While the occasional foray into the shallower end of the mainstream may divide some listeners, there's enough here to keep longtime followers satiated (and probably a little curious/nervous as to what the future holds) until the next ride.
The melodies just aren’t flowing and the choruses are rarely memorable. The instrumentation is lacking to say the least, and their brand new ideas are questionable at best. There’s absolutely no lyrical, emotional, or musical substance.
Best album my Shinedown so far! Change is sometimes good! and now... random smiles to meet 150 characters... :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)Best album my Shinedown so far! Change is sometimes good! and now... random smiles to meet 150 characters... :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)…Expand
Aside from the occasional video or radio release, I have to admit that this is my first real attempt at listening to Shinedown; and I love it.Aside from the occasional video or radio release, I have to admit that this is my first real attempt at listening to Shinedown; and I love it. Coming from a generation that followed AC/DC, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi and the likes, I'm always looking for a modern-day rock alternative when I've had all I can stomach of Maroon 5 and Pitbull. "Threat To Survival" has recently become my 'go-to' album when I want to kick it up a bit and get my bad-$$$ groove on. "Cut the Cord" was the song that originally caught my attention with its unique lead-in chorus, followed by a an awesome, driven beat. Probably my favorite song on the album. Following right behind this would have to be "State of My Head" and "Asking For It".…Expand
sheesh if people give such negative rating at least they should have balls to say out loud what's their problem.
The only "bad" thing aboutsheesh if people give such negative rating at least they should have balls to say out loud what's their problem.
The only "bad" thing about this album is that some fans hoped Brent will go back to "mysterious" songs full of "feeling" from the period he was on drugs. Well I for one don't like Sound of Madness. There are 3, maybe 4 songs of that album I still ocassionally listen. Leave a Whisper and Us And Them were better, but I liked Amaryllis the best.
Shinedown didn't do what everyone expected and did it their way. And the result is great. :) I'm not sure what people mean when they say there's no emotion in the songs - perhaps they're deaf?
The only song I don't like much is State of My Head, and I agree with the previous reviewer - less choruses would be more, in this case. But other songs are great, and it's hard to pick one favourite betewen Black Cadillac, Outcast, Asking For It, Cut the Cord or Dangerous. :)…Expand
The harder songs, like Cut the Cord are loud, hard, but empty. Then there are songs like Oblivion, which most critics seem to love and praise.The harder songs, like Cut the Cord are loud, hard, but empty. Then there are songs like Oblivion, which most critics seem to love and praise. I hate it with passion. Whenever I hear the hideous aioooooooooayoaaaaaaaaah I have to hit Skip button. It's trying too hard to be interesting, but it's overdone kitch. State of my - state of my - state of my head is the clost second for most unbearable song of the album.
But there are still some great songs, like Outcast, How Did You Love or Dangerous, and even the other ones (except Oblivion) eventually grow on you. They have a good rhythm and catchy refrains that stay with you.
And, of couse, there's Brent. The guy could sing a leaflet on tootbrushes and it would still sound great. If it was any other vocalist, I'd probably give it 6.
Next time less eerie choruses and more emotions!…Expand
Shinedown has definitely gone down the path to assured mainstream appeal. Just like Amaryllis this is a heaping dose of radio friendly rock.Shinedown has definitely gone down the path to assured mainstream appeal. Just like Amaryllis this is a heaping dose of radio friendly rock. That proves not to be a bad thing. Shinedown maybe going a tad generic, but it's their sense of energy that keeps things strong. They are careful to avoid the mistake of returning to that cheesy sentimentality that bogged down their last album.
Misfits is the slow song on the album. It's actually the band's best work in that department. I've found their previous more emotional ballads to be either lacking or awful. Misfits is actually pretty good.
While the softer, more emotional tracks are (thankfully) left to the barest of minimums, the band's emotional connectivity is not. The title of the album really tells it all. Just about every track is about never giving up in the face of adversity, not letting others get you down, and just strong in general. The band's message comes through loud and clear in the form of some pretty great tracks.
Cut the Cord stands out as the highlight. I can't think of a song on the album that I really disliked. They're all pretty good. However Cut the Cord is the head of the pack. It's got Shinedown in full energetic form. With a great message in the lyrics it stands out as one of the best songs this band has ever put out.
There's quite a bit of experimentation. The little hints of other genres creeping into the rock genre are nothing other bands haven't done before. However this is all pretty new for Shinedown. It works, but definitely pushes that radio bait feel that's hard to deny in Threat to Survival. They even go pop-rock at some points.
Regardless though, this is a great album. While not the return to form I'm sure many were looking for, it's huge step up from Amaryllis. It's lively, fun, and has a positive message. They might be trying to reach as wide of an audience as possible, but at least they have done so with a healthy dose of really good rock. As a result, I can't really complain too much.…Expand
Shinedown came on to my radar with Sound of Madness in 2008. Its one of my favorite records ever and it was really the album that got the bandShinedown came on to my radar with Sound of Madness in 2008. Its one of my favorite records ever and it was really the album that got the band more attention on the radio and commercial success. Amaryllis may have been considered a step down for some fans as the group did take their sound into a different direction I found the album to be very consistent and I've probably listened to it nearly as many times as Sound of Madness.
A Threat to Survival is another effort to change the bands sound again. There is a lot more synth involved in this album and the sound is a lot more produced. The tracks has a good balance of hard rock and there are certainly some songs that will be quickly adopted by their fans like Cut the Cord, Outcast, It All Adds Up and the opening song Asking For It. I even got some enjoyment out of the more polished songs like State of My Head, How Did You Love, Black Cadillac and Misfits. However the other 3 songs on the album take a bit of a dive in regards to quality and unfortunately they are all clumped together one right after the other. The album does end strong with two good songs in Black Cadillac and Misfits but its a bit of a boring ride to get there with Dangerous Oblivion and Thick as Thieves blocking the way.
Overall I think Threat to Survival is a good album, its just not going to please everybody and Shinedown continues to evolve as a band and go different directions with their sound and not all fans are going to support all the songs on this record but I think there are some memorable moments.…Expand
Undoubtably, they've lost some of their pure sound from Sound of Madness and Threat To Survival nearly strays on more than one occasion intoUndoubtably, they've lost some of their pure sound from Sound of Madness and Threat To Survival nearly strays on more than one occasion into sounding almost pop-rock, however there are a few catchy tunes - and Cut The Cord is a throwback to their past work - which is good to hear from the,. We've seen better fifth albums... Then again we've seen far, far worse.
Verdict: B…Expand
