"Devil" is a song by American rock band Shinedown. It was their first single off of their sixth studio album ''

Attention Attention ''Attention Attention'' is the sixth studio album by American Rock music, rock band Shinedown. It was released on May 4, 2018. It is a concept album, depicting an individual overcoming negativity and related problems to be reborn as a new person. ...

''. It reached number one on the US ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' Mainstream Rock Songs chart in May 2018.

Background

The song was first released on March 7, 2018, as the first single from the band's sixth studio album, ''

''. An accompanying music video was released on the same day, also including the intro track "The Entrance" at the beginning of the video. The video was directed by Bill Yukich, who had previously directed the videos for Beyonce's '' Lemonade'' videos for

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

. The song is included in WWE 2K19's soundtrack, being selected by Baron Corbin to appear in game. The Song was also included in the Apex Legends Season 3 cinematic trailer.

Themes and composition

Lyrically, the song has been described by '' Alternative Press'' as "a deep dive into the heart of fear". ''Attention Attention'' is a

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

that details a person's progression, from being in a dark, negative space, to working through their issues and eventually progressing into be a new, more positive person; "Devil" is the second track from the album, and the first fully formed song after the intro track, placing it in the more negativity-themed side of the album. Frontman Brent Smith outlined the meaning of the song: Musically,

Loudwire ''Loudwire'' is an American online media magazine that covers news of hard rock and heavy metal artists. It is owned by media and entertainment business Townsquare Media. Since its launch in August of 2011, ''Loudwire'' has secured exclusive ...

described the song as having a dense, wall of sound quality to it, describing it as having a "sliding guitar lick and off kilter beat"...backing

choirs A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

.. layers of synth, piano and guitar textures."

Personnel

Band * Brent Smith – vocals * Zach Myers – guitar * Eric Bass – bass * Barry Kerch – drums

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control 2018 singles 2018 songs Shinedown songs Songs written by Brent Smith Songs written by Eric Bass