HEAVY MUSIC HISTORY: The Sound Of Madness – Shinedown

The year was 2008; September to be exact, when two chart-topping singles were released that would propel the careers of both artists. So much so that, fast-forward to the next summer, the late radio presenter Casey Kasem would air these as the final top songs of his American Top 20 show before he retired. The first was Taylor Swift’s Love Story, the single that catapulted her career. The other—the single that would catapult one already established band from Jacksonville into their next and greatest era to date.

The single was titled Second Chance, an eventual triple-platinum track from the band’s third record, released three months prior in June. This record followed two previous stellar albums, and in the three years since their last, the flow of mainstream rock music and the way of the charts had changed drastically.  Long gone were the days when a Love Story could sit next to a Last Resort in the mainstream charts; nu-metal and post-grunge had long dissolved and been pushed into their own domain, and emo was the new bag as far as alternative music was concerned. These guys were itching to inject a pure rock ‘n’ roll venture into the midst and finally make their mark in modern rock music history. Fifteen years later, the mark of The Sound Of Madness by SHINEDOWN remains.

After finishing the tour for their second record Us And Them (2005) in late 2006, frontman Brent Smith had to take a step back from music for a while. He told The Music 411: “I looked at Barry [Kerch], the drummer in the band, and I told him I was going to go away for a while. I kind of felt like I had fallen a bit out of love with music.” SHINEDOWN had found the Us And Them tour mentally draining, as many issues arose. Smith and former guitarist Jasin Todd battled with substance abuse, and it was clear that former bassist Brad Stewart was done with the group. By early 2008, Smith was about to become a father and had kicked his drug habit, however Todd’s habits led to an arrest in Jacksonville, and shortly after he was let go from the band.

Through all of this also, the band’s label Atlantic were pushing for a fast turnaround on a third album, which Smith outright refused. This left him and Kerch as the remnants of a band that were not ready to pack it all in yet. “It was Brent and I looking at each other like, okay, we have a singer and a drummer, how are we going to do this?” Kerch told Loudwire in 2018. “I was holding on for dear life. I think we all were.”

Writing for the new record had started in 2007, when Smith took some time away from touring. Finding himself in a hotel room in Florida one evening with a multitude of ideas flying through his mind, he began writing. He ran out of paper in his journal and proceeded to write lyrics on the walls of the hotel room; taking pictures with his phone so he wouldn’t forget. Things were changing vehemently for SHINEDOWN, and Smith wanted to push himself further than ever before on their next record. When asked by eventual producer Rob Cavallo, who had worked with the likes of GREEN DAY and BLACK SABBATH, what the goal of this new record was, Smith answered “when I’m dead and gone, I want them to remember this record as an album that the world needed to be made.”

“I think what was holding us together is that we knew we were sitting on something very special. You could feel it. There was a vibe.” said Kerch to Loudwire. The majority of the record was a musing of Smith’s emotions through all of the hardship he had endured at the time. Tracks like If You Only Knew, dedicated to his then-fiancée and son; Sound Of Madness, about the pure madness in his career; What A Shame, dedicated to his late uncle; Second Chance, a letter to his family back home in his pursuit for rock stardom. The voice, the drums and the lyrics were there, but they needed additional members and a solid producer to bring it to life—hence Cavallo. “Rob Cavallo has a sound, and it’s exactly what we needed. He’s able to get on record the emotion of a voice” said Kerch.

The official band remained as Smith and Kerch for the recording of The Sound Of Madness, but was accompanied by JANE’S ADDICTION’s bassist Chris Chaney and session guitarists Tim Pierce, Dale Oliver, Bobby Huff and Dave Bassett. Also involved were keyboardist Jamie Muhoberac and renowned composer David Campbell.  SHINEDOWN now had to ensure this new music had a permanent lineup to take it around the world. Upon Todd’s departure, they hired SILVERTIDE’s Nick Perri as guitarist. They then hired Zach Myers who had filled in for Todd before, as rhythm guitarist, but this position wouldn’t last long. Eventually he would become SHINEDOWN’s lead guitarist who, to this day, never takes it for granted.

Eric Bass was appointed as bassist (despite his surname being pronounced like the fish, not the instrument). He was also already known to the band after they had visited his studio in South Carolina, and they pleaded with him to check out their new material. Though reluctant at first, Bass agreed and “it worked out perfectly” in the words of Kerch. They now had their own Fab Four, and toured The Sound Of Madness worldwide for over two years.

It is without a doubt their biggest album, being certified double platinum in the US with all six singles released topping a Billboard rock chart. SHINEDOWN’s first two post-grunge efforts showed unquestionable musicianship, but The Sound Of Madness is where they found their true sound and what solidified them in the alternative community. 

Fifteen years later, SHINEDOWN’s journey is far from over. Their records thereafter have in turn comprised pure rock fury with country-esque pop ballads like their third, going on to score them multiple Billboard Rock No. 1 hits. So much so that in 2021 they were named by Billboard as the #1 Greatest of All Time Mainstream Rock Artist as they have the most No. 1 hits on the chart, above the likes of FOO FIGHTERS and DISTURBED. In response, guitarist Zach Myers stated on his Instagram: “Today I’ll celebrate this… then tomorrow. Me and my 3 best friends will try and figure out ‘what’s next’”. What’s next will undoubtedly be decades of more records and tours. As Smith always says at the end of their explosive shows: “it’s never goodbye, it’s just until next time”.

The Sound Of Madness was originally released on June 24 2008 via Atlantic Records.

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