Amaryllis
by Shinedown
  • Record Label: Atlantic
  • Release Date: Mar 27, 2012
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 46 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 38 out of 46
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 46
  3. Negative: 4 out of 46
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  1. Awestlakemusic
    May 15, 2012
    10
    Amaryllis is one of the best albums i have heard this year. I love the direction that Shinedown is heading in and Rob Cavallo was definitely the right man for the job, when you're looking for an epic production (The Black Parade, Dizzy Up The Girl and The Sound of Madness) he gets the job done right.

    Adrenaline: The perfect opener for the album, high energy and a familiar sound to get    Amaryllis is one of the best albums i have heard this year. I love the direction that Shinedown is heading in and Rob Cavallo was definitely the right man for the job, when you're looking for an epic production (The Black Parade, Dizzy Up The Girl and The Sound of Madness) he gets the job done right.

    Adrenaline: The perfect opener for the album, high energy and a familiar sound to get the fans excited.
    Bully : Lyrically open for interpretation, no hiding behind metaphors, just a bold message.

    Amaryllis : When i first heard this song I had to play it about 5 times before progressing through the album. Amaryllis is the kind of song that is lucky to come around once in a band's career, but this is not the case for Shinedown, they've done it before and haven't stopped at this song either.

    Unity: The melody and lyrics, along with Smith's voice cutting through the mix on this track provide for an incredible uplifting feeling, it's very hard to feel down or alone while listening to this song. Not only is this song about "Unity" But more than that, it is unifying.

    Enemies: This track treads on familiar ground with a guitar riff that reminds you of Shinedown's previous efforts. New and old fans will both enjoy this song even though it is one of the weaker tracks on the record. I'm Not Alright: A great contribution to "Amaryllis". This song deserves and award for the instrumentation alone, The strings really set this song apart from the rest. Nowhere Kids: High energy angst filled song "Guess who's back and mad as hell, the nowhere kids that wish you well"

    Miracle: An acoustic driven love song, one of the best tracks on the album.

    I'll Follow You: A perfectly placed song to catch your attention. 3/4 time signature, lovely piano work throughout and a soaring chorus. The only thing i can fault about this track are the lyrics in the chorus, The rhymes seem a bit forced and the cliche lyrics sound like they were rushed.

    For My Sake: Where do i start with this song.. There really is too much to talk about in my short, yet getting longer review. To sum it up in short: Catchy chorus without the need for Smith to sing notes at the end or out of his range (Which he tends to do quite often) and overall a very instrumentally versatile yet structured song.

    My Name: Probably the weakest track on the album, yet I'm sure a lot of people can relate to the lyrics "You're **** wearing me out." Through The Ghost: An acoustically dominated album closer. Not the best stripped down performance but still a solid finish to a well produced, well recorded and an outstanding effort from a band that has already given so much. I give Amaryllis a 9/10.    … Expand
  2. J-P-M
    Apr 2, 2012
    10
    This album is great i love the fact that many jerks who only like hip hop and ditched rock music talk poorly about this album asi if what theyre stupid comments matter it simply falls to one fact they are a bully!!! buy this album on itunes it is epic perfect for gaming as well in battlefield 3 >:-)
  3. TheQuietGamer
    Dec 18, 2015
    7
    Nothing revolutionary or really exciting, but still pretty good. The band once again proves that they can create energetic songs that are just fun to rock out to. Tracks like "Enemies," "Adrenaline," and "Nowhere Kids" are solid fist pumping material. There's nothing quite on the level of "Devour" or "Sound of Madness," but the more energetic tracks on the album are still enjoyable.

    One    Nothing revolutionary or really exciting, but still pretty good. The band once again proves that they can create energetic songs that are just fun to rock out to. Tracks like "Enemies," "Adrenaline," and "Nowhere Kids" are solid fist pumping material. There's nothing quite on the level of "Devour" or "Sound of Madness," but the more energetic tracks on the album are still enjoyable.

    One thing I have always thought Shinedown has struggled with is their slower, more emotional material. Admittedly this is some of their best work in that department. Previous efforts like "45" and "The Crow & the Butterfly" are songs I have always thought just flat out suck. Here though the songs are more tolerable and are all around solid. They sound better for starters.

    While I'm still not a huge fan of their slower songs, "Miracle," "Amaryllis," and "Unity" are pretty good. The emotion in these tracks is admittedly cheap feeling. "Through the Ghost" and "I'll Follow You" are still pretty grating. The latter contains some moments of really dopey lyrics.

    Overall this isn't the bands strongest work. The only thing they've really improved is making their slower songs sound better. A great thing as they comprise about half of the album. Yet the sentimentality feels disingenuous. The themes are what we've all heard before and here they are presented in a radio-friendly way. The heavier tracks don't compare to their previous works.

    Despite the album's flaws and shortcoming it's a pretty solid work. A nice dose of mainstream rock. It doesn't break any new ground and is almost a step back for the band. Yet when it's firing on all cylinders there are still things to pull you in.    … Expand
  4. TJD2
    Jul 11, 2012
    9
    Don't believe the critics!! This is one of the best albums I've heard all year. I had lost faith in Shinedown temporarilly when they started doing single songs for movies like "Her Name Is Alice" and "Diamond Eyes" (the latter actually being not that bad of a song though). Even when they released "Bully" I wasn't that impressed. Then I listened to the whole album consecutively and it'sDon't believe the critics!! This is one of the best albums I've heard all year. I had lost faith in Shinedown temporarilly when they started doing single songs for movies like "Her Name Is Alice" and "Diamond Eyes" (the latter actually being not that bad of a song though). Even when they released "Bully" I wasn't that impressed. Then I listened to the whole album consecutively and it's honestly their best in my opinion. Even Bully has since grown on me!… Expand
  5. bigsidz
    Jun 19, 2012
    10
    Once again Shinedown produces an absolute perfect album. Much like their previous efforts, they have a mix of heavier songs that are sure to satisfy the fans they have had from the start and mainstream style songs for the rest of you. Miracle, Amaryllis, and For My Sake top the list for this album.
  6. Mab_987
    Aug 6, 2012
    8
    Some Shinedown fans might be turned off by this album because of its more polished sound and main reliance on melody rather than heaviness for the most part. They'll claim that Shinedown has "sold out" and that they're "going for a more mainstream sound". That is a load of bullcrap. I love that they're not afraid of deviating a bit, and care more about bringing a song to its fullSome Shinedown fans might be turned off by this album because of its more polished sound and main reliance on melody rather than heaviness for the most part. They'll claim that Shinedown has "sold out" and that they're "going for a more mainstream sound". That is a load of bullcrap. I love that they're not afraid of deviating a bit, and care more about bringing a song to its full potential than just giving every song the same treatment as their previous work. Also, the subject matter covered on this album is much more anthemic and beautiful than on Leave a Whisper, so the music needs to follow suit to compliment it, and they do a great job at that. But on the other hand heavier tracks like Adrenaline and Enemies aren't robbed of said trait at all. The latter's stern vocal and slightly dissonant guitar leads throughout the verses help project the anger toward those people you know that just enrage you, but Brett expresses this in an intelligent way, warning these people about the errors of their ways rather than just showing blind hate. Bully in a similar way does a great job of talking about the topic of bullying, far better than pop stars have in the last few years at least, even if the use of the titular term wasn't the best move in my opinion. The decision to use a string section on multiple tracks here was a good idea, as it gives an extra layer of beauty & epicness to tracks that demand it such as the title track, Unity & I'll Follow You. Speaking of Unity, that song is among the most "inspirational" on this album, and in that field it succeeds, even if it can seem a tad preachy upon first listen. The video doesn't help. Things take a turn for the eclectic on I'm Not Alright with a folksy guitar riff and horns, again showing Shinedown's admirable willingness to find new things. One of the most emotional yet catchy moments here is Miracle, which is Brett's ode to his son and uses a lot of great imagery and metaphors to get its point across. I'll Follow You continues in a similar vein but can be more generally applied to any loved one and is presented in a more traditional big power ballad form. It tends to lumber musically at times but it'll grow on you. For My Sake is another relatable track, this one being about leaving people that do nothing but drag you down and maybe even endanger you. At first the title "My Name (Wearing Me Out)" looks laughable, at least it did for me. But lyrically it continues on the topics of For My Sake, and fairly well at that, if it's not as effective overall as its predecessor. I noticed that this track listing is organized so that similar lyrical themes are next to each other, which I think is a nice touch that helps make the album flow well as a whole.

    Overall this album is a great change for Shinedown, even if there are less headbang-inducing moments and more that make you think, the opposite of which was my major problem with Leave a Whisper in that there weren't too many memorable tracks, and as a result it came off as generic. Fortunately they've been fixing that more & more with every album, even if again, I still slightly prefer The Sound of Madness. I give Amaryllis a 78/100. Favorite track: Enemies. Least favorite track: Through the Ghost. (just not very memorable)    … Collapse
  7. MarkGeorgievich
    Jan 9, 2013
    7
    This is not quite what I expected to hear from this very promising band. But it is enough to evaluate the potential of this group. In general, the music is interesting and, in some places, even a virtuoso, but too the same and still very confused mediocrity texts. Material quality, but not varied.
  8. sil3nt_nick
    Mar 27, 2013
    7
    Most of the songs were alright, "Bully" and "My Name (Wearing Me Out)" standing above the other tracks.
  9. Epik_Ninnja
    May 25, 2015
    8
    I know "it's called an opinion" but I still have to say that these critics must not know good music when they hear it. Good lyrics, good instrumental, good everything. It's not teir best album but it's a very good album with hard and soft rock songs. Listen to it for yourself and be the judge, but if you like rock music, there's no reason to think this album less thand decent. My score: 7.7/10.
  10. RyFox
    Mar 13, 2016
    8
    When it comes to Shinedown, I personally enjoy it but it isn't exactly one of my favorite bands. On one hand, I enjoy all of their fast and medium songs, but the slower songs are hit or miss. Sure, not all of the songs as memorable, but they are all pretty good. If you need to only get a few songs, Nowhere Kids, Bully, Enemies, and Adrenaline.

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
47

Mixed or average reviews - based on 6 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6
  1. Q Magazine
    Apr 24, 2012
    40
    Shiny slabs of US radio rock. [May 2012, p.94]
  2. AllMusic
    Apr 3, 2012
    50
    Even with this change of tone, the album is still classic Shinedown, and though this kind of triumphant mood will probably disappoint fans looking for something to cut loose and pump their fists to.
  3. Metal Hammer (UK)
    Mar 28, 2012
    70
    If it ain't broke, why fix it? And the results speak for themselves. [Apr 2012, p.108]
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