At the end of May, Shinedown celebrated the 10 year anniversary of their debut disc, ‘Leave a Whisper.’ In a recent exclusive chat with frontman Brent Smith, he talked about rewarding moments throughout the past decade in addition to the evolution of the band that helped make them into who they are today.

When asked about the most rewarding moments in the band’s career, Smith pointed out the day that ‘Leave a Whisper’ went platinum. “One of the biggest milestones was selling a platinum record on our debut. That was huge,” said Smith. “I remember the day that we got our gold record (500,000 copies) and then I remember the day that we got the platinum, that was just mind-blowing to me.”

That was just the beginning for Shinedown's domination of the charts though. “With ‘Us and Them,’ our second record, we were able to go gold, and actually that album is about 10,000 away from going platinum. Then there was ‘Sound of Madness’ which is getting close to double-platinum, and our latest ‘Amaryllis’ which is close to gold right now,” shared Smith. “I don’t mean to list so many stats on the records sold but it’s a big deal for us, to be a band of four guys that do what we do and to have seen what we’ve seen.”

While selling records is important, Smith was quick to point out that without some fortunate twists along the way for the band, they might not be where they are right now. “I’ve got to be honest about something here for a minute. One of the biggest milestones, and some people may not like this statement but it’s absolutely 100 percent true, was the fact that me and Barry met Eric Bass and that me and Barry met Zach Myers,” Smith admitted. “Honestly, had it not been for those two guys, and I mean this, the band would not be where it is today. Those two guys are necessary, let’s just put it that way.”

His love and appreciation for his bandmates didn’t stop there though. “Between what me and Barry and Zach and Eric do onstage together, it’s incendiary what we’re able to harness up there,” Smith said. “I thank God every single day for those two guys, and for Barry of course.” He continued, “Barry and I started the band over ten years ago and we had former members but I have to be honest about it, had it not been for Eric and Zach I very seriously doubt that the band would be as strong as it is today.”

So while fans celebrate 10 years of Shinedown recordings, Smith summed it up best, saying, “I hope the best is yet to come.”

Shinedown are currently gearing up for the Carnival of Madness tour, set to kick off in August. Check out the dates here, and see our full interview with Brent Smith by clicking below:

More From Loudwire