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best new music Shinedown

Threat to Survival

4.0

excellent Review by E0CDragon USER (3 Reviews)

September 18th, 2015 | 30 replies by

Release Date: 2015 | Tracklist Review Summary: Shinedown make a complete departure from their previous sound and it completely pays off.

There are a lot of reasons I thought Threat to Survival was going to crash and burn. I've been a huge fan of Shinedown since Leave a Whisper and over time I have watched their sound evolve and change as time has passed. Sometimes those changes lead to greatness like the unbelievably underrated Us and Them and sometimes it falls completely flat like the utterly boring and repetitive Amaryllis. I left Amaryllis feeling very worried for the band, and after hearing the admittedly well performed but altogether not that interesting acoustic covers released last year I was utterly terrified at the prospect of a new album, fearing that it would be another regression from a band that has made some truly great music in the 14 years since they were formed. Thankfully all my fears were for naught.



With Threat to Survival Shinedown have once again evolved and have completely succeded in making something unique, fun and most importantly interesting. Many if not all of the songs take inspiration from genres outside of the hard rock genre which leaves us with some of the most interesting and different songs to come out of this band to date. Songs like 'State of my Head' and 'How Did You Love' have a definite pop-rock feel and really showcase Shinedown's ability to make catchy and infectious songs that really remind me of their Sound of Madness days (or at least the more pop influenced songs on that album). On the complete flip side songs like 'Asking For It', 'Cut the Cord' and 'Dangerous' showcase the fact that Shinedown still know how to make some really fun and energetic rock songs and songs like 'It All Adds Up' and 'Black Cadilac' have a real blues rock feel to them that really gives me a strong Us and Them vibe. Threat to Survival really leaves you craving more in a good way and is definitely miles ahead of it's predecessor.



That isn't to say all of the songs are successes though. 'Thick as Thieves' is incredibly boring and really feels like a b-side track at best with it's lack of interesting instrumentation, vocals or lyrics. Sadly that isn't the only song that falls flat. The closing song 'Misfits' while not really bad is just okay and certainly fails to live up to closing tracks like Us and Them's 'Some Day' or The Sound of Madness' 'Call Me' and fails to really impress altogether.



Threat to Survival manages to succeed on the technical side of things too. The production is incredibly well done on almost every track and it all sounds very crisp and clean. Zach Meyers does a wonderful job creating some really infectious guitar melodies while Eric Bass does a great job not only on his bass but on his keyboard and really gets a chance to shine on this album especially on 'Black Cadillac'. Barry Kerch does a pretty good job on the drums throughout the album, especially on 'Cut the Cord' where he really gets his chance to add a real punch to the song but I'd be lying if I felt he wasn't a little underutilized on this record. However the real star of the show as always is Brent Smith. His vocal performance on the album is great and he really gets to show off his raw vocal power and range as well as his ability to really convey emotion effectively.



After all is said and done Threat to Survival is an excellent album that really plays to Shinedown's strengths. The entire album is catchy with enough variety and quality to keep listeners coming back for more each time. Shinedown have really made a massive recovery off the heels of what is probably their worst album to date and have managed to once again create an interesting and fun album with the quality of Shinedown albums passed.



Recommended Tracks: Asking For It, Cut the Cord, It All Adds Up, Dangerous, Black Cadillac.



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There are a lot of reasons I thought Threat to Survival was going to crash and burn. I've been a huge fan of Shinedown since Leave a Whisper and over time I have watched their sound evolve and change as time has passed. Sometimes those changes lead to greatness like the unbelievably underrated Us and Them and sometimes it falls completely flat like the utterly boring and repetitive Amaryllis. I left Amaryllis feeling very worried for the band, and after hearing the admittedly well performed but altogether not that interesting acoustic covers released last year I was utterly terrified at the prospect of a new album, fearing that it would be another regression from a band that has made some truly great music in the 14 years since they were formed. Thankfully all my fears were for naught.With Threat to Survival Shinedown have once again evolved and have completely succeded in making something unique, fun and most importantly interesting. Many if not all of the songs take inspiration from genres outside of the hard rock genre which leaves us with some of the most interesting and different songs to come out of this band to date. Songs like 'State of my Head' and 'How Did You Love' have a definite pop-rock feel and really showcase Shinedown's ability to make catchy and infectious songs that really remind me of their Sound of Madness days (or at least the more pop influenced songs on that album). On the complete flip side songs like 'Asking For It', 'Cut the Cord' and 'Dangerous' showcase the fact that Shinedown still know how to make some really fun and energetic rock songs and songs like 'It All Adds Up' and 'Black Cadilac' have a real blues rock feel to them that really gives me a strong Us and Them vibe. Threat to Survival really leaves you craving more in a good way and is definitely miles ahead of it's predecessor.That isn't to say all of the songs are successes though. 'Thick as Thieves' is incredibly boring and really feels like a b-side track at best with it's lack of interesting instrumentation, vocals or lyrics. Sadly that isn't the only song that falls flat. The closing song 'Misfits' while not really bad is just okay and certainly fails to live up to closing tracks like Us and Them's 'Some Day' or The Sound of Madness' 'Call Me' and fails to really impress altogether.Threat to Survival manages to succeed on the technical side of things too. The production is incredibly well done on almost every track and it all sounds very crisp and clean. Zach Meyers does a wonderful job creating some really infectious guitar melodies while Eric Bass does a great job not only on his bass but on his keyboard and really gets a chance to shine on this album especially on 'Black Cadillac'. Barry Kerch does a pretty good job on the drums throughout the album, especially on 'Cut the Cord' where he really gets his chance to add a real punch to the song but I'd be lying if I felt he wasn't a little underutilized on this record. However the real star of the show as always is Brent Smith. His vocal performance on the album is great and he really gets to show off his raw vocal power and range as well as his ability to really convey emotion effectively.After all is said and done Threat to Survival is an excellent album that really plays to Shinedown's strengths. The entire album is catchy with enough variety and quality to keep listeners coming back for more each time. Shinedown have really made a massive recovery off the heels of what is probably their worst album to date and have managed to once again create an interesting and fun album with the quality of Shinedown albums passed.Recommended Tracks: Asking For It, Cut the Cord, It All Adds Up, Dangerous, Black Cadillac. user ratings (226) rate it Awful - 1 Very Poor - 1.5 Poor - 2 Average - 2.5 Good - 3 Great - 3.5 Excellent - 4 Superb - 4.5 Classic - 5 2.3

average other reviews of this album SowingSeason STAFF (1.5)

Don't be a casualty, cut the cord....



TristarRules2001 (2.5)

Shinedown's deterioration is starting to show...



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Comments: Add a Comment 1

2

Next Album Rating: 4.0



Hey guys! Please let me know what you think! This is my first time writing anything for any website so any criticism is greatly welcomed!





I should expect critics to be critical. Basically its a pop album. Amarylisis was more of a rock album. Personally i would rather see them tour for amaryllis than this album. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder or listener but either way Shinedown is really good a several different genres of music. Still love it.



Album Rating: 4.0



I don't know hahaha. It would be really hard for me to hear them tour Amaryllis. I felt that there was very little to enjoy from the album. The only song that really stood out to me from there was 'Enemies' and that's only really because of the music video.











Album Rating: 2.0



Any songs on here that were as good as "Cut the Cord?"



Album Rating: 1.5



No.







I'll be reviewing this hopefully, and will bring the hurtful truths.



Digging: Fleet Foxes - Shore Album Rating: 1.5



This is a pretty good review by the way, I just happen to completely disagree.



Album Rating: 4.0



Honestly, coming from a perspective of somebody who really enjoyed the album, if you're looking for songs that are as good as Cut the Cord I would say Asking for it and Dangerous due to the similarities and easy to digest nature of the songs. My personal favorite track on the album is It All Adds Up so I can recommend that too.







And thank you Sowing! I'm honestly really interested to see your review! Music is one of the most subjective things ever so I always loving seeing/hearing opinions different than mine when it comes to an album!



Album Rating: 4.0



BTW Cl0ver here is my personal tier list for the songs on the album!







It All Adds Up>Dangerous>Cut the Cord>Asking for it>Black Cadillac>Oblivion>State of my Head>How Did You Love>Misfits>Thick as Thieves













I loved Amarylis and loved sound of madness more than that. This album is horrible and I fear this is the end of shinedown as I know it. There are a few good songs on here, not sure why they would tease us with a song as great as cut the cord and then follow it up with pop rock songs. They decided to sell out like most artists now and its a shame because they were a great hard rock band.



Album Rating: 4.0



Honestly I can definitely see that point of view but I have to disagree. Amaryllis was Awful. It was littered with songs trying way to hard to be heavy and really slow ballads that just weren't interesting. By Nowhere kids I was ready to stop spinning it and I found nothing there for me. As a person who can really dig some solid pop rock I like seeing that coat of paint on Shinedown. I personally think the album is really excellent but I could definitely see why somebody as a Shinedown loyalist could have a problem with this album.







If I had to say list their albums from best to worst it would look something like this:







Us and Them>Leave a Whisper>Threat to Survival>Sound of Madness>Amaryllis.







Please don't crucify me for putting this over SoM.



Album Rating: 2.5



Not as dreadful as Amaryllis.



Not tremendously good either.







Brent Smith's vocals (once again) make this album just about listenable, but certainly not memorable in any way, shape or form.







Leave A Whisper was such a solid album, but since then they've Nickleback'd to the max.



Album Rating: 4.0



I would have to disagree about the Nickelbacking (is this the word for it?). Outside of Amaryllis I really find all of their albums to be genuinely good especially Us and Them which really took the sound from Leave a Whisper and added elements that only made the band better. Sadly witht he departure of Jasin Todd and Brad Stewart I would be surprised if we got an album of that calibur again.



Album Rating: 2.0 | Sound Off



Album is surprisingly pretty damn good.



Album Rating: 4.0



Agreed. Also on a completely unrelated that gif of Maka wailing on that guitar makes me very happy Ebola.





I love this album a ton. And agreed, Us and Them is such an underrated gem. Its my second favorite album of all time, only a little behind Foo Fighters' The Colour and The Shape. Great review



Album Rating: 4.0



I would definitely put Us and Them is my top 5 albums of all time. It is truly wonderful! Thanks!



Album Rating: 2.5



This album was a touch better than I expected, but still pretty awful overall. I think they (or their label) took note of current radio-rock trends and as a result, they made a pop-rock album in the mold of Imagine Dragons to get some more airplay. There's absolutely nothing original about this album - it's pandering to a mainstream audience, pure and simple.



Album Rating: 1.5



The lyrics are worse than ever, the instrumentation is simpler than ever, and it still manages to be less catchy than anything else they've created. The opener and Cut the Cord are good, the rest is a a shit sundae with sprinkles.



Album Rating: 4.0



I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with you there. I find a lot of the songs fun and catchy and I have been humming most of them without even realizing it for a good amount of that day. I can kind of see your point about the lyrics but some songs especially Black Cadillac really stand out to me lyrically.







I'm still really loving this album.







Album Rating: 1.5



if i really enjoyed that one album, the sound of madness i think it's called, would i like this?



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