Shinedown frontman Brent Smith recently discussed the band’s new album Eight. He shared important advice he received from Three Doors Down singer Brad Arnold, who recently passed away, in an interview with Audacy Music.
Smith reflected on the lengthy process behind their latest record and the wisdom shared by his close friend Brad Arnold.
“It’s 18 songs. It’s essentially a double record. I will say that it is the longest process for us as a band going… I had a really good friend of mine, who recently passed away. He was one of the my closest friends in the industry, Brad Arnold from Three Doors Down,” Smith said.
The Shinedown vocalist recalled meeting Arnold early in his career. He also shared the prescient advice he received about the music industry.
“And I met him in the beginning with our first record that came out in 2003. I remember he told me, he goes, ‘Son, you’re going to have your entire life to do your first record, and if it’s successful, you’re going to have six months to do your next one.’ And he was 100% right,” Smith continued.
Smith explained how this new album differs from their previous conceptual works. He noted it represents a return to a more traditional approach.
“So what I mean by that, too, this record is a year and a half in the making. From the time that we kind of started on it, writing it to getting it produced, getting it ready. The journey that it’s taken has been quite extraordinary for us. The last two Shinedown records are conceptual pieces. So this album, none of the songs are related to each other, but they exist on the same body of work. But they all are their own entity,” he said.
“So it’s a traditional record. And I love saying that because sometimes people are like, ‘Well, are you a concept band now?’ It’s like, no, it just those records were conceptual because that’s what they asked to be. This is something where there’s such a broad array of styles on this record. It’s very much us, but it’s a roller coaster ride,” Smith concluded.
Arnold’s influence on Smith and the broader rock community reflects the lasting impact of Three Doors Down’s musical legacy. It also shows the personal connections forged within the industry.
Jubilee Cast reported that Three Doors Down became known across multiple platinum albums for crafting songs that spoke to inner battles, perseverance, love, regret, and redemption. The band balanced post-grunge muscle with melodic restraint in Arnold’s songwriting approach.
Arnold co-wrote some of the band’s most iconic hits that defined a generation of rock music. The same source noted that “Kryptonite” became a Top 3 Billboard Hot 100 song about weakness and the longing to be understood. Meanwhile, “It’s Not My Time” served as an anthem of survival and resolve reflecting Arnold’s faith.
The friendship between Smith and Arnold exemplifies the mentorship relationships that often develop between established and emerging artists in the rock community. Arnold’s advice about the pressures of follow-up albums proved prophetic for many bands navigating the music industry’s demanding timeline expectations.
Three Doors Down’s commercial success and Arnold’s songwriting philosophy clearly influenced Smith’s approach to album creation. This is evidenced by his decision to take a year and a half crafting Shinedown’s latest work rather than rushing to meet industry pressures.
