Russell HughesShinedown – Attention Attention (Atlantic Records)
Genre: Rock
For a band that’s capable of producing some absolute rippers, Shinedown can leave you begging for more. While treating ’em mean to keep ’em keen has its merits, it can get old quickly.
That’s not saying that Attention Attention flatters to deceive or withholds on purpose, but when you can write tunes like Enemies and Devil that level of excellence should be the norm.
Shinedown’s sixth studio album is definitely a layered affair. Devil is one of the singles from the record and it’s an absolute banger that helps to prove the foursome’s credentials as a serious force in rock music.
Ondt Blod open up about their politics, their homeland and hardcore tunes
Pyro is another rip-roaring effort. It’s a pure headbanger with clean, crisp guitar riffs and addictive, belt it out loud lyrics.
Dotted along the way are little commentaries about the state of the human form. Kill Your Conscience deals with the negative side of social media. Musically, it shows that softer side to the band and it has a strangely addictive drummer boy rhythm.
This record is jam packed with meaning, and the haunting piano on Get Up send chills down the spine as Brent Smith sings about battles with mental health. It’s a beautiful song that talks about hope and light at the end of the tunnel.
In other parts, Shinedown take on the order of society as they urge vigilance, action and the pursuit of the truth on The Human Radio. It’s a more abstract song than its predecessors and that comes across in the sounds created for it.
But while those standout moments are there, it feels like this is an album that’s waiting around for an excuse to really kick off. That criticism may feel like overkill at times because of the nuance on the record, but songs like Devil and Pyro really leave you wanting more of the same.
RUSHONROCK RATED: 7/10 Paying half attention