‘EI8HT’ is one of the hard rock band’s best albums yet

“Ei8ht” by Shinedown (Atlantic Records) [AP Photo]

Shinedown’s new album is meant to surprise. The chart-topping rockers attempt something different on “EI8HT,” their aptly titled eighth studio release, out Friday.

Frontman Brent Smith, guitarist Zach Myers, bassist Eric Bass and drummer Barry Kerch flaunt their musical creativity on an ambitious 18-song journey. While their last two albums — 2018’s “Attention Attention” and 2022’s “Planet Zero” — were concept-driven with mostly hard rock songs, Shinedown scraps that format. Instead, the versatile “EI8HT” is an unpredictable mix of hard rock, power ballads, string-filled choruses — and even country — backing Smith’s musings on love, loss, perseverance and redemption.

It’s a wide-ranging combination that might not hit with some fans who first found the band in their post-grunge days, 25 years ago. But the album is arguably one of Shinedown’s best.

“You think you know me? / You know nothing at all,” Smith sings on the lead track “At The Bottom,” fair warning for what’s ahead.

“Safe and Sound,” “Killing Fields” and “Machine Gun” are high-energy bangers that will leave some old-school listeners wanting more.

Want to bounce around? “Dance, Kid, Dance,” “Young Again,” “Burning Down The Disco,” “Dizzy” and the industrial synth-influenced “Deep End” got you.

“Three Six Five” is a heart-wrenching rock ballad about cherishing time with loved ones.

“If I could hitch a ride on a time machine,” Smith sings. “I would bring you right back here with me / And I wouldn’t have to watch you disappear.”

Smith and Myers draw on their Tennessee roots as Shinedown gives full-on country a try for the first time with “Searchlight,” a song flavored by a steel guitar, banjo and fiddle.

The acoustic closer “The Pilot” is the album’s most poignant track, with Smith insisting: “Today’s a battle, but I’ll win the war.” Violins, basses, cellos and violas arranged by Bass, the main producer for the third consecutive Shinedown album, provide the backdrop.

This version of Shinedown is certainly different from their angst-ridden early years when the lyrics were darker and the sound grittier. Some fans might bemoan the band’s gradual foray into the mainstream, hanging on to the few spots on “EI8HT” that offer reminders. But the hard rock foundation remains, and Smith’s soaring vocals have been a constant.

Shinedown has made a career of baring their souls in their music. “EI8HT” is another victory, maybe their biggest yet. DENNIS WASZAK JR, MDT/AP