Ever got to that point in your life when you wake up one morning and say "today is the day I'm going to make a change in my life"? I think we've probably all been there at one point where we've not been happy with the way we've been leading our lives or maybe we want to try living a different lifestyle as an experiment. It happens quite frequently in the media industry with film makers, video-game companies and even bands who from time to time want to try something new. The latter, the bands that is, do it sometimes on their records by making songs that sound unique, fresh and different compared to their previous material. This is where the subject of this review come in and their name is SHINEDOWN.

Formed in 2001 in Jacksonville in Florida, SHINEDOWN are a quartet of Hard Rock musicians who over the years have toured the world, released a total of 5 studio albums, 2 live albums, 1 compilation, 4 EP's, 19 singles, 3 video albums/DVD's and 19 music videos. Some of the acts they have toured with include HALESTORM, ALTER BRIDGE, GODSMACK, ROB ZOMBIE and loads of others. They have also sold a total of 6 million albums worldwide which is a pretty impressive achievement and the album that helped them achieve this was their third release "The Sound of Madness" which to date has currently sold over 1.3 million copies worldwide. Can their new album "Threat to Survival" be as successful as album three? Let us find out with this review.

Clocking it around 40 minutes across 11 new songs, the record opens up with "Asking For It", a guitar driven Rock track that is also filled with punchy vocals and some rhythm melodies that may sound a bit different then what you may otherwise expect from a Rock band but they are still enjoyable regardless so no complaints from me. The next track "Cut +The Cord" is the albums lead single and this one goes on the attack with some extremely heavy Hard Rock melodies and a wild vocal performance from Brent Smith which when combined with this songs energetic melodies, make for a great song you can play at gigs and get the crowd moving every time.

The next track "State Of My Head" has some catchy and upbeat melodies that although they sound a bit more Pop then Rock, they are crafted in such a way that the overall result sounds different yet unique. "Outcast" is another heavy hitting number with some powerful and punchy melodies that sound dirty and kick-ass. "How Did You Love" starts off slow with some relaxing piano and vocal melodies before the guitars and rhythm section kicks in to deliver a song that sounds like an upbeat tempo Rock ballad and it sounds quite good as a result.

"It All Adds Up" is probably the dirtiest song on this album right from the moments it starts but you know what? Who gives a damn as it does still have some heavy hitting melodies that kick you in the balls and make you come back for more. "Oblivion" starts off with more relaxing piano melodies which last for about 30 or so seconds before the main track kicks in which is a heavy hard hitting track filled with punchy heavy guitars and a powerful punchy vocal delivery. "Dangerous" is the albums epic track as it has some pretty mesmerizing melodies and punchy riffs with a soulful vocal delivery that come together to make a pretty sweet song.

"Thick As Thieves" is a nice and relaxing slow paced track with some relaxing piano and keyboard parts, a catchy rhythm melody and guitars which are tuned just right for a song of this caliber. "Black Cadillac" is the albums second to last song and this one may be the more poppier sounding song on this album but it does still have a few neat rock elements that you can appreciate including the guitars and the drumbeats which both work together well to accompany the cheerful melodies of this song. The albums closing number "Misfits" is a beautiful relaxing song with piano melodies and synthesizers that work together with the vocals to create a pretty sweet and relaxing song that closes off this album.

Having listened to this album a few times while writing this review, the way the sound and the music seems to diversify itself throughout the songs reminds me a little bit of the new HALESTORM album "Into The Wild Life". Granted yes if you listened to both back to back then chances are you'd probably spot some noteworthy differences but the one thing I like about both is that they are both diverse in their different styles and that the bands are trying something new which is to make something unique and fresh which is what I like.

I know that both have had mixed receptions from the music critics and indeed their fan-base for their new albums, but as someone who has always welcomed a change in sound from time to time, I'm very open to the different sounding styles and I will therefore place myself in the camp that likes the different sound and style as it's very unique and I like uniqueness in music sometimes so its all good.

Bottom line, the new album from SHINEDOWN may sound a little bit different compared to other songs they have released in the past but just like their fellow label mates HALESTORM with their new album, they have been able to create something fresh and unique that may take a few listens before it really grows on you, but even from the first listens, it intrigues you and pulls you in encouraging you to hear more, so this is definitely something worth listening to.

Be sure to also catch SHINEDOWN on the upcoming Carnival of Madness tour which will hit the UK for the first time in late January/early February 2016. They will be touring with HIGHLY SUSPECT, BLACK STONE CHERRY and HALESTORM so make sure you get your tickets before you miss out.

 <