Shadows Fall The War Within
Century Media Records September 21st, 2004
By Jason Jordan
First, Mastodon shatters their former albums by releasing the excellent Leviathan. Now, Shadows Fall does the same thing. The War Within decimates Of One Blood and The Art of Balance.
The Light That Blinds commences the new album, and a killer track it is. The aforementioned song features copious amounts of formidable riffs and interesting drumwork. The double-bass is in full swing this time around, and Bittners propensity for alternating between crash and China cymbals adds a cool, idiosyncratic effect. Fairs vocals have hardly evolved from what weve heard before, but his emotive wretchings fit the overall mood. Guitar leads are nicely performed. Shadows Fall are certainly adept at composing enthralling rhythms; the group is tight on The War Within. Im sure you know the metalcore sound the band formulates. Nevertheless, What Drives the Weak, The Power of I and I, and Those Who Cannot Speak are well above par. The Power of I and I, though, is unparalleled citing its smooth transitions and ferociousness. Furthermore, I liked every track on the release; Enlightened by the Cold is the weakest in my opinion, but most tracks never cease to entertain.
Century Media Records has a real diamond here. Expect to be seeing and hearing a lot of Shadows Fall over the course of the next few months. And, seeing as how The War Within is such a high-quality release, thats not going to be a negative thing.
8.5/10
Official Shadows Fall website
Official Century Media Records website
Century Media Records September 21st, 2004
By Jason Jordan
First, Mastodon shatters their former albums by releasing the excellent Leviathan. Now, Shadows Fall does the same thing. The War Within decimates Of One Blood and The Art of Balance.
The Light That Blinds commences the new album, and a killer track it is. The aforementioned song features copious amounts of formidable riffs and interesting drumwork. The double-bass is in full swing this time around, and Bittners propensity for alternating between crash and China cymbals adds a cool, idiosyncratic effect. Fairs vocals have hardly evolved from what weve heard before, but his emotive wretchings fit the overall mood. Guitar leads are nicely performed. Shadows Fall are certainly adept at composing enthralling rhythms; the group is tight on The War Within. Im sure you know the metalcore sound the band formulates. Nevertheless, What Drives the Weak, The Power of I and I, and Those Who Cannot Speak are well above par. The Power of I and I, though, is unparalleled citing its smooth transitions and ferociousness. Furthermore, I liked every track on the release; Enlightened by the Cold is the weakest in my opinion, but most tracks never cease to entertain.
Century Media Records has a real diamond here. Expect to be seeing and hearing a lot of Shadows Fall over the course of the next few months. And, seeing as how The War Within is such a high-quality release, thats not going to be a negative thing.
8.5/10
Official Shadows Fall website
Official Century Media Records website
