[4][5] The record label, unhappy with Dreve as a whole, dropped the band prior to releasing an album, but retained Smith, who they felt was worth developing separately as an artist.

[9] The first member he recruited was bassist Brad Stewart, through local Jacksonville music producer Pete Thornton.

[11] Four singles were released from the album: "Fly from the Inside", "45", a cover of the Lynyrd Skynyrd song "Simple Man", and "Burning Bright".

[18] Despite the time restrictions, the label did not pressure the band on the album's musical direction after the commercial success of Leave a Whisper.

[19] The band worked with music producer Tony Battaglia, and chose to go in a more "mature" and "stripped down" direction for the album's sound, Kerch describing it as just "pure rock.

[23][24] The lead single, "Save Me" was the band's first to reach the number one spot on the Mainstream Rock Charts, and held the position for twelve weeks in a row.

[27] Promotional support came from other areas as well; then-American Idol contestant Chris Daughtry performed "I Dare You" live on the show, helping its crossover appeal,[28] and was used as a theme song for WrestleMania 22.

[31][33] Then-touring guitarist, Zach Myers, later recounted that both Smith and Todd were going through significant substance abuse issues at the time with drugs and alcohol, which lead to much infighting between the two.

[32][33] Smith spent much of 2007 writing new material with Rick Beato of Black Dog Sound Recording Studios in Stone Mountain, GA, for the third album.

[33] Sessions were prolific, with Smith writing over 60 songs during the period, though that he now lacked a guitarist and bassist was a constant concern.

[35] In order to start touring in support of the album, Smith assembled a new official lineup for the band, consisting of Nick Perri of Silvertide on lead guitar, Eric Bass on bass guitar, and upgrading touring member, Zach Myers to a permanent rhythm guitarist position.

[33] Through multiple successful single releases, and extensive touring, the album ended up being the band's best-selling, staying on the Billboard 200 charts for 120 consecutive weeks, and eventually being certified double platinum in the United States, indicating two million units sold.

[36][38][39][40] Of particular note was "Second Chance", which crossed over to the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 7, and eventually being certified triple platinum, indicating three million units of the single sold.

[25][37] The band, with its new lineup, once again toured extensively in support of the album release, spending over two years on live performances.

[41] Work on a fourth studio album began in February 2011, with the band spending the first half of the year writing and demoing over 33 songs.

[36] The band again decided to work with Cavallo as a producer, but moved into a new sound and lyrical direction on the album, capturing a more of a message of "empowerment, perseverance, and inspiration", inspired by Smith's then-recent change of getting sober and living a healthier lifestyle, and the new band members contributing to the writing process for the first time on an album.

[13] Additionally, only "Bully" managed to have any cross-over success, breaking into the Billboard Top 100 chart at number 94[25] and eventually being certified Gold as well.

[48] The time off was for the band to rest, specifically Smith, who had damaged his vocal cords and contracted oral thrush from the constant years of touring prior.

[48] Recording for the band's fifth studio album began in January 2015, with a goal of a July or August release date.

[89] The song earned 5.9 million rock radio audience impressions, a boost of 5 percent, in the week ending Nov. 18, according to Nielsen Music.

[95] On March 23, 2020, the band released a previously unreleased song recorded for Amaryllis titled "Atlas Falls", to raise money for Direct Relief to provide equipment for frontline workers during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.

[99] On May 26, 2020, the band announced that they had postponed all of their 2020 summer Deep Dive tour due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with many dates being rescheduled.

[101][102] In February 2021, Smith announced that the band had started working on a seventh studio album, with the goal of releasing it in the second half of 2021.

[109] The change was due to a delay in vinyl production, and the band's desire for the fanbase to experience the album simultaneously across formats.

[19] The band's first album, Leave a Whisper, largely stayed away from having any guitar solos, something then-guitarist Todd felt was undesirable due to the popularity of nu metal at the time of recording the album, though he felt the band was never particularly part of the genre's movement.

[19] With nu metal falling out of popularity by the mid-2000s, they began adding guitar solos more prominently to their music, starting with their next album, Us and Them.

[140][141] Barry Kerch noted that lineup changes and volatility in the band members' lives produced a darker and angrier sound.

[140][141] The album's lead single, "Devour", is an anti-war anthem, but The Sound of Madness also contains "If You Only Knew", the band's first love ballad.

[146][147][148][134] The band has cited Stone Temple Pilots, Otis Redding, Pink Floyd, and Iron Maiden as influences.

[149] Primary songwriter, Brent Smith, has also cited Etta James, Ella Fitzgerald, The Doors, Soundgarden, and Metallica as some of his influences.