Shinedown’s Zach Myers Names the ‘Perfect Album’

Shinedown guitarist Zach Myers has named what he considers the “perfect album from start to finish” in a new feature with Spin, where he and drummer Barry Kerch named the five albums they can’t live without.

The guitarist’s picks prove that he has a diverse taste in music. Myers described his current music collection as, “Picture George Jones swerving all over the road but Jackson Browne is in the passenger seat and they’re both listening to Glassjaw,” and named Jelly Roll, Nas, NF, Riley Green and Jason Isbell as some other artists that he’s been listening to.

Though his preferences range from country to hip hop, his all-time favorite album is still close to home — U2‘s 1987 release, Joshua Tree.

“It’s my safety blanket,” Myers said of the record. “It’s an album I can go back to that will make me feel the same way I heard it every single time. It’s a perfect album from start to finish… highs, lows, redemption, and retribution.”

“I remember the first time I heard that organ into that guitar I felt like crying, and I didn’t even know what it was,” the guitarist previously told Music Radar when discussing Joshua Tree. “It was almost like discovering a religion, where the Holy Ghost comes into you and you’re not even on the ground anymore. And ‘With Or Without You’ is my favorite song written ever. I got to see the anniversary Joshua Tree tour, and every U2 show I’ve seen is the best show.”

Other Picks

In addition to his U2 pick, he also named Tom Petty‘s Wildflowers, Arrested Development’s 3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life of… (which he said was “when hip-hop was at its peak performance”), The Band’s 1969 eponymous album and Glassjaw’s Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence as his top selections.

Kerch, on the other hand, chose Nine Inch Nails‘ The Downward Spiral, Iron Maiden‘s The Number of the Beast, James Brown’s Star Time, The Police‘s Reggatta de Blanc and Def Leppard‘s Hysteria as his Top 5 picks. He did say that he’s a fan of jazz and pop, though, too, adding that his taste “ranges from Spiritbox to Louie Bellson and everything in between.”

READ MORE: Shinedown’s Zach Myers Names His Top Five Rhythm Guitarists

Both rockers mentioned that Shinedown are currently working on the follow-up to their 2022 effort Planet Zero, so album No. 8 is most definitely underway. The band only has a few shows scheduled throughout 2024, which you can check out on their website.

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