Review Summary: Madness? This is SHINEDOWN! (I know that joke is far overused, but I really DID have to do that). The sound of madness is a melodic piece of art that is very hardcore and crazy at times; while at other times it is a peaceful ride.
The Sound of Madness is an album by Shinedown (as you should probably already know). This album is a great piece of musical art that is one of my most favorite albums to date. The sound in this album is a sort of rock with a small hint of metal that really is a great sound. A sound so great that it is madness. Now, madness is not ALWAYS great; sometimes madness is just wild chaos with no musical coordination and it just sounds like a bunch of random crap that was thrown together. It's like that metaphor that if you throw ten buckets of paint down on a canvas you aren't going to get a Mona Lisa or anything of that sort; you'll just get random blobs. The same, in a sense, is with music also; in music, if you randomly start strumming a guitar and pounding on drums and hitting a piano; well, it's a simple fact: you WILL NOT get music. You will get noise. But this band coordinates this so called "madness" well and the sound is beautiful at times and frightening at others. Almost always appropriate for the style that they are trying to put out.
The first track on this album is called Devour. Devour is an exciting, fast-paced thrill ride that is an amazing example of well coordinated madness. The song starts off with a snare drum beat that reminds me of a train and then adds in piano. Then the song unfolds upon itself with amazing drums and some great instrumentals; the vocals of Brent Smith hit everywhere where they should. This causes for an amazing song that is absolutely worth a purchase.
The second track is the albums title track, Sound of Madness. Sound of madness starts off with the pounding of toms on a drum kit and then the vocals sing out in a scratchy voice. Really, another amazing piece of work. The song unfolds amazingly and leaves nothing to really be desired. This song (as the name would suggest) is, once again, madness. Amazing madness; they've "created the sound of madness". And they've not created any mad sound, but another worthy song of your money. I would recommend purchase of this track for sure.
Second Chance, the third track on this album, is not nearly as mad as the others. In fact, it is not mad at all. The song has some great keyboard and guitar; it's really more of a happy-go-lucky rock song with amazing lyrics. The lyrics that this band can create always surprise me; almost all the songs have meaning. But note the "almost" (we'll get back to that later). This song is just another from this album that is worth your money.
So far there have been three amazing song; it seems like the band is on a role, doesn't it? Well, they WERE on a roll; this song is not terrible by any means, but it sure lowers the bar. Cry for Help is a song that just doesn't really do it for me. The lyrics in this one don't do it for me and the instrumentals don't either. It's not a BAD song; it's actually a decent song. It has a mad sound; this mad sound is not nearly as well-coordinated as the other two song I labeled "mad" (Devour and Sound of Madness). I'll still label this song "decent", but it's not a very good song; it seems much worse after listening to the three songs before it. If you enjoy more heavy music than you will probably like this a lot; I enjoy some heavy music; not all, but some, and this song just didn't make me feel like Shinedown had really done their best as a band.
The Crow & the Butterfly is the next track. Now, this song has amazing lyrics that really stand out to me and I love the song for it. The song has some amazing violin and vocals that really stand out at certain points if you listen to the music with great intent and enjoyment. This song is not a "mad" song, but it's more of a sad and sentimental song. It causes a certain sort of reflection with its though-provoking lyrics that few songs tend to bring. I label this song as a purchase.
So, we've had a comeback; The Crow & the Butterfly bounced this album back to its amazing status and the next song..... Well, the next song..... Is equally amazing (almost fooled ya' there). This song, If You Only Knew, brings in some, once again, thought-provoking lyrics that really make me reflect. This song makes you think of the people that are important to you and how much they have really down for you. The lyrics include: "If you only knew; I'm hanging by a thread, the web I spin for you. If you only knew, I'd sacrifice my beating heart before I lose, you." The songs lyrics continue to stay just as meaningful and really lay out how important some people can and are to us. This song does not sound "mad", but its one of Shinedown's best. You should purchase this song for sure.
The seventh track is now up, Sin With a Grin. The song sounds how you would expect it to sound from such a strange and seemingly malicious name. It sounds malicious, frightening, and most of all, angry. This song is once again "mad", and it is one VERY good song (at least I think so). If you like Metallica and that sort of metal music (I'm almost 100% sure) you'll really enjoy this song. If you enjoy that sort of music, then you should purchase this for sure.
So, at this point I have labeled 6 of 7 tracks to purchase for sure and another as debatable (sure Sin With a Grin should only be purchased depending on your musical tastes, but shouldn't all music?). According to me, this song should be purchased; I find that it (once again) has some very compelling lyrics. Some people disagree completely about buying this track and really dislike it from my experience; but if you ask me, the only shame here is the fact that this song hasn't got more recognition. If you've been listening to this review the entire time; purchase. This track is called What a Shame; the song is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of; I think that it is "just plain classic" (yes, Dylan620, I agree with you).
Now, here is where the lyrics somewhat tick me off. They just don't seem quite right. The name even says something about this songs meaning, Cyanide Sweet Tooth Suicide. Cyanide (as I'll abbreviate it from now on) is not a great song. I've found that it sounds somewhat similar to Sin With a Grin; but is a somewhat dumbed down version. The lyrics, well, I don't like them. It's not because of the f-bomb, it's just ALL of the lyrics in here do not fit; and when the songs instrumental is already lacking crappy lyrics don't help either. Sure, Sound of Madness (the song) didn't have meaningful lyrics, and to be quite truthful, neither did Cry for Help (you may be thinking, 'What about Devour; that songs lyrics don't seem to have much meaning?' but I disagree. I would agree if I hadn't been told the song was about war, therefore, Devours lyrics fit and make perfect sense to me). But at least those other two songs were catchy to a certain degree (Cry for Help being less catchy and awesome than Sound of Madness). This song, I'd strike off the "worth your money" list.
The tenth song on this album, and the second last one, is called Breaking Inside. I really like this song a lot and the lyrics are meaningful. See, meaningful lyrics are something I respect and enjoy, but now-a-days they have become increasingly difficult to come by. With all these stupid songs like Tick-Tock and Rude Boy that just talk about getting intoxicated with drugs/alcohol and sex. This song, and almost all other Shinedown songs, don't even talk about those things. Breaking Inside has some great vocals and instrumentals. My favorite line in this song is: "If the end is so much better then why don't we just live forever?" Listen to this song and purchase it; I really like it and I'm almost 100% sure you will too. This song, once again, shows the softer side of Shinedown.
The final song ends with a quiet finish. Correction, this ALBUM ends with a quiet finish. Yes, that's right, there is no big bang, or a ripping guitar solo, or even a drum kit smashing and crashing wildly. Instead we get Call Me. A beautiful piece of music that has some of the most amazing lyrics I've ever heard. The chorus says, "Call me a sinner; call me a saint. Tell me it's over and still I'll love ya' the same. Call me your favorite; call me the worst. Tell me it's over, I don't want you to hurt." This is only a blurb of some of the inspirational and beautiful lyrics to be found in this song. The soft piano plays alone for a while (with lyrics and vocals), but that is not a problem. It is an absolutely great piano song and when the violin comes in it only adds. At the end the piano being pounded loudly and more instruments being added really makes the end of this song (even though quieter) come out. But the VERY end of the song is quiet and the piano plays alone, by itself, with no other instruments. Purchase this song.
So, in this entire review I have said to purchase 9 out of 11 songs. Now, it's up to you to decide whether I'm right or wrong and whether or not you'd want to buy the whole album. Or any of it at all.
