10 Hyped Hard Rock Albums That Weren't Worth The Wait

10. Shinedown - Attention Attention (2018)

Shinedown entered the hard rock scene back in 2003 with Leave A Whisper, and brought with them the same killer post-grunge edge as Seether. Building this into a formidable legacy throughout the noughties and into the 2010s, the band provided the ideal hard rock counterpoint for the comparatively soft-serve helpings of Nickelback and 3 Doors Down.

So a misstep was due at some point.

The group diluted their sound with 2015's Threat To Survival, sporting a profound lack of depth or musical flair. Thankfully, the fist-pumping hard rock spirit of their earlier work was still there to drive the album on, but their original fanbase were beginning to ask questions.

Thus, the fate of the four-piece rested on their hotly anticipated 2018 release, Attention Attention, which Shinedown themselves promised would not only be heavier than Threat, but have the pertinent concept of rebirth powering its furnaces.

So imagine the disappointment for the fans who had stuck it out for the last 15 years when the album was 50 minutes of pop hooks, inspirational ballads and clean, safe arena rock. With a decidedly indie new look to boot, the group produced 14 upbeat insta-hits that dragged their sound away from the creative realm of Seether, Breaking Benjamin or Halestorm, and squarely into the overproduced, radio-friendly territories of Imagine Dragons and, ironically, Nickelback.