Review Summary: Overall, this is a truly terrific album only let down by some mediocre lyrics and song placement issues.
Shinedown roared into 2008 with the lead single to their third album, Devour from The Sound of Madness. While the album is appropriately titled for some of the tracks, more than half the album is composed of tracks more on the ballad side of the spectrum. One major problem when hearing the album all the way through was the placement of the songs; while at one moment you're listening to a fist-pumping hard rocker, suddenly you are given an emotional mid-tempo ballad. Another problem that plagues this album is that some of the lyrics are less than impressive. Take Devour for example:
"Take it and take it and take it and take it and take it all / Take it and take it and take it, until you take us all / Smash it and crash it and thrash it and trash it / They're only toys"
However, despite these problems, Shinedown still pulls off an impressive album.
The album begins with the lead single, Devour. What this song loses in lyrics it makes up for with the pure energy it gives. Opening the album with a drum intro, it soon leads into an explosive performance of screamed vocals, heavy guitar, pounding drums, and thumping bass. Overall, a powerful choice for both a lead single and an opening track that immediately sucks the listener into the rest of the album. (9/10)
The title track begins with what is possibly one of the greatest riffs of the 2000s. Drums pounding along, the vocals burst in with Brent calling out the people who are always complaining about something or another with no good reason. This track is only let down by one thing: Most of the lyrics are crammed into the first half of the song, leaving the chorus to take over the next half. The chorus is great, but at the end it feels repetitive, earning this song a 9/10. Overall, this is a great choice of a song after the pounding opening track, but things are about to change.
Second Chance is quite an odd choice of a song after the first two smashing rockers. A few seconds after the final repeat of the Sound of Madness riff, you're greeted to a ballad. The lyrics are mediocre at best and very repetitive. Sandwiched between two head-banging anthems, it also feels very out of place. The only things saving this from being a terrible song are the terrific instrumentals and vocal delivery. All things considered, it's hard to see why this is Shinedown's most successful single. (7/10)
Now for another change in pace. Cry For Help is stuck in between two ballads. However, unlike Second Chance, the placement is pretty much the only thing holding this song back. Although a bit repetitive, the lyrics are still fantastic. The instrumentals are thrashing, as with the first two songs, and the vocal delivery is terrific. Overall, this is a good addition to the Shinedown catalog, only brought down by where it is on the album. (9/10)
The Crow & The Butterfly is another out of place ballad. But unlike Second Chance, the lyrics are much better, although they still suffer from repetitiveness towards the end. The instrumentation and vocal delivery is even better, and the track is also brought up a bit by the fact that it acts as a better bridge to the next song than the previous three did. This song was also a good choice for a single, as it's one of the best on the album. (9/10)
If You Only Knew feels less out of place than the previous three songs. This song is another ballad, opening with a drum and guitar intro which leads into the first verse. Yes, the lyrics are repetitive, as usual, but it doesn't seem to bring the song down as much as it did on Second Chance. The chorus is especially impressive and catchy:
"It's 4:03 / And I can't sleep / Without you next to me, I toss and turn like the sea / If I drown tonight / Bring me back to life / Breathe your breath in me, the only thing that I still believe in is you / If you only knew"
The instrumentation is great, as well, and overall I think this song is one of the best on the album, and in fact one of the best you can hear on the radio today. (9.5/10)
But the next song, on the other hand... This feels a bit out of place, as usual. Sin With A Grin doesn't exactly please with its vocal delivery and lyrics. The instrumentation could be better in some areas, too, and the whole song feels like it should have ended some time before the 4 minute mark. On its own it's a mediocre song, and when put in context with the rest of the album, it's especially lacking. (6/10)
What A Shame is, as you might guess, another out of place ballad sandwiched between two (mediocre) hard rockers. However, it does have good instrumentation, alright lyrics and vocal delivery, and on its own is quite a good song. (8/10)
Cyanide Sweet Tooth Suicide is a lot like Sin With A Grin: An attempt to return the album to the hard rock of the first two songs that really just ends up as a mediocre filler between two ballads. Also like Sin With A Grin, the instrumentation could be better, the vocal delivery and lyrics are alright, and the song is better on its own than in context with the album. (6/10)
Breaking Inside is yet another ballad, but somehow still keeps itself from becoming boring. The lyrics, vocal delivery (especially in the chorus), and the instrumentations are great, and this song is really only brought down by repetitiveness and its placement on the album. (8.5/10)
Now for the closing song. Call Me is, predictably, a ballad... But that's not such a bad thing. The track begins with a piano intro that continues throughout the song. The song doesn't use the cliche of an epic outro; it keeps the same pace all the way through. The lyrics are phenomenal, the instrumentation is perfectly suited to the song, the vocals are very well delivered, and unlike most of the rest of the album, the song fits in very well where it is: After another ballad, right at the end. And for a song that never changes pace, it doesn't become boring either. Overall, I think this is the best song on the album, and quite possibly one of the best songs of the 2000s. (10/10)
Overall, this is a truly terrific album only let down by some mediocre lyrics and song placement issues.
Recommended Tracks:
Devour
The Sound of Madness
Cry For Help
The Crow & The Butterfly
If You Only Knew
Call Me
