When thinking of Shinedown’s discography, the first thing that that comes to mind is the word dynamic.

In 2008, after the departures of Jasin Todd and Brad Stewart, Shinedown returned with their highest selling record to date, ‘The Sound of Madness,’ spawning songs that were not only raw and blunt but also relatable and more universal.

Their fourth studio record, ‘Amaryllis,’ was released March 27 and is lyrically the most optimistic Shinedown has ever been. With tracks like ‘Unity,’ which speaks of coming together and loving those close to you, and its very fitting title track ‘Amaryllis,’ which carries a message about strength, the album gives fans a different feeling than the previous three.

Aside from their lyrics, the album has a very different sound, both melodically and musically. While ‘The Sound of Madness’ incorporated a present orchestra, it wasn’t nearly as prominent as in this album.

Previously, it had worked remarkably well, still giving the album an honest rock-n-roll feel to it. But I personally felt that while it gave the tracks a certain richness and musical substance that it didn’t particularly have before, it took a lot away from what Shinedown really is, or was.

Aside from that, there were many songs that felt as if they were crossing to the lines of adult contemporary rock rather than the hard rock fans were so used to.

Opening track ‘Adrenaline’ was debatably one of the strongest songs on the album, completely embodying everything Shinedown is while still twisting it just enough so that it sounds more like an evolution than a change.

And ‘Unity,’ while sounding different, has potential to be the ‘Second Chance’ of this record, with its radio appeal woven into something new but slightly familiar.

The album is not bad by any means whatsoever, and it’s not even completely dishonest, despite its noticeable change from what we’re used to.

It’s very clear that the band worked extremely hard on this album and truly wanted to create something new and beautiful. However, perhaps in doing that, they’ve strayed slightly away from what their fans fell in love with.