There has been some great rock albums released this year
thus far, and Shinedown’s fourth studio outing Amaryllis is up there amongst
the best of them. The American hard rock sound may well be radio friendly and
unashamedly mainstream, but when the songs are so good, it is hard to scoff at
the band’s craft (although some people will still do so I am sure). I, for one,
love Shinedown and have always been a big fan of American hard rock, so I was
always going to love Amaryllis.
Shinedown shoot for the big leagues with this record, with a
bold and commercially accessible sound that goes hand in hand with their hard
rock stylings, as they duck and weave between full throttled hard rock fury and
some more melodically focused rock ballad style songs. Which ever end of the
spectrum they work from though, they hit the bullseye each and every time.
Adrenaline is the perfect opener, with a massive chorus and
a hard rock core that sets this record up perfectly. Lead single Bully
subsequently follows, and although it has a very wholesome message at heart, it
is still a solid rock track. Unity and Enemies quickly follow, and are pure
quality, with both quickly establishing themselves as highlights of a solid
collection.
The record veers off a little in the middle, but as it
progresses, the tracks just get better and better. Miracle and I’ll Follow You
are more reflective and heart wrenching, but hit the mark with ease, Brent
Smith showing the versatility in his awesome vocal to emote on the one hand,
where earlier he had been wailing with aggression and fury in his words.
For My Sake is an awesome song, and the closing one-two of
My Name (Wearing Me Out) and Through The Ghost show two different sides of
Shinedown as a band, but leaves the album on a high note, proving just how far they
have come over the years.
Already massive in the States, this is the perfect record to
follow on from The Sound Of Madness, which will undoubtedly help them further
their profile on these shores. They are an exciting rock band, and regardless
of your view on American radio rock, you cannot deny just how good these songs
are. They are crafted to perfection, executed in an breathtaking manner, from a
band with the world at their feet and the skies in their sights.
A great album.
9.5/10
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