SHINEDOWN released their fourth studio album ‘Amaryllis‘ today and in case you need convincing of the album’s awesomeness, check out some extracts of reviews below:

“You go into it with the idea that you’re not going to copy what you’ve already done,” Shinedown singer Brent Smith says of the rock band’s new effort, “Amaryllis,” which arrives March 27 on Atlantic. “It’s the next step. You raise the bar higher. And ultimately we’re quite a fearless band when it comes to making albums and songwriting.”

“It was the first time I brought the guys into the actual lyric writing,” Smith says, “because a lot of the subject matter was about the situations we were in during the two years we toured.”

During the first half of 2011, the band wrote and demoed 33 songs, with the intention of creating something different from previous work. “I wasn’t even thinking about any of the material on ‘The Sound of Madness,'” Smith says, “because we’d already toured it, and it’s forever-it’s out there . . . It was time to write a brand-new record. There were way more things to talk about.”

“It’s going to be an international year,” Smith says. “We spend so long making albums because we want to tour on them for a long time. We take into consideration the live aspect [while recording], and we pull it off live. We know what we’re doing.”

Click here to read more on Billboard.com…

In 25 words or less: “This is truly a great rock album, every song is as good as the next and it’s one that I’ll happily continue to listen to.”

This is truly a great rock album, every song is as good as the next and it’s one that I’ll happily continue to listen to and my only hope is that it gets the love it deserves, and if Shinedown are in your city, go and see them, well that’s only my recommendation, but to hear these songs live will be where they shine and I for one am looking forward to it.

Click here to read more on May The Rock Be With You…

Adrenaline, Enemies, I’m Not Alright and Nowhere Kids should definitely be on your playlist and could get some serious pits going in their live form; for the rest of the ‘new album portion’ of the set, however, make sure you have enough battery on your phone or a good supply of the old lighters to wave in the air.

Click here to read more on Sonic Shocks…

The album ends on a stellar double whammy. “My Name (Wearing Me Out)” sets a tense, enthralling tone with panicky guitars and a cutting refrain. The latter lingers during the chorus, ensuring an eerie and pervasive mystique peters throughout the song. The vocals are very impressive; the higher register dramatically offsetting the more insidious effects of the music. “Through the Ghost” is a low-key and touching finale. It comes replete with bells and rolling drums for a piercing, poignant effect and evokes a strong sense of grim remorse throughout. The track is an unlikely choice to end the album as its haunted undertones stand out next to the gruffness of the other songs. Yet, the instrumentation and structuring makes it sound much bigger and more memorable, and in this regard the band has judged it perfectly.

Click here to read more o Under The Gun…

The wait is over. It’s been four long years since The Sound of Madness, but Shinedown’s new album doesn’t disappoint. Called Amaryllis, it very much feels like a continuation of their previous record’s sonic and thematic development. And while it may lack a little of the wow factor, Amaryllis delivers the goods again and again. If you love these guys for their hard rock songs, you’ll be satisfied. If you want some beautiful ballads, Amaryllis has those as well.

Click here to read more on Rock About…

You can get your hands on the brand spanking new SHINEDOWN album ‘Amaryllis‘ by clicking the below links:

Amazon
HMV
iTunes