When singer Brent Smith founded Shinedown in 2001, they were contemporaries of Breaking Benjamin and Nickelback, amassing a global fanbase throughout the 2000s with a rotation of grungy anthems (“Sound of Madness”), anguished power ballads (“45”), and the occasional curveball, like a surprisingly faithful rendition of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man” reflecting their Southern roots.
The fact that these hits, novel and utterly electric, arrived well over a dozen years into their career makes them all the more impressive. Boasting a surreal video directed by Bill Yukich (who had previously worked with Beyoncé), the 2018 single “Devil” further fleshes out this approach, building a wall of sound from gospel choir vocals and the kind of synthesizers heard on Imagine Dragons’ unique mash-up of electro-pop and rock. “Cut the Cord,” one of the most exhilarating rock hits of 2015, drives this point home, employing riffs and a groove that are devastating precisely because they make bodies move more like a killer club track. In fact, the Florida-bred group have only grown heavier the catchier their songs have become. Shinedown are that rare hard-rock band capable of incorporating big pop moves into their music without sacrificing any of the thunder.
0 kommentar(er)
