Shinedown dropped their 6th studio album on May 4 and it does not disappoint. Frontman Brent Smith's vocals are ever present continuing to be the thing that distinguishes their songs as Shinedown sons. Smith’s bandmates: Barry Kerch, Zach Myers, and Eric Bass hold down the music under the vocals with their own traditional breakout moments only aiding to the foundation of sound that makes them Shinedown. Their hard rock, though not as hard as others in the same genre, sound has changed just slightly but retains its core which will please the fans and critics.

Smith has called ATTENTION ATTENTION a “story album”, which takes listeners through an emotional journey as each song reaches another point. This album is personal and eventually it reaches the success, the point in the narrative where things are looking up, but it goes down to deep, dark places first. It’s not an album to listen to for background noise or light listening because it will force you to go along the same road Shinedown is on, and that is part of what makes this album so powerful.

Shinedown’s ability to create an entire story through song is extraordinary. They are able to touch on so many subjects, including mental health, throughout the song list that there is a song for everyone, no matter what their struggle may be. And then, it soars and takes us to a hopeful place where we can overcome these things that try to keep us from finding happiness. Only Shinedown could take such intense subject matter and turn it into a phenomenal album which speaks to everyone. The album’s lead single ‘Devil’ is harsh and, at some points, frightening, but when you reach ‘Brilliant’, you understand why it started there. In the middle of the album, you come across songs like ‘KILL YOUR CONSCIENCE’ and ‘Monsters’, both sharing different pieces of the overall battle to reach the goal at the end, but each important as they are all part of a greater story. Our favorites include: ‘Pyro’. ‘Get Up’, and ‘ATTENTION ATTENTION’ for no particular reason other then they were the ones that spoke to us the most. We have a feeling everyone will have a different song, or set of tracks, included in this album that hits home for them.

Listen to ‘Devil’ below and then stream the rest of ATTENTION ATTENTION, so you can finish the story because there’s nothing worse then an unfinished book, especially one this good. Have you listened yet? Sound off with your own thoughts on Shinedown’s latest release.