It would be hard to say that 'Amaryllis' is as good as 'The Sound of Madness', Shinedown's masterpiece. It is also hard to say that it is not. The current lineup of Brent Smith, Barry Kerch, Zach Myers and Eric Bass is their strongest songwriting and performing incarnation. They have reached a level of maturity where the song is all that matters. There are songs that could be found on any of the modern pop-punk albums, yet others would be more at home on a classic Elton John, Bon Jovi or Foo Fighters disk. Shinedown has reached the R.E.M. level of song-writing, where they can write in any style, using any combination of instruments, and the result is magical. As with their last release, any of the songs here could be released as singles and be successful. With 'Amaryllis', Shinedown is once again poised to dominate the airwaves and concert venues for years to come.