Capturing live sets from their “Carnival of Madness” and “Anything and Everything” tours, Somewhere in the Stratosphere finds Shinedown showing fans a different side of themselves. While the two live shows on this two-disc set share many of the same songs, the band treats their fans to a pair of very different performances. On the first disc, th...

Capturing live sets from their “Carnival of Madness” and “Anything and Everything” tours, Somewhere in the Stratosphere finds Shinedown showing fans a different side of themselves. While the two live shows on this two-disc set share many of the same songs, the band treats their fans to a pair of very different performances. On the first disc, the band delivers a fairly straight-ahead performance, crushing the audience with the driving rock they’ve made a name for themselves with over the last decade. The real treat, however, comes on disc two. Recorded during the Kansas City stop of their “Anything and Everything” tour, the Florida post-grungers peel away the layers of amps, distortion, and rock & roll bombast, instead delivering an acoustic set that shows fans a more stripped-down version of the band. Though the arrangements don’t differ that drastically, the acoustic version really allows singer Brent Smith’s vocals to shine as they soar over top of the mix without having to fight with the rest of the band’s supercharged sound for supremacy. By pairing a traditional live set with something that’s more of a departure, Shinedown have created a compilation that gives fans a lot to sink their teeth into, making Somewhere in the Stratosphere an easy recommendation for anyone who loves the band and is looking to see them try to expand their sound in new directions. ~ Gregory Heaney, Rovi