Review Summary: A natural evolution. And maybe a step back as well.
Shinedown is a band, that since its inception, has always been experimenting with different sounds and styles. And although that this is the case, they have primarily remained with the Alt rock/metal genre. However in their last album “Threat to Survival” they transitioned into a poppier sound, that was more radio friendly. It could be argued that this choice was intended to pander to the radio rock crowd, or that it was a natural evolution. I think it was the first of the two, but in their new album ATTENTION ATTENTION, the band seems a return to form, with a healthy mix between the two musical styles that creates something enjoyable and satisfying to listen to. In this review I will be going over each track in detail, in order to fully explain what works about this album, and what doesn’t.
DEVIL was the first single released off of the album, is a good reflection of the tone throughout the whole album. With hints of the poppier sound from their last album “Threat to survival” combined with heavier riffs and vocals from albums like “Sound of Madness, and Amaryllis.” It strikes a good duality between the two sounds and creates a compelling songs that is just as good on multiple listens.
BLACK SOUL starts off sounding like an Imagine Dragons ripoff with a better singer, but at around the 40 second mark, it explodes into a soaring chorus that sound like something off their first two album, with loud heavy guitars playing much louder than both the drums and even the vocals. It then goes into a kinda halfassed guitar riff that sounds like something straight out of Avenged Sevenfold B side. Overall, this song goes back to Shinedown’s roots and overall pretty damn good
ATTENTION ATTENTION is an interesting one. It’s like no other song that Shinedown has put out, Beginning with the sound of an alarm, with a mechanical voice saying “Attention Attention” before starting out with a menacing claustrophobic, verse with muffled vocals, backed by only bass guitar, and drums and the first verse shows a true evolution for the band and is one of the high points on the album. The chorus of this song is where it kinda falls flat. WIth a mindless chord progression, and relatively uncompelling lyrics, the chorus only serves to make the verses and hook better. However it’s still a damn good song.
KILL YOUR CONSCIENCE is unintentionally funny. For the most part it’s just another Shinedown song, but it’s hard not to chuckle a little at the beginning when Brent Smith mutters “best mode” before the song really gets started. It’s a low point on the album regardless, with nothing special about, to make it stand out. Musically it’s a pretty good song, and it definitely shouldn't be skipped.
PYRO is one of the heaviest songs on the album. Going back to their alt metal roots, the band creates a fast paced and hard hitting song, that is very well performed by each member. In parts it’s reminiscent of “Asking For It” from their last album, “Threat to Survival”
MONSTERS starts with a slow, somber guitar riff repeating over some of the most emotionally charged vocals that I’ve heard out of Shinedown. This tone continues throughout the song, even as it gets louder and heavier.
DARKSIDE starts off sounding like a more upbeat version of MONSTERS. But ends up being more of a pop rock song. One of the low points of the album, this one isn’t bad, it’s just less good than most of the other songs on the album.
CREATURES is strikingly similar to MONSTERS, which isn’t surprising considering the similarities of the song names. Basically, MONSTERS, DARKSIDE, and CREATURES are all very similar musically. And any two of these songs could have been cut from the album with little negative effects.
EVOLVE is throws us right back into the action, with fast paced, blistering guitar riffs, over a menacing vocal performance. Once again, a brilliant soaring chorus, sandwiched between, quick bouncy verses. Hopefully this song becomes a staple at live shows, because this song is one that guaranteed to get crowds hyped up.
GET UP is an above average, although relatively generic ballad. It is by no means bad, but it doesn’t reach the quality that Shinedown is known for.
Special is not a very special song. It’s extremely similar to GET UP. Starting off, sounding almost identical to it. However it does eventually deviate from GET UP when the strings section shows up briefly. However it is considerably better than GET UP.
THE HUMAN RADIO is a perfect balance between pop rock and alt metal. With popper verses, and a very intense chorus that sounds like old shinedown. This was the second single for this record, and it was probably the best choice for a single out of any of these songs.
BRILLIANT is another ballad, (or at least it starts out like one.) But quickly transitions into an almost punk rock sound, as the song speeds up considerably, and repeats the same lyrics again. Overall this is a fun, fast paced, song that is a fitting closer for an album like this.
Overall, “ATTENTION ATTENTION” is a pretty good album. It’s one of the best albums of the year so far, with a few minor issues but not enough to bring it down as a whole. The album maybe drags on a little to long, and there are few weird issues with the placement of songs. (all the slower more sentimental ballads are clumped together) But as a whole, this feels like a good step forward for Shinedown. It’s lowest points are no lower than the worst parts of other Shinedown Albums. However it’s best moments aren’t as good as other fantastic parts of their other albums. For example there is nothing in this album that matches the perfection that is “Miracle” on their album “Amaryllis”. But this is a worthy Shinedown album, that won’t be alienating old fans, and could very well make a few new ones.
