The Sound of Madness

The Sound of Madness
Studio album by
Shinedown
ReleasedJune 24, 2008
Recorded2007–08
Genre
Length41:48
LabelAtlantic
ProducerRob Cavallo
Shinedown chronology
Us and Them
(2005) 		The Sound of Madness
(2008) 		Amaryllis
(2012)
Singles from The Sound of Madness
  1. "Devour"
    Released: May 5, 2008
  2. "Second Chance"
    Released: September 9, 2008
  3. "Sound of Madness"
    Released: February 23, 2009
  4. "If You Only Knew"
    Released: August 31, 2009
  5. "The Crow & the Butterfly"
    Released: April 6, 2010
  6. "Diamond Eyes (Boom-Lay Boom-Lay Boom)"
    Released: June 15, 2010

The Sound of Madness is the third studio album by American rock band Shinedown, released June 24, 2008, via Atlantic Records. The album's lead single, "Devour", was released to radio on May 5, 2008. It is their first release to feature Eric Bass and Zach Myers, their only release to feature Nick Perri, and their only album as a five-piece. A deluxe version was released on November 23, 2010.[3]

The album's lyrics explore diverse subject matter as opposed to their previous albums; "Devour" explores political and anti-war themes, "If You Only Knew" is a love ballad about singer Brent Smith's then-fiancée and son,[4] and "What a Shame" tells the story about the death of Smith's uncle, and how he and his cousin, professional wrestler Olivia Smith, dealt with it.

Shinedown's tour to support the album subsequently started with the band playing a few festival shows before the release of The Sound of Madness.

The Sound of Madness is Shinedown's most successful album, and has issued one multi-platinum single ("Second Chance"), two platinum singles ("Sound of Madness" and "If You Only Knew"), as well as all other singles going gold ("Devour", "The Crow & the Butterfly", "Diamond Eyes (Boom-Lay Boom-Lay Boom)", and "Call Me"). The album has since been certified 2× Platinum by the both RIAA and Music Canada, and Gold by the BPI.[5][6][7]

  1. ^ Neilstein, Vince (September 10, 2008). "Shinedown Devour The Rest Of The Pack With The Sound of Madness". MetalSucks. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  2. ^ Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Shinedown The Sound of Madness". AllMusic. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  3. ^ "Interview with Zach Myers from Shinedown: Anything And Everything". The Aquarian.
  4. ^ "If You Only Knew Songfacts". Songfacts.com. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference RIAA was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference MC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference BPI was invoked but never defined (see the help page).