorite part, though, along with the part at the end of the chorus that goes, "The only thing that I still believe in is you." It's another lyric that is sung with meaning behind it, and it makes the song for me.
7 - Sin With a Grin (10/10): Another favorite on the album, another rocker that I love to sing along to as it blasts in my car. I also love the message of just getting pissed off. The bridge is also an interesting musical turn for the band, trying something new with new and interesting ways of singing and playing their instruments. This is an example of the thing I find everywhere on this album, musical experimentation which is new to them, but not necessarily new in general.
8 - What a Shame (9/10): Another great signature Shinedown ballad. The chorus just grabs you, both lyrically and musically, and again Brent's voice makes me weep when he start belting out his true feelings. Just a great overall song.
9 - Cyanide Sweet Tooth Suicide (8/10): Another rocker. I feel that a lot of bands write songs with "suicide" in the title for no real reason, so I have a hard time liking them. This one is pretty good, as they go, but at the end of the album it seems to lose the steam gathered by the other rockers.
10 - Breaking Inside (8/10): The first few times I listened to this song, I really thought it was pretty generic. However, just like their first album, the more I listen to it the more I like it. It's got a very cool sounding melody behind the verses, and the chorus, though generic, is catchy as hell, and once again Brent's voice makes it stand out as amazing. Man I love this band.
11 - Call Me (9/10): I absolutely love this song. It's so simple, and yet the violin, the piano, and Brent's voice just take you away, and you really feel what he is feeling the whole time. There are no words to describe the song, except to say that it's pretty, very pretty. Remember the first time you heard ".45"? That's what this song feels like.

Overall, it's a fantastic album with no filler tracks. I can definitely start at the beginning and listen all the way through without skipping any tracks, which is a rarity these days. The only album to rival it so far this year would be Disturbed's "Indestructible", which is also awesome (see my review).

This album is easily my favorite of the three Shinedown releases. I really liked Leave a Whisper, I accepted Us and Them for what it was, but THIS.....THIS is what I hoped for from Shinedown. The musicianship, the lyrics, the passion with which they're sung....it's all here. And, the more I listen to it, the more I like it. If you even only partly liked Leave a Whisper, you will LOVE this album. I've not taken it out of the player since I got it, and I get bored with music pretty easily.

I missed them when they were on tour last time....and I'm not going to make that same mistake again.

I've heard the song "Sound of Madness" on the radio the other day and had decided to check out the cd when I get home. Thanks to amazon.com cd sampler, I realized that I knew quite a few songs on it. Now that I've got the cd in my car cd player, it can repeat itself and I don't even have to skip a song. I sometimes rotate my cd selection in the car, but this one is being added to my permanent stock.

There are many words that can explain this new cd from Shinedown, some being (but not limited to) astonishing, brilliant, and mind-blowing. Lead singer Brent Smith, who has struggled through the loss of his two guitarist quite possibily has developed the best rock album of the century yet.

Stand-alone hard tracks this album contains include Devour, Sound of Madness, Cyanide Sweet Tooth Suicide and Cry for Help, all of which show maturity and development from the previous two cds. Slower tracks, such as The Crow and the Butterfly, If You Only Knew and Call Me are just as good if not better than the previous album (such as Shed Some Light, I Dare You and Someday). After mentioning all these tracks, I have not even mentioned my personal favorite, What A Shame, which knocked me off my feet the first time I heard it.

This album represents pure genius in the modern rock and roll era. Shinedown's passion, devotion to fans and ambition to keep rock and roll alive in the world is a blessing to all rock and roll fans in existence, and hopefully they will stay around for years and years to come.

This is another great production by Shinedown. I'm curious why this band isn't bigger. This album gives great songs and s a nother step in the bands progression. "Call Me", "The Crow And The Butterfly", "Second Chance", "If You Only Knew" are all great, but really the album is perfect.

I've been a huge Shinedown fan since the beginning. I love seeing bands evolve, and this album is definitly something different, a very good different. I can't stand reading reviews from people who say "ohhhh they changed their sound, they're going to hell, they kick puppies." Good bands are creative bands, and creative bands don't produce the same old stuff over and over and over again for mindless freaks whose favorite band is Menudo.

Compared to the two previous albums by this Jacksonville group, "The Sound of Madness" provides a much darker and evolved sound that really keeps the Shinedown faithful on their toes! I know that when I first heard this CD, not all the tracks caught my attention right away but the ones that did (The Crow and The Butterfly, Devour, Breaking Inside) really gave a different sound then what I expected! If you're the kind of person that thrives on consistency between albums than you are probably going to be disappointed but the new smell of this album, with Brent's high pitched vocals, and his undeniable energy as a singer, which really engages your listening ears! I have had this CD in the CD player of my car ever since I purchased it Tuesday and have no thoughts of removing it.

There are slower songs like Call Me, Second Chance, and What A Shame, that are more powerful in lyrics and melody than anything else Shinedown has produced, which reflects the total makeup of this album, as it is a little slower in pace compared to previous albums.

For anyone that refuses to acknowledge the quality of this album because of commercial appeal, well then you need to take a second look at why music is made...to entertain and appease! Just because some good rock music is popular is not necessarily a bad thing, especially for the popularity of the band.

On a final note, I highly recommend that you go out and pick this one up because there is a certain "Sound of Madness" that rings through this disc and you should thoroughly enjoy it, especially loyal Shinedown fans!

I have been listening to Shinedown since 2003 when they were working the local scene in Florida and just making a ripple in the Modern Rock pool (or should I say ocean?) with Leave A Whisper. Well, I was highly anticipating their 3rd release, "The Sound of Madness" and even with the high expectations I had, Shinedown was able to deliver an album that impressed me even more than LAW. This disc is fuller, and has a much better sound quality to it than either of their previous records, and that translates into a smoother, more polished finish. It's unfortunate the limited fan club release is no longer available as the three bonus tracks alone made it worth buying the entire album.

But even this "basic" album is near flawless, when you can say the first single (Devour) is likely the weakest song on the entire record, you know its hitting on all cylinders. I am very excited for the band that they have finally hit on the recognition they have always deserved, and cannot wait for whatever they do next. This album is a definite must have for ANYBODY.

Shinedown is back and better than ever. They rebounded nicely after their uneventful sophomore effort "Us And Them". "The Sound of Madness" returns to the band's freshman roots, "Leave a Whisper". "Sound.." is loaded with intensity, high energy and all around great rock vibes. I could evaluate every song but the reader would get tired of hearing the same adjectives over and over such as "great", "awesome", "super", "outstanding" "very good", to name a few. If one feared that Shinedown lost their touch, they would be sadly mistaken. This could be the most consistent and one of the best rock album in years. Whether you're a veteran fan or a new one, you will appreciate this album. I would highly recommend this album to anyone and everyone.

Honestly, The Sound of Madness somehow surpasses their past two albums by far. And believe me, I loved their first album and did really like their second album. But The Sound of Madness breaks all the barriers and gives you a pure Shinedown powerhouse of songs from the very first track to the last bonus track. I bought the original release the day it came out. I bought the new released ones last year. Now I had to own this one too! I am not going to go through every song and rate each one. There are a ton of 5 star songs on this, there are some 4 star songs. But none will cease to blow you away. I know they released the original album and then rereleased it to make more money this way, but honestly, the band and their music are more than worth it. Get this album with all the bonus material and go see them in concert. It will be one of the best shows you'll ever see!