Shadows Fall

As of late, there haven’t really been that many good, new, thrash metal bands out there. Shadows Fall is one of those few, although starting out as a metal core/melodic death metal band, that kick-ass! One thing the band can definitely be proud of is that they were the first band on Century Media to sell more than 100,000 copies of one album. This eventually led them to sign with major label giants Atlantic! Go Metal! This five piece band consists of Brian Fair (vocals), Jonathan Donais (lead guitar/vocals), Matt Bachand (guitar/vocals), Paul Romanko (bass), and Jason Bittner (drums).

First up on the album would be their single, “Redemption.” As with most of their tracks to date, the song kicks off with a fast, rhythmic guitar riff, accompanied with the drums and bass. Once the guitar riff starts to become a bit slower, with more complicated sounding riffs and squeals, Brian adds in his unique vocals. The three different vocals styles this band makes use of tend to give off an eerie feeling when you listen to one of their songs. The bridge to this track is insane, with a demonic sounding guitar riff, accompanied by Brian’s bone chilling scream. The solo to “Redemption” alone is enough to get somebody off their feet and moshing.

Fifth up on the album would be “Venomous.” Right off from the bat, the track kicks off heavy. This song is definitely a track to lay down new foundations for Metalcore and Groove Metal. Brian picks precise moments when to sing and when to scream, which gives the band more definition. It takes quite a bit of talent to know when to sing and when to scream, even when compared to the actual skills it takes to sing and scream alone.

“The Great Collapse” is the ninth track on the LP. The song is a bit different from the rest of Shadows Fall; it’s slow, rhythmic, and ACOUSTIC! The riff is compelling, lulling the listener into a sort of a trance while listening to it. The fact that Shadows Fall can play an instrumental such as this shows just how diverse the band really is, rather than just being stuck to the heavy metal.

Overall, I’d have to say this is by far the best Shadows Fall album to date. The diversity is uncanny, and the evolution of the band is very notable. I’m going to give this CD a 8.9 out of 10. Way to go guys!  [ END ]

Track Listing:

01. Redemption
02. Burning The Lives
03. Storm Winds
04. Failure of the Devout
05. Venomous
06. Another Hero Lost
07. Final Call
08. Dread Uprising
09. The Great Collapse
10. Just Another Nightmare
11. Forevermore

Run Time: 49:08