Shinedown has revealed details of its upcoming eighth studio album, EI8HT, set for release on May 29, along with a new single and a headlining world tour. The band is also addressing controversy from its withdrawal from the Rock The Country festival. Singer Brent Smith emphasized unity amid fan divisions in a recent interview.
Shinedown, the multi-platinum hard rock group, announced its eighth studio album, titled EI8HT, scheduled for release on May 29. The album, over a year in the making, features the advance single Safe And Sound, described by the band as a track about reminding the competition of their presence. The tracklist includes 18 songs: The Bottom, Dance, Kid, Dance, Burning Down The Disco, Three Six Five, Young Again, Dizzy, Imposter, Machine Gun, Outlaw, Safe And Sound, Searchlight, Bear With Me, Deep End, Killing Fields, Back To The Living, Wide Open, So Glad You Asked, and The Pilot.
To promote EI8HT, Shinedown will embark on the Dance Kid Dance Act ll World Tour, starting in May 2026. Support acts include Coheed and Cambria, Black Stone Cherry, Those Damn Crows, and From Ashes To New, with DJ Brian Storm of Rock Feed opening select shows. The tour itinerary spans North America from May 13 in Green Bay, Wisconsin, through September, followed by European dates in October and November, including stops in Paris, London, and Dublin.
The announcement comes amid fallout from the band's withdrawal from the Rock The Country festival on February 6. The event, headed by Kid Rock and perceived as MAGA-oriented, faced criticism for booking performers with Republican views. Shinedown's exit, following rapper Ludacris's departure—which drummer Barry Kerch called cowardly—led to the cancellation of the festival's July 25-26 stop in Anderson, South Carolina, where Shinedown was set to headline alongside Creed. This decision caused infighting among fans, which singer Brent Smith addressed in a Rolling Stone interview.
"We saw infighting that we had never seen before, and for us, it was our job to diffuse it," Smith said. "There were certain people that were not happy about [pulling back]. I will say that there was an overwhelming amount of people that agreed with the decision… You’re entitled to your opinion 1,000 percent in this country, and that’s one of the beautiful things about it."
Smith, who identifies as neither Democrat nor Republican, stressed national unity: "I just want to remind everybody, it says the ‘United States of America’ — And a lot of people right now don’t feel united." He attributed his perspective on diversity to his upbringing, adding, "That is what makes you who you are, and we are all on this planet, and we occupy it together." Smith also suggested cross-party political pairings, asking, "If you’re a Democrat, why can’t you have a Republican for your running mate?"
