SHINEDOWN | Attention Attention | Album Review

All rock fans are familiar with Shinedown. Among all of the big name bands releasing albums in the past few months, this is definitely one of them. While Shinedown has been prone to rock radio success time and time again, never heaving any one song miss the Top 5 on the charts, they've also been somewhat risky. Their material has never attempted to stray away from the genre they are often classified as, but in comparing each album there is somewhat of a uniqueness to them. Where "Leave A Whisper" was a major product of its time with some nu-metal influences on some tracks, there's "Sound Of Madness" which has hard rock material but also adult contemporary catering successes like "If You Only Knew" and "Second Chance", and even their last album "Threat To Survival" which slow danced with some current pop sounds while still being wholeheartedly rock. Like many Shinedown fans, I wasn't much of a fan of that preceding album as very little really stood out to me, but now in 2018, we get major redemptive points in the form of their sixth project "Attention Attention", which is being marketed as a concept album that revolves around a person changing their negative outlook into a positive one throughout 14 tracks.  Several press release statements and interviews certainly set that in stone, but it is also been stated that the album is heavier than their last album. This will automatically please fans as they are used to the heavy and abrasive tracks from the band, but it also contains a well-conceived story that results in a transformative ending. So, the one thing to look into is how this translates to the 50 minute long album. 

Before "Attention Attention" was released, we were given two singles from this album, "Devil" and "The Human Radio". What is even more surprising about these two songs is that both having an accompanying music video directed by Bill Yukich known for his work with pop star Beyonce on her "Lemonade" film distributed by HBO. Both of the songs of the prereleased variety fit very well into the tale that Shinedown are weaving with this album, and it also turns out that both tracks are pretty strong. "Devil" sets everything up immediately after the forty-second opener "The Entrance", and it's a track that proves fans right about this being a heavier album than previously. "Devil" has a very infectious energy throughout and vocalist Brent Smith sounds fantastic in the verses, and it works great with the music involved. As great as this track is, it's surpassed by "The Human Radio" in quality. Being the second to last track off of the album, "The Human Radio" is one of the more positive tracks but what is to be understood is that everything about it is perfect. In my opinion, this is what good radio rock music should be like. The verses work very well and carry this song along with the choruses that are equally as vivacious, and the ending of the track which paints a victorious picture in one's mind. It works on many levels. And what's just as rewarding is that this is not a case where these two are the only significant tracks on the album. 

To be very blunt, there is not a bad song to be found within "Attention Attention". Some tracks will stick out a lot more than others, but seeing as how this is a concept album and those are supposed to be handled with care, every puzzle piece fits. Nothing is out of place or doesn't blend well. All of these tracks are well above the average mark, and what's important to point out is that this is not all-around a heavy rock fest with multiple duplicates of "Devil". Each track has its own identity to it, like the title track which has a couple of verses that borderline rap rock in a way, or "Darkside" which shifts constantly with its verse and choruses and is a fun cut to listen to. My favorite song on this album so far, "Black Soul" is definitely one of the ones that isn't much different from the couple of songs that were put out first, but it still succeeds in having some fantastic music and well-written lyrics, especially the line "Now you play roulette with the watergun". As heavy as this disc is, it's the ballads on this album that will take some people off guard. There are even two softer tracks that are conjoined together in the tracklist, those being "Get Up" and "Special", but all of them are just as good as the rock-centered tracks. I would go into other tracks on this disc like "Pyro", "Creatures", and the unique album closer "Brilliant", but I believe I'd still not be finished with my description of the album if I were to do so. All of these tracks really do work and serve their purpose on the album. 

If I were to find at least ONE small con about this album, there's the fact that I wasn't as beside myself as I thought I would be after listening to the two singles. I would've liked for Shinedown to make this release an even more transformative and head-turning project like Nothing More's "The Stories We Tell Ourselves", but you really can't get everything you want sometimes, and that's fine in my opinion. Especially since all of these songs work very well as songs and can even be listened to as standalone tracks if you don't know the conceptual ambitions behind them. This honestly could be Shinedown's magnum opus, and I've always considered "Leave A Whisper" to be their best album. It's too early to really set my opinion in stone, but "Attention Attention" is what I would consider this band's greatest achievement and a massive improvement over the mediocre "Threat To Survival". It isn't just because of how heavy or how guitar-driven any part of this album is, but in terms of something that makes you feel good to listen to and gives you hope, this is definitely an album that fits within that ranking. Fans of early Shinedown will like this album and anyone who is a die hard will dive into this headfirst, and new listeners will immediately gravitate towards this album as something special. In other words, this album needs your attention. 

RATING: 9/10 

What did you think about the record? Was it good? Was it bad? Let me know in the comments below. And of course, these are only my opinions. If your opinions are different, awesome! If they're similar, then that's great, too. So, don't hesitate- comment to me about it down below. Take care.