Dave Burns' The Ghosts of Glam Metal Past now online!

[Armageddon's Child]

After reading through that thread, it would seem that most of the people probably didn't bother to read it since you decided to use it as an opportunity to do little proselytizing for ANUS.

I know you cannot help yourself, so it is pointless to even discuss this matter.

But if anyone happens to stumble upon the article over there and then stumble through this thread and took a little time to look around it would be patently obvious that I have serious and fundamental disagreements with the ANUS outlook.

Just wanted to make that clear.

The real irony is that ANUS was never even mentioned until a couple of the titbags there started making an issue of it (since, you know, actually disputing the article itself is beyond their ken). It's how the 'tards that listen to shit bands work, Dave, they can't compete on a rational level, so it becomes about personalities.

 

[Cheiron]

SHADOWS FALL frontman Brian Fair has issued the following update:

"We are back in [Massachusetts]. Just in time for the snow and cold weather! Perfect timing.

"After six weeks on the West Coast recording the new album 'Threads of Life' with Nick Raskulinecz [FOO FIGHTERS, STONE SOUR, RUSH] at Studio 606, we have moved the base of operations to Planet Z in western Massachusetts with Zeuss [STAIND, HATEBREED, UNEARTH] to finish mixing. I am incredibly excited about the way this record is coming along.

"Nick helped us to push our performances to new heights and experiment a lot more with vocal harmonies and guitar layers that have really added new dimensions to these songs. Zeuss is really bringing out the energy and nuances of the recording and really bringing our sound to a new level.

"As a producer and mixer, Nick and Zeuss have formed like Voltron to create a friggin monster! We are going to be mastering soon and hopefully have this record near completion by the holidays. Sonically, 'Threads of Life' is a true culmination of all of our common influences as a band and is the most complete picture of the SHADOWS FALL sound to date.

"We looked at this record as a full album that has a real ebb and flow throughout, covering a vide variety of emotions and levels of intensity. There are the full on thrash tunes, just balls-out and metal, some technical shred tunes that Jon [Donais, guitar] and Jason [Bittner, drums] really pushed their playing on and some acoustic melodic moments that offer a nice contrast to the more brutal moments.

"We tried to make 'Threads of Life' as complete a metal record as possible. The album will hopefully be out early spring of 2007 and we plan on touring the world for awhile after its release. We are really looking forward to getting back on the road and hitting all the spots that we have not been able to reach on the last few tours.

"With all of this time off from performing live, we will be hitting the stage hard will full strength and a lot of pent up energy!! We hope to see you all out on the road when SHADOWS FALL comes to town with new tunes to rock and partying on our mind."

 

[Satanstoenail]

People are going to walk in with whatever baggage they have on that front and walk out with it no matter what critical points I have to make. I just hope that they have something else in their suitcase to think about as they head off for wherever they are going.

Indeed. Cheers for a great and interesting read. And good to read an actual discussion about the article here. The one in GMD was ummm... somewhat unsatisfactory. :zombie:

 

[DBB]

Cheers to you for finding the article interesting enough to read and comment on. As for the GMD, yeah, I saw that, but was not moved enough to intervene.

Blood Mountain was the A#1 Album of the Year in Metal Maniacs. In fact, it was the only one assigned a numerical rank.

This would have made the cut for sure, if it appeared before the article (but it was a goal to have it appear before predictable things were published):

To the scene vets threatened by metal’s appeal to a wider majority, clutching their demo tapes, limited edition 7”s and the tattered set list from the night you saw “your band” play in a bowling alley basement ten years ago to a crowd of 15. Don’t fret. It’s ok if a few of “your” bands are earning nods of approval from the quasi-mainstream masses. It’s whether or not the music emanating from your speakers still makes you soil your undies that matters most. We’re instinctively possessive about our music; we never want our bands “found out.” It’s like our personal code word; our secret knock. And it may seem excessive, even a bit ridiculous, but it’s that sort of collective, overprotective band worship among those who’ve branded themselves “true believers” that makes any scene—metal, country hip-hop or otherwise—truly special. And it’s important to be obsessive about our music—within reason. But we shouldn’t shudder at the prospect of a band like Mastodon (the hot topic of the year) slaying on a wider level but rather rejoice in the fact that, as Mr. Panko put it in his Masto-piece last issue, “one of our own” “made it” in a scene that would only predict otherwise. Never say never and love what you love because it rules, not because it only sold seven copies.

Liz Ciavarella “Critics Pick Top Ten Albums of 2006.” Metal Maniacs February 2007.

 

[DBB]

.

TODD MARTENS "Major Metal: Up From The Indies And Already A Proven Seller, Shadows Fall Thrashes Ahead" Billboard April 7, 2007

By the time East Coast metal act Shadows Fall went shopping for a major label deal, the band had already managed major label-like success on Southern California indie Century Media.

Its 2004 album, "War Within," has sold 273,000 units in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and the album spawned two top 40 singles on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Songs tally, "What Drives the Weak" and "Inspiration on Demand." The album's opening track, "The Light That Blinds," also landed on popular videogame "Guitar Hero II," which helped the single sell 9,200 units online.

"We were in a really good place once our contract with Century Media was up," vocalist Brian Fair says. "We had accomplished a lot on our terms and at the indie level. When it came time to look for a deal, we had a little bit more leverage than we were used to having."

Shadows Fall opted to sign with Warner Music Group imprint Atlantic Records, which will release "Threads of Life" April 3. The signing is indicative of the growth of the extreme metal subgenre in the post-Ozzfest era, which has carried such acts as Lacuna Coil, As I Lay Dying and In Flames, among many others, beyond cult status. The major labels have noticed, with Lamb of God joining Columbia, Mastodon signing with Reprise and Atreyu joining Hollywood.

But all the newfound attention hasn't turned the new crop of metal acts into mainstream stars, at least not yet (see story, below). Fair says, at least initially, the band has modest goals in its new major label home.

"Atlantic totally understands that this is a career thing," he says. "We're not looking for that one song. We've been around for 10 years, and we're looking to be around for a lot longer. They knew they signed a metal band. It's not like they were expecting some crazy pop record."

Indeed, "Threads of Life" doesn't deviate too far from its past work, mixing thrash riffs with impressive break-neck melodies. If "Threads of Life" sees the band experimenting at all, it's in the vocals, with Fair stopping just short of a growl and throwing in more harmonies. He says he spent time listening to the Beatles and Alice in Chains before recording the album, and worked extensively on his vocals with producer Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Stone Sour).

"I was even listening to that first Boston record," Fair says. "I know I can never get that high, but there's so much you can do with voices beyond one tone."

If Fair is humble in the band's major label ambitions, though, manager "the Reverend" Dave Ciancio with the Syndicate is more direct. His goal is something that rivals the success Warner had with Metallica.

"Century Media very desperately wanted the band to re-sign, and we could have signed and could have had a career that was a level where the 'War Within' left off," he says. "I think most bands would be psyched with that. But there's only so many slots for a Guns N' Roses or a Metallica or a Pantera, and we have all believed since day one that these guys have the ability to get to the top."

The band's A&R rep and product manager at Atlantic, Anthony Delia, says the label will be taking lead single "Redemption" to radio in early April, but has thus far focused its marketing attention online. The single went up for sale on iTunes in late February and has sold 4,000 units.

"Metal isn't a singles-driven format, so I don't think that will hurt us," he says. "It's not pop, where someone only wants to own one song. Metal people want to hear the full record."

Delia says the label will target the band's core fan base out of the gate, with the band on tour through the end of April with Stone Sour and former labelmate Lacuna Coil. Additionally, indie retailers and Hot Topic will have access to a bonus DVD. Larger accounts such as Best Buy will receive various bonus cuts on "Threads of Life."

And the recent success of the genre just might play into Shadows Fall's hands this time around, retailers say.

"There's a grand realignment these days," says Rob Cleveland, co-owner of Madison, Wis.-based Earwax. "There's lowered sales expectations and underground bands are doing better. Five years ago, I'd say no chance would Shadows Fall be on a major. But the music-buying public is getting smaller, and the bigger labels are slowly catching up."

DAVE WEDGE "Shadows Loom: Mass. Metal Rockers Adjust to 'Life' in Spotlight" The Boston Herald April 4, 2007

Sitting at the bar in Milford's Turtle Tavern, Brian Fair's nearly 6-foot-long dreadlocks draw a few looks, but the wiry rocker otherwise blends into the rural pub's blue-collar setting.

"It's just funny,'' said Fair, singer for Massachusetts thrash metal up-and-comers Shadows Fall. "I never thought a band like us from this area would tour the world. But it's nice to come home. It's quiet. Good bars. Good people.''

And there's the anonymity, too, something increasingly rare these days as Fair, 31, and his Shadows Fall band mates grace the covers of metal magazines, hobnob in Hollywood and star in videos.

The band's rise from the local hardcore scene to a Grammy nomination continues with today's release of "Threads of Life,'' the group's fifth disc and first on a major label. Tomorrow, Shadows Fall plays Avalon with Lacuna Coil and Stone Sour.

"The industry is so different now,'' Fair said, talking about his band's jump from Century Media to Atlantic Records. "There's not much of a difference between indies and majors. The artistic freedom just has to be there.''

The homey Turtle Tavern is just steps from Fair's mother's house, where he crashes when he's not on the road. Returning to Milford is a way to unwind after jetting home from Paris to catch an Avalon set by his Bay State pals in Killswitch Engage, starring in ads for the "Guitar Hero 2'' video game and partying with Foo Fighter Dave Grohl. The band's new CD was recorded in Grohl's California studio, and the ex-Nirvana drummer regularly dropped in on the sessions.

"It's a pretty insane pace,'' Fair said, "but I love it.''

The band, which includes guitarists Matthew Bachand and Jonathan Donais, drummer Jason Bittner and bassist Paul Romanko, emerged from the same gritty Mass. metal scene that spawned Killswitch Engage, Unearth and All That Remains. Fair and Killswitch bassist Mike D'Antonio both started out in Overcast, a band that helped forge the region's metal-meets-hardcore pummel.

With Fair's demon-summoning screams out front, Shadows Fall takes its thrashy heaviness to new levels on `"Threads of Life.''

"There's just so much heavy music out there, we just wanted to set ourselves apart,'' he explained. "We've learned along the way that we're not that ultracool band. We just went back to our own roots - thrash and metal.''

The new CD is not all slash and burn. There are hooks galore on the first single, "Redemption,'' and the fist-pumping "Storm Winds.'' There's also a powerful acoustic ballad, "Another Hero Lost,'' a song about Fair's cousin, who joined the military after a relative was killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The cousin died recently in Iraq.

"For me, it's about when you lose someone, you always turn to music,'' he said.

Now, with a world tour on tap, Shadows Fall is seizing the moment.

"It's crazy to see how many bands have come out of a small place and had such an impact on the world,'' he said. "You tend to forget sometimes that you're not just a local band anymore.''

TODD MARTENS "Heavy Industry: Big Labels Embrace Loud Rock, But Sales Have Yet To Explode" Billboard April 7, 2007

Shadows Fall may be the latest hard rock band to jump from the indie world into the major label system, but breaking out of the metal genre and winning a mainstream fan base won't be easy.

Bands like Mastodon on Reprise and Lamb of God on Columbia may have had their largest debut weeks of their career when they joined the major label ranks, but sales, while respectable, have not yet catapulted the bands to new heights.

"That's going to be the case until one of these bands writes 'that song,' " Relapse head Matt Jacobson says. "It may never happen, but if it does, there's a system in place to push that along."

Mastodon's 2006 effort, "Blood Mountain," has sold 96,000 units in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and has not yet surpassed the act's 2004 effort for Relapse, "Leviathon." Meanwhile, Lamb of God's "Sacrament" got off to a fast start, but the 2006 album's 197,000 units seem on pace to match 2004 major label debut "Ashes of the Wake," which has sold 292,000 units.

Century Media president Marco Barbieri says there may be other factors at work. His label nurtured Shadows Fall, and believed it was on the verge of a breakout smash with Lacuna Coil. But 2006 effort "Karmacode" has sold 162,000 and not yet shown signs that the band will find a fan base beyond the 271,000 units sold by 2002's "Comalies."

"The reaction to the single and video wasn't what we had hoped for," Barbieri says. "It was the same as the last two singles had done. We had hoped to get out of this metal, subgenre box and get some more mainstream play, but we were relegated to [MTV2's] 'Headbanger's Ball.' "

He continues, "Our goals have always been Rolling Stone, MTV and commercial radio. But it's tough to talk to those people. They have opinions and stereotypes, and a lot of what goes on in this country is reacting to what's already considered cool."

Such stats don't faze Shadows Fall vocalist Brian Fair, who is happy that bands like his and Mastodon are being embraced at all by the industry at large.

"A band like Mastodon is not going to be top 40, but there's a whole audience out there of kids who want this progressive, insane, scary music," he says. "So instead of fucking with what they do and trying to make Mastodon fit in on a major label rock format, Reprise let them go nuts. Mastodon responded by making one of the scariest, darkest records ever on a major label. It's a pretty awesome time."