Shadows Fall - Roadrunner Records Australia

“We just wanted to write a full-on metal record,” so Shadows Fall Frontmann Brian Fair. “We were like, 'I don't care what's going on, nowadays — let's write some fucking metal!' I mean, that's always been our attitude, but this time we went even further into our rock and thrash roots.” Und so weht auf Threads of Life, dem neuen Shadows Fall Album, zwar ein erfrischender Metalwind, doch trotzdem können die Jungs ihre Old School Wurzeln nicht verleumden und machen hier “We just wanted to write a full-on metal record,” says Brian Fair, lead singer of Shadows Fall. “We were like, ‘I don’t care what’s going on, nowadays — let’s write some fucking metal!’ I mean, that’s always been our attitude, but this time we went even further into our rock and thrash roots.” Threads Of Life, the new album by Shadows Fall, is a bracing blast of extreme heavy metal, a heady brew of old-school sensibilities and cutting-edge hard rock delivered with passion, precision and a refreshing lack of pretension. Dubbed “the reigning purveyors of everydude metal” by Revolver magazine, the hard-touring, beer-chugging Massachusetts quintet has handily surpassed the high standards set by their critically feted 2002 release, The Art Of Balance, and its even-more-acclaimed 2004 followup, The War Within — the latter of which had sold over 270,000 copies to date, and received a Grammy nomination for the track “What Drives The Weak”, amazing feats for an independent release. One of the original forces behind the New Wave of American Heavy Metal and undisputed leaders in that scene, Shadows Fall are currently on the verge of propelling themselves into the classic metal pantheon with Threads Of Life. Produced for maximum sonic impact by Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Stone Sour, Rush) at Studio 606 in Los Angeles, Threads Of Life is a masterful achievement by a band that continues to push the envelope artistically while remaining true to its core sound and audience. “Nick was able to get performances out of us that we didn’t even expect from ourselves,” Fair enthuses. “Structurally, we had worked out a lot of the stuff before we even got to the studio, but he really brought new life to things sonically — different layering of guitars, vocal harmonies that we wouldn’t have thought of, great ideas like that.” For those who’ve already been paying attention, the band’s continued musical growth won’t come as much of a surprise — in terms of pure musicianship, Shadows Fall has long been one of the most highly respected bands in the metal community, boasting a lineup that could easily go toe-to-toe with rock’s most legendary players. Guitarists Matt Bachand and Jon Donais are former guest columnists for Guitar World magazine, and the pair recently had the honor of being included in the mag’s “Top 100 Guitarists of All Time” list. Bassist Paul Romanko is a regular contributor to Guitar World’s Bass Guitar magazine, while drummer Jason Bittner pens a column for Modern Drummer, whose readers voted him “Best Metal Drummer” in year-end polls for 2005 and 2006. And with his four-foot-long dreadlocks, powerful vocals and commanding stage presence, Brian Fair — a frequent guest host on MTV’s “Headbanger’s Ball” — is one of the most charismatic and recognizable frontmen in metal. All five members bring a wide variety of influences to the table, as well. “Jonny’s always been into 80s metal and 70s rock,” Fair explains. “Matt was really into death metal and grindcore back in the day, but he also likes all sorts of singer/songwriter stuff; Jay has a real prog background — he’s a huge fan of Rush and Dream Theater — and Paul’s the old-school punk rock and hardcore dude. I kind of came up through 70s rock, and then found the hardcore scene, but I’d always been listening to a lot of jazz, reggae and spacey stuff.” But as with all great bands through the ages, when Shadows Fall make music together, the disparate influences and personalities somehow coalesce into a single vision. “There are really no egos in this band,” affirms Fair. “We’re always going to have the technical aspect of our music, because these boys can play. But we want to incorporate all of that into a song framework; it’s all about trying to create the best song, and everyone understanding how they fit into it. “Of course,” he adds, “when it’s time to let it rip, we let it rip!” “Redemption,” Threads Of Life’s anthemic opening track and lead single, is a veritable crash course in Shadows Fall’s patented mixture of metallic riffage, hardcore aggression, and melodic uplift. “This is the Shadows Fall sound condensed into four minutes,” laughs Fair. “I think it’s a perfect representation of what we do. And I think it really encapsulates the entire album, which is why we opened with it — it has a little bit of everything you’re going to get in the next 45 minutes!” “Final Call,” the album’s epic seven-minute centerpiece — which includes some spectacular twin-guitar shredding from Donais and Bachand — is a rallying cry for hope and togetherness in a time of cynicism and despair. “So many of the ideals and goals of our government seem to be so far from what I’m trying to accomplish in my life, that I feel like I’ve been exiled to my own little plane of existence,” says Fair. “But at this point, I’m fine with it, because I think there are others who feel the same way, and I think there are more of them out there than people realize.” Fair’s also not afraid to whip himself into a righteous rage when the situation calls for it. “Failure Of The Devout,” “Burning The Lives” and “Forevermore” all take lethal aim at those responsible for the current precarious state of the world, be it corrupt political systems or organized religion in general. But the most powerful example of Shadows Fall’s broadened musical, lyrical and emotional scope is “Another Hero Lost,” an achingly heartfelt ballad inspired by the death of Fair’s cousin, a US soldier who was killed last year in Iraq. “We’ve always had those slower moments on our records, with songs like ‘The Art of Balance’ and ‘Inspiration on Demand,’” the singer explains, “but this was the most straightforward, melodic rock ballad we’ve ever done. I didn’t want to take away from the tribute vibe to it by making it this brutal, crazy song; it had to be straight-up from the heart, and really pure and true. “It’s also the most personal song I’ve ever recorded. Lyrically, it’s from my cousin’s perspective, as well as just me sorting through the emotions that my family and I were going through at the time. The song has no political agenda, at all — it’s just me remembering someone I grew up with, who meant a lot to me. I know a lot of people have been going through similar things recently, so I think it’s a song they’ll be able relate to. Hopefully, there won’t have to be many more songs written about something like this.” Formed over a decade ago in Springfield, Massachusetts, Shadows Fall came up the hard way, playing weekend shows in New England basements, rec centers and even storage spaces for gas money. “We were all friends before we started this band,” Fair recalls. “We all played in other bands that played with each other, and we had a very similar goal and vision in mind for what we wanted to accomplish together. We had that all-for-one, one-for-all attitude from the beginning, which is still how we do business — it’s gotta be a unanimous decision before anything gets done.” That unity of spirit and vision came in handy, as Shadows Fall struggled to raise its profile beyond the Massachusetts metal scene. “We learned as we grew, just by stumbling through it on our own,” Fair explains. “You learn what it takes to make this all work, which gives you a real respect for it. I think if you end up going from the practice space right onto a huge tour with a tour bus, it’s easy to let the little things bother you, but we’re just psyched for every little success we have; we remember what it was like when it was five stinky dudes living in a van for a month at a time, making fifty bucks a show and eating ramen every night. If you didn’t do that, I don’t think you really appreciate it when you end up with a dressing room full of free beer!” The band’s big break came in 2003, when they were offered a second stage slot on that summer’s Ozzfest. The surprise hit of the second stage, Shadows Fall won over legions of young fans with the intensity of their musical attack; their ability to make even the biggest gig feel like a keg party free-for-all didn’t hurt, either. “I think it opened a lot of peoples’ eyes to see how many kids were coming out to the second stage just to see this indie band,” says Fair. Two summers later, Shadows Fall made the leap to Ozzfest’s main stage, where their incendiary performances converted even the hardened old-school metal fans who’d come to see Iron Maiden and Ozzy Osbourne. Clearly, here was a band capable of carrying the torch passed to them by the old-school giants of heavy metal. After an incredible run with independent metal label Century Media, Threads Of Life marks Shadows Fall’s major label debut on Atlantic Records. “We just look at it as another launching point, with more resources,” Fair explains. “We were friends with people at the label before we even headed into a business relationship, so it’s been comfortable from the beginning. They realize that we’re a career band that’s been doing this for a decade, and they just wanted to help us perpetuate that.” In other words, even with a new label, a tidal deluge of critical plaudits and a rapidly expanding audience, it’s still business as usual for Shadows Fall — make a great record, and then hit the road to rock (and have a beer with) as many people as possible. “The original reason we got into playing this music was because it’s fun,” Fair laughs. “We just decided at one point, ‘We’re gonna get in the van, and we’re gonna tour until we can’t’ — and it’s actually paid off, which is unbelievable. We’re just so psyched to be playing metal for a living.” 27/05/2009 - Divine Heresy announce new album The creative force behind the genre-defying, legendary metal titans Fear Factory, guitarist Dino Cazares, has returned with a mind-blowing, scathing new offering that shatters the ... 19/03/2008 - SHADOWS FALL - Soundwave Interview (Video) The second Soundwave Festival interview of the series.... SHADOWS FALL!The schedule for the remaining videos is: 17/03/2008 - MADINA LAKE - Soundwave Interview (Video) It's the start of a new blistering hot week everybody and to kick start it we have a series of Interviews with four of the ... 14/03/2008 - MADINA LAKE/STILL REMAINS - AFL Video Now Online! The wait is over for all you Still Remains and Madina Lake fans who missed out seeing them playing footy with Spider Everitt from Sydney Swans on Channel ... 13/03/2008 - TRIVIUM - Sneak Peak at Fan Club Trailor TRIVIUM have posted a one-minute trailer (see it below) for the DVD that will be made available only to the members of the group's official fan ... 03/03/2008 - Roadrunner bands tear up Soundwave Festival 3rd March, 2008Today wraps up the last day of Soundwave Festival, with Perth fans getting to see Divine Heresy, Still Remains, Killswitch Engage, Shadows Fall ... 22/02/2008 - TRIVIUM Frontman On Upcoming CD: 'It's Our Strongest Material To Date' Orlando metallers TRIVIUM are currently in pre-production for their new album, tentatively due before the end of the year via Roadrunner Records. The as-yet-untitled CD ... 12/02/2008 - MACHINE HEAD – Proud to be #2 Machine Head frontman Robb Flynn has issued the following update: "'We're number 2! We're number 2! We're number 2!' That's what us and the SHADOWS ... 30/01/2008 - Rob Halford. Nick Raskulinecz. TRIVIUM What do these names have in common with Trivium and their third studio album for Roadrunner? Read on and discover. During an interview with Metal ... 22/01/2008 - The UK Press loves ROADRUNNER KERRANG! – Readers Poll 2007#1 Best New Band – Madina Lake#2 Hero 12/01/2008 - SHADOWS FALL – Brian’s Message to Aussie Fans! Happy 2008 everyone!!! It has been great to be back in Boston with friends and family to enjoy the holidays and ring in the New ... 07/01/2008 - SOUNDWAVE Sydney – SOLD OUT! The organizers of Soundwave ‘08 are pleased to announce that the Sydney installment of the festival is now sold out. To deter scalpers and profiteers ... 15/12/2007 - Francis Burns unveils his TOP 10 FOR 2007 1. Machine Head: The Blackening 2. Black Sabbath: The Dio Years 3. Porcupine Tree: Fear of a Blank Planet 4. Arch Enemy: Rise of the ... 05/12/2007 - MACHINE HEAD Nominated for a Grammy! MACHINE HEAD, SHADOWS FALL, and former Roadrunner artist KING DIAMOND are among the nominees in the Best Metal Performance category of the 50th Annual Grammy ... 26/11/2007 - TRIVIUM Frontman: We Gotta Take The Time To Make Our Greatest Album Ever TRIVIUM guitarist/vocalist Matt Heafy has issued the following update: "Matt here in Birmingham, UK. First day off The Black Crusade. UK/Euro leg of the tour ... 07/11/2007 - ROADRUNNER bands on Soundwave 2008 A bunch of Roadrunner acts have made the cut for the Soundwave 2008 festival line-up. The proposed dates run from late February to early March, ... 07/11/2007 - Brian Fair of SHADOWS FALL - the hard questions HeavyMetalSource.com recently spoke to vocalist Brian Fairâ€¦ Filmed in Hartford, Connecticut at the Webster Theatre on October 14th, check out what Brian has to say ... 07/11/2007 - MACHINE HEAD Australian tour dates According to a posting at Blabbermouth, Machine Head, Trivium and Shadows Fall to tour Oct/Nov The Australian leg of ‘The Black Crusade tour’ featuring the ... 07/11/2007 - Andrew Dice Clay trashes SHADOWS FALL In the nicest possible way of courseâ€¦ Acclaimed comedian Andrew Dice Clay unveils a hilarious skit about the members of Shadows Fall. If you are ... 07/11/2007 - DREAM THEATER Dish on Roadrunner Be sure to take a look at this glorious Dream Theater EPK also! Dream Theater's EPK for Systematic Chaos features live footage from their April ... 07/11/2007MACHINE HEAD's Dave McClain turns 10 The MH drummer is celebrating his 10 year anniversary with Machine Head. "December 26th [2005] marks the official ten-year anniversary of the day that one ... 27/05/2009Divine Heresy announce new album The creative force behind the genre-defying, legendary metal titans Fear Factory, guitarist Dino Cazares, has returned with a mind-blowing, scathing new offering that shatters the ... 07/11/2007SHADOWS FALL – Tales Of Redemption Metal fans, your salvation has arrived! Massachusetts-based metallers SHADOWS FALL will film a video for the new song "Redemption" shortly with director Zach Merck (ATREYU, ... 07/11/2007CHIMAIRA's new album draws near. The Cleveland Scene recently spent some time with Chimaira at Strongsville's Spider Studios, where the band has been recording their follow-up to The Impossibility Of ... 07/11/2007Guitar players take note, Matthew and Jonathan are here to demonstrate their guitar technique. Guitar players take note, Matthew and Jonathan are here to demonstrate their guitar technique. Matthew Bachand and Jonathan Donais from SHADOWS FALL recently demonstrated warm-up ... 07/11/2007Hanging out for the new Shadows Fall album? Brian Fair checks in from the studio. Hanging out for the new Shadows Fall album? Brian Fair checks in from the studio. The vocalist wrote about the band's forthcoming album 'Threads Of ... 07/11/2007TRIVIUM – Interviews – Videos – Making Videos… Here's where you need to be in order to get yourself up to date with Trivium. With 'The Crusade' being launched in less than eight ... 07/11/2007Drummer Jason Bittner has published a book of his drumming transcriptions and techniques. Drummer Jason Bittner has published a book of his drumming transcriptions and techniques. Titled "Drumming out of the Shadows - The Music of Jason Bittner ... 07/11/2007Shadows Fall have set up a YouTube channel and invite you to view their creative process. Shadows Fall have set up a YouTube channel and invite you to view their creative process. With their forthcoming album 'Threads of Life' due early ... 07/11/2007SHADOWS FALL taste the Semla Shadows Fall have created six video portals into the making of their latest album. With "Threads of Life" slated for an April release, you can ... 07/11/2007SLIPKNOT win Best Metal Performance Grammy The US Grammy Awards have been and gone and Slipknot were among the winners. Taking out Category 18 - Best Metal Performance, they were up ... 07/11/2007Roadrunner sign DREAM THEATER Now THIS is BIG news! ROADRUNNER RECORDS is proud to announce the signing of progressive metal pioneers Dream Theater. A new studio album, 'Systematic Chaos' ... 07/11/2007Hear new SHADOWS FALL now!!!! Check it out, you can now hear 'Redemption' from 'Threads Of Life' 'Threads Of Life' is the April slated Atlantic/Roadrunner debut for Shadows Fall and ... 07/11/2007SHADOWS FALL Sign To Roadrunner Roadrunner Records is very proud to announce the signing of Massachusetts-based five-piece, SHADOWS FALL for all territories, excluding the US. Wally van Middendorp, VP International ... 07/11/2007THROWDOWN May 2005 Tour Throwdown boasts an arsenal full of the most visceral and fist-pumping pit anthems to ever emerge from the underground scene. And with the 2004 Ozzfest, ... 07/11/2007Another killer TRIVIUM review! From Pitriff Online Man, is the resurgence of American Metal an exciting thing to be a witness to. There are so many bands that are ... 07/11/2007Top Ten's for 2004 A selection of Roadrunner artists have submitted their Top Ten albums for 2004. Some will surprise you, and some will not. Dave Pybus - CRADLE ... 07/11/2007HATEBREED in Japan HATEBREED are the latest act added to the Extreme Dojo Vol. 12 Japanese tour featuring SHADOWS FALL, AS I LAY DYING and EVERYTIME I DIE. ... 07/11/2007MADBALL Back in town! Madball, the pinnacle of New York hardcore will record their upcoming album in May with production from Zeuss (Hatebreed, Shadows Fall, Throwdown). The album 'Legacy' ... 07/11/2007The first Devildriver review Devildriver THE FURY OF OUR MAKER'S HAND Roadrunner Records A lot of people applaud bands like Lamb Of God, Chimaira or Shadows Fall as the ... Threads Of Life Threads Of Life