The Sound of Madness

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.

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, 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.