Things take a turn for the eclectic on I'm Not Alright with a folksy guitar riff and horns, again showing Shinedown's admirable willingness to find new things. Speaking of Unity, that song is among the most "inspirational" on this album, and in that field it succeeds, even if it can seem a tad preachy upon first listen.
The decision to use a string section on multiple tracks here was a good idea, as it gives an extra layer of beauty & epicness to tracks that demand it such as the title track, Unity & I'll Follow You. Bully in a similar way does a great job of talking about the topic of bullying, far better than pop stars have in the last few years at least, even if the use of the titular term wasn't the best move in my opinion. The latter's stern vocal and slightly dissonant guitar leads throughout the verses help project the anger toward those people you know that just enrage you, but Brett expresses this in an intelligent way, warning these people about the errors of their ways rather than just showing blind hate. But on the other hand heavier tracks like Adrenaline and Enemies aren't robbed of said trait at all. Also, the subject matter covered on this album is much more anthemic and beautiful than on Leave a Whisper, so the music needs to follow suit to compliment it, and they do a great job at that.
SHINEDOWN ALBUMS AND SONGS LIST FULL
I love that they're not afraid of deviating a bit, and care more about bringing a song to its full potential than just giving every song the same treatment as their previous work. They'll claim that Shinedown has "sold out" and that they're "going for a more mainstream sound". Some Shinedown fans might be turned off by this album because of its more polished sound and main reliance on melody rather than heaviness for Some Shinedown fans might be turned off by this album because of its more polished sound and main reliance on melody rather than heaviness for the most part. Not the best stripped down performance but still a solid finish to a well produced, well recorded and an outstanding effort from a band that has already given so much. My Name: Probably the weakest track on the album, yet I'm sure a lot of people can relate to the lyrics "You're **** wearing me out." Through The Ghost: An acoustically dominated album closer. To sum it up in short: Catchy chorus without the need for Smith to sing notes at the end or out of his range (Which he tends to do quite often) and overall a very instrumentally versatile yet structured song. There really is too much to talk about in my short, yet getting longer review. For My Sake: Where do i start with this song. The only thing i can fault about this track are the lyrics in the chorus, The rhymes seem a bit forced and the cliche lyrics sound like they were rushed. 3/4 time signature, lovely piano work throughout and a soaring chorus. I'll Follow You: A perfectly placed song to catch your attention. Nowhere Kids: High energy angst filled song "Guess who's back and mad as hell, the nowhere kids that wish you well" Miracle: An acoustic driven love song, one of the best tracks on the album. This song deserves and award for the instrumentation alone, The strings really set this song apart from the rest. I'm Not Alright: A great contribution to "Amaryllis". New and old fans will both enjoy this song even though it is one of the weaker tracks on the record. Enemies: This track treads on familiar ground with a guitar riff that reminds you of Shinedown's previous efforts. Not only is this song about "Unity" But more than that, it is unifying. Unity: The melody and lyrics, along with Smith's voice cutting through the mix on this track provide for an incredible uplifting feeling, it's very hard to feel down or alone while listening to this song. Amaryllis is the kind of song that is lucky to come around once in a band's career, but this is not the case for Shinedown, they've done it before and haven't stopped at this song either. Amaryllis : When i first heard this song I had to play it about 5 times before progressing through the album. Bully : Lyrically open for interpretation, no hiding behind metaphors, just a bold message. Adrenaline: The perfect opener for the album, high energy and a familiar sound to get the fans excited. I love the direction that Shinedown is heading in and Rob Cavallo was definitely the right man for the job, when you're looking for an epic production (The Black Parade, Dizzy Up The Girl and The Sound of Madness) he gets the job done right. I love the direction that Shinedown is heading in and Rob Cavallo was definitely Amaryllis is one of the best albums i have heard this year. Amaryllis is one of the best albums i have heard this year.