It’s been almost two years, but finally Shadows Fall are back. Lulling the listener in with a truly beautiful acoustic introduction (‘the path to imminent ruin’), and then smashing the mood to pieces with ‘my demise’, a storming melee of crushing riffs and Brian Fair’s mercurial vocals, which shift dynamically from a towering roar to a melodic ‘clean’ singing voice at the drop of a hat. Lengthy, and benefitting from the type of shift in mood and pace that Metallica used to do so well, ‘my demise’ is an inspiring track and it is instantly apparent that the band are giving the performance of their lives. With that in mind, it is a testament to the skill on display here that ‘still I rise’ actually tops the preceding track with the type of riff normally reserved for demolitions, while housing a chorus that is both melodic and memorable, without sounding like the band are endlessly reaching out for your wallet. Certainly Jonathan Donais’ guitar work deserves a mention as he demonstrates a dexterity that has been hinted at in the past, but is truly bought to the forefront here thanks to a crisp production job courtesy of Chris ‘Zeuss’ Harris (Hatebreed, Municipal Waste). Meanwhile Jason Bittner pounds away throughout the none-more-heavy ‘war’ which is destined to ignite any mosh-pit the world over with its terrace-chant chorus and brutal vocals.
‘King of nothing’ follows ‘war’ with an introduction worthy of the mighty Machine Head, before dashing off at a break-neck pace, sustained by sheer vitriol and a hefty double-kick-drum performance from Jason. ‘The taste of fear’ slows the pace marginally, kicking off with a shimmering guitar part, and featuring a wonderfully melodic chorus that doesn’t do disservice to the heaviness displayed elsewhere. Elsewhere the dazzling guitar work continues to impress, with chunky riffs giving way to screaming solos whilst never giving the impression that Donais is attempting to overshadow the rest of the band with his undoubted talent. Even the somewhat sugary opening to ‘picture perfect’ fails to unseat the impression that this is a band who have honed their skills to perfection.
This album reeks of class, and having had it almost continuously in my stereo since the kindly postman dropped it on our doormat, I can honestly say that, while you’re immediately bowled over by the vast riffs and melodies contained therein, you’ll also find plenty to come back to, with each song packed with invention and astonishing musicianship. Shadows Fall once again demonstrate that they are ahead of the pack when it comes to melodic heavy metal, and when an album this heavy manages to cram in killer hooks and melodies by the bucketful without ever once (well, maybe ‘picture perfect’) sounding like it’s aimed at the fickle MTV crowd you know that you’re in the presence of something truly special. A hard rock gem.
Shadows Fall – Retribution (Spinefarm, Sept 14th 2009)
