Shadows Fall

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Shadows Fall are a five-piece metal band from Springfield, Massachusetts.

Shadows Fall was formed in 1995 by guitarists Jonathan Donais and Matt Bachand with the help of Adam Dutkiewicz. Jon wanted to start a new band after playing with the band Aftershock on their first demo, entitled To Ashes. Vocalist Philip Labonte, bassist Paul Romanko, and drummer David Germain later joined the band to complete Shadows Fall's initial line-up. Somber Eyes to the Sky, Shadows Fall's debut album, was released in 1997 through Matt Bachand's recording label, Lifeless Records. Shadows Fall's debut record garnered Shadows Fall considerable attention in the Massachusetts area and led to a record deal with Californian independent metal label, Century Media Records.

Of One Blood, Shadows Fall's second album, was released in 2000. Of One Blood featured Brian Fair, formerly of Overcast, as a replacement for Phil Labonte. Labonte went on to be the frontman for the band All That Remains. Labonte's guttural Death Metal vocal style was replaced with Fair's range of screams and energetic growls, hardcore yelling, raspy and clean singing. "Revel in My Loss", "To Ashes", and "Fleshold" from Somber Eyes to the Sky were re-recorded for the new album. Shadows Fall embarked on a worldwide tour with a wide range of artists, including The Misfits, King Diamond, and In Flames.

Shadows Fall's third album, The Art of Balance, was released on September 17, 2002. It was inspired by a quest to find a perfect balance of melody and aggression. Jason Bittner buoyed the rhythm section as Shadows Fall's new drummer. The Art of Balance was marked by a shift away from the melodic death metal style to a traditional thrash metal approach and a slight touch of metalcore. Bachand's clean vocals were used less frequently. Changes were apparent on the song "Stepping Outside the Circle" that had been previously released on the Shadows Fall album Fear Will Drag You Down. The Art of Balance was re-recorded with a slower tempo, less crisp production, and with Fair's vocals replacing Bachand's voice in the chorus.

Shadows Fall was invited to play on Ozzfest tour in 2003. Shadows Fall was considered one of the best new bands on the tour and sold more albums on each stop than other bands that appeared on the side-stage. Several prestigious tours followed, including Japan's "Beast Fest" and MTV2's Headbanger's Ball tour with such bands as Killswitch Engage and Lamb of God. Shadows Fall released three music videos: "Thoughts Without Words", "Destoyer of Senses", and "The Idiot Box". Shadows Fall became the first band on Century Media to have album sales in excess of 100,000 copies. "The Idiot Box" (and later pressings of The Art of Balance) also featured a cover of the Pink Floyd single "Welcome to the Machine".

The War Within, Shadows Fall's fourth album, was released on September 21, 2004. Music videos for the tracks "The Power of I and I", "What Drives the Weak", "Inspiration on Demand" and "Enlightened By the Cold" accompanied the album's release. The War Within soon reached the number one position on the Billboard Independent Albums chart while reaching the number 20th position on the top 200. The War Within has sold approximately 300,000 copies in the United States.

Shadows Fall was named by Alternative Press as a "Top Five Band in Metal Today". Revolver Magazine readers voted the band "Best New Talent." Shadows Fall received the "Golden God Award" for Best Underground Act at the Metal Hammer Awards. Guitar World Magazine ranked Shadows Fall 's two guitarists among the "Top 100 Heavy Metal Guitarists of All Time" in the March 2004 issue. Both guitarists have written monthly columns featured in Guitar World Magazine. Drummer Jason Bittner was praised as the "#1 Up and Coming Drummer" in a 2004 reader's poll for Modern Drummer Magazine.

Shadows Fall released their first DVD, The Art of Touring, in November of 2005. A live concert with Shadows Fall backstage footage and six music videos are featured on the DVD. Shadows Fall released their final CD on the Century Media label, Fallout from the War, on June 13, 2006. The album contains material that was never finished during the recording sessions from "The War Within" but also includes covers and re-recorded vintage material from Shadows Fall. The album peaked at 83 on the Top 200 charts.

Shadows Fall released their next album, Threads of Life, on April 3rd, 2007, which is the first release on Shadows Fall 's new North American label Atlantic Records. "Redemption", the first single from the CD was released on February 20, 2007 through Itunes and a video for the single has been released. Shadows Fall recently signed a deal with Roadrunner Records for international distribution of the new record. Shadows Fall cancelled remaining dates on a fall tour with Killswitch Engage and Bury Your Dead in late October to finish writing the new album. All That Remains filled in for Shadows Fall in November and Hatebreed filled the tour slot in December. Shadows Fall recently finished up touring alongside Stone Sour and former label mates, Lacuna Coil on the Jagermeister Tour which kicked off in Minneapolis, Minnesota on March 23, 2007, and ended on May 4, 2007.

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