Shinedown are one of those bands that seem to get more press for not being controversial than the other way around. They made headlines for not participating in Kid Rock‘s festival last year due to the controversy and MAGA-association around it, and in interviews, frontman Brent Smith has tactfully dodged zeitgeist stories such as Chappel Roan‘s Grammy speech for better label support of artists or politics.
While there is a history of political songwriting in the band’s catalog (“Devour” was a pretty clear denunciation of George Bush’s Iraq War), the group have painted themselves as a “band of the people,” writing songs meant to speak to anyone and everyone. Listening to their latest album, EI8HT, I would say mission accomplished. Over a whopping eighteen songs, the band drops one accessible, pristinely-crafted track after another. While the band does stretch out in a number of directions from their modern rock core, nothing here goes so too far out as to alienate their dedicated fanbase.
In interviews, Smith has declared his and the band’s gratitude for all the radio love they have received, saying “radio will give you a career.” And unlike many of their peers in the rock world, the band has proven they can still write a crossover hit, as last year’s excellent single (one of my Top Ten of 2025) “Three Six Five” moved from Active Rock, to Alternative, to Adult Pop and even to Pop radio. And it did this because the song is a smash – an infectious groove, strong hooks and emotional lyrics that touch on universal themes of grief and regret. But almost as if to prove they still were hard rockers at their core, they paired that release with “Dance, Kid, Dance”; a fierce, heavy tune with spiky dynamics and lyrics that embrace character flaws (“My social skills are wearing off, my phobias are at a loss. Don’t call me crazy – that’s how they made me”).
These tracks work as great starting points for the directions EI8GHT goes.
Shinedown embrace theatricality and their less-serious side at the record’s start, flanking “Dance, Kid, Dance” with “At the Bottom” and “Burning Down the Disco.” The former mixes Elton John piano melodies with skyscraping, gothic hard rock, while the latter lets the band break out dance-punk rhythms, while Smith takes his vocals low with a hip-hop flow. These tracks are packed with energy; siren calls to wake listeners up and get them moving.
And then the band drops their emotional hooks into you; “Three Six Five,” “Young Again” and “Dizzy.” “Young Again” is one of those pure nostalgia songs, with Smith speaking in an almost meta-fashion to the audience; “We were off the grid. just being kids. If you know, you know.” From grief, to nostalgia, and then to big, fist-pumping love with “Dizzy.” Smith treats love like a religious experience, singing “When I’m with you it’s like amazing grace, the ways you move in mysterious ways” and “I’m higher than hallelujah,” while the band (especially bassist/album producer Eric Bass) give the track a triumphant sonic aura, filling the arrangement with strings, piano and even some tambourine.
Again and again, songs come up that sound so exquisitely written for blasting out of a radio or a bar jukebox, or even a CVS or grocery store speaker. And I’m not saying this as a negative – it’s damn hard to write a song that people will catch people’s ears and make them singalong without even realizing they’re doing it. Songs that have perfect dynamics and memorable hooks, and lyrics that communicate something to the listener without being overtly direct.
And rarely is Smith right on the nose with lyrics. In some areas, such as on “Imposter,” he drops relatable pleas (“don’t give up on me”), but in “Machine Gun,” a melodic bulldozer of a song that drops chorus after chorus, lines like “Is this a holy war? Is this an institution? Is this the only thing we know?” dance around potential meanings (though it does get more clear with “Instead of you I’m holding a machine gun”). This track does have some potential underlying anti-war messaging, but keeps things embedded in the soldier’s perspective without any detailed condemnations of specific people or conflicts. The only track on the album that could POTENTIALLY be a swipe at our current leader would be “Safe and Sound,” a heavier track filled with war drums and industrial riffs. There’s a bite here, with Smith singing “Keep running your mouth…nobody’s safe and sound” and “Take me to your leader. I’ll show you a fraud.” Yes, it’s up to the listener to decide for themselves what Smith is talking about, but if any track feels like a direct connection to “Devour” it’s this one.
So many hard rock bands have forayed into country music, it’s no surprise that Shinedown does so here with “Searchlight.” The acoustic track is more of a country-rock track, built around acoustic guitars and thankfully very little twang. I would also loop it in with the haunting ballad “Outlaw.” Though still rooted in rock, the acoustic track has that dusty sound and light orchestration that would have made it an easy one for Johnny Cash to cover were he still around today.
Often embraced by Alternative radio, the band dive into more alt/indie territory on “Bear With Me.” Zach Myers lays down angular guitar riffs, while Smith has some fun with wordplay and even a little sarcasm in his delivery (“show me a place where everyone’s safe, and I’ll show you pigs that fly”). And while the group will likely never go full-on synth rock, there are certainly some touches of it on “Deep End,” another epic-sounding song with a memorable chorus.
Fully produced by the band’s bassist Eric Bass, the sonics here are crystal clear. Bass knows when to give space for Smith’s vocals to shine or to create atmosphere, like on the piano-led “Back to the Living.” This one’s sound hearkens back to the 1980’s, and could have been written by Guns N’ Roses in their heyday. Bass pumps up the bombast on “Killing Fields”, but also allows for a somber, hushed tone on “So Glad That You Asked.” He’s come a long way as a producer, and knows how to highlight the band’s best aspects.
To those who are not fans of this “meat and potatoes” style of rock music, including bands like Papa Roach, Nickelback and Breaking Benjamin, there’s still plenty of tracks here which could be your new guilty pleasure. “Wide Open” is a jangly pop rock tune with a sweeping chorus. If you tell me you like Foo Fighters‘ “Times Like These” and don’t like this song, I’ll call you a liar.
At 18 songs, the album is a lot, though there are no songs on here that wouldn’t appeal to their fans. There may be a couple tracks I would have left off for a future release to tighten things up, but it’s not a slog to ‘bear with.’ Truthfully, the majority of tracks on this album could be singles – which is perfect for a radio band like Shinedown. And as long as they keep writing songs as strong as these, they’ll continue to fill arenas across the country and have their songs conquering the Billboard charts.
EI8HT is out everywhere Friday, May 29th on Atlantic Records. Listen to the pre-released songs here.
The Indy Review 