Shadows Fall
the Art of Balance
Century Media
There is definitely an art to crating a seminal metal offering. Typically, the likes of which
are reserved for efforts so well ingrained into the musical cannon that might be considered
blasphemy to even mummer a recently released work might be of the same caliber.
However, to not include Shadows Fall might be equally such a sin.
Leading the way for the fledging New England metal scene and possibly the entire
resurgence of American metal, Shadows Fall return with their most mature, intense and
focused offering yet. Delicately balancing a diverse range of elements the bands
sophomore effort for metal stalwarts Century Media finds them having really hit a stride
with their compositions.
Apart from the very convincing Pink Floyd cover which closes out the record, the ten
original tracks are more deeply routed in traditional American thrash than the are the
Gothenburg influenced death metal alluded to on previous efforts. Throw in further
development of progressive overtones, their signature metalcore breakdowns and now
hints of “real” rock sensibility and you can see how Shadows Fall are attempting to stretch
the boundaries.
This is the most solid the lineup has been since the band’s inception in the mid-nineties and
it truly shows through in the execution of every aspect of the record. From the blistering
guitar leads, to progressive song-writing, to pummeling drums, to thundering rhythms, to
emotional vocals Shadows Fall give a not to their predecessors, acknowledge their
contemporaries and then take a big step forward to forge the future of heavy music a new
weight to wield.
The re-aligned quintet more than effectively build upon the foundation they laid with
Somber Eyes and the structure they assembled through Of One Blood. This time around
they are the architects of something which produces more than sublet overtones of sonic
excellence, they deliver in consecutive blows of pure angst and raw emotion under the
controlled guise of brilliant composition.
It is more than a caustic assault on the senses it is delving into the heartened emotional
aspects that draw metal into the psyche of every rebellious soul, so cast a shadow on your
inhibition and discover the true art of balance via Massachusetts’s Shadows Fall.
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