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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Please Take A Moment And Read This!, June 26, 2005
Being a big fan of emo/screamo/indie bands, I was really disappointed with this album. Why, you ask? Well, for starters, they actually had SOLOS on this CD. Can you believe it? Also, they DIDN'T have somebody singing with a whiny voice! I would have liked it a lot more if it had more screaming on it! This whole CD is full of fake metal! This......
Sorry, I had to stop there(I couldn't stop myself from laughing). Truthfully, I wrote that first part to make fun of all the individuals who try to downplay this CD. I'd like to "clear the air" about this so-called, "poser-metal" group. I'll almost certainly make enemies with what I am going to say, but I also know that there are some who will agree whole-heartedly with my sentiments about this album. You've been warned!
After listening to this album a great many of times, I can tell you that this release is nothing short of magnificent. Sure, it's not as heavy musically as bands such as Arch Enemy, In Flames, or Soilwork(three of my favorite bands by the way), but it has its own unique metal flavor. I'm not much into labeling what a band's style of metal is(be it thrash, metalcore, goth, etc.), but I do know this: this album is METAL all the way.
The vocals of Brian Fair are easy to digest on this album, and while he is not too harsh, neither is he too soft. Regardless of how he sings on each song, the words are very easy to hear and understand. The actual lyrics themselves are full of intelligent thoughts, musings, and reflections on life itself, as well as the possible effects it can have on a person.
The musicianship on this release is also top-notch. The two guitarists, Matt and Jon, work very well with each other, with Jon handling the leads and Matt doing a good job in keeping the rhythm going. Jon displays a staggering amount of skill and musical prowess on all of his solos. My favorite solo of his would have to be the one in "Stepping Outside The Circle". Like just about every solo he does, it is full of deep emotion. Other excellent solos are found in "The Art Of Balance" and "A Fire Burns In Babylon".
This album also features two beautiful acoustic instrumentals, "Casting Shade" and "Prelude To Disaster". "Casting Shade" is a nice all-acoustic piece with both of the acoustics playing in harmonic bliss, while "Prelude To Disaster" starts out with the acoustic playing a haunting, yet beautiful chord progression, builds up with an electric guitar solo full of emotion, and ends with the same beauty that it started with, all while the sound of a crackling fire is heard in the background.
In closing, this Shadows Fall masterpiece is filled to the brim with excellent songs. I like all the songs except for "Idle Hands" and "The Idiot Box". Suffice it to say, if "Destroyer of Senses" and "Thoughts Without Words" are the only songs you've heard from this CD, then you'll be in for a real treat indeed. To those of you who have trashed this album, I'm afraid you have no idea whatsoever of what true talent really is. Your pathetic, talent-devoid bands such as Atreyu, Otep, System of a Down, My Chemical Romance, and all the others(believe me, I'm barely scratching the surface of all these horrible bands) can't even come close to the amount of talent Shadows Fall has. Something else to think about is this: Even with all their talent, I've NEVER seen any of the guys in Shadows Fall do the stupid things that the other bands do, like twirling their guitars around or jumping around like complete morons. Instead, you see them very humbly playing their instruments. Even if Jon is doing one of his leads, he almost never looks up from his guitar, which shows that he is more intent on focusing on the music rather than trying to be a show-off. That's just another reason why I like and respect this band.
The next time you want to bring an album like this down, remember to do your homework. I don't put any value in someone else's review unless it is intelligent and well-grounded, so the next time you think that 'real' metal is all about screaming vocals, guitars tuned so low that they sound like a bass, or the cute little finger tapping solos, then think again. This is NOT what metal is all about, nor will it EVER be.
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
If metal heads in this direction, its all good!, November 1, 2003
This is without a doubt the MUST HAVE album of metal for the past few years. This is what metal has been missing. It is aggresive, with awesome riffs, and SOLOS! Plus it is extremely catchy, and just one of the most insane sounds you can imagine.Shadows Fall basically took a style that was being used by several European metal bands and expanded upon it. This album shows emotion on so many levels, and is a pure display of TALENT! It has thrash on it...Stepping Outside the Circle is an 80's thrash fans dream to hear today. But it also has pounding anthems like Destroyer of Senses, epic feeling songs like The Art of Balance, and a KILLER rendition of Pink Floyd's Welcome to the Machine. There isn't much more you could ask for. What are you reading this for still? GET THE CD!
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
My Thoughts With Words, November 19, 2003
Shadows Fall is a band that was brought to my attention by my smaller brother, who saw them live at a Children Of Bodom concert in London. You see, I'm really into heavy metal, especially into the European Metal Scene with of course bands such as Arch Enemy, In Flames, Dark Tranquillity, Children Of Bodom, Soilwork... I can go on forever (Check my listmania out to find out about my favourite european bands). Anyways, when I found out that an American band was playing a style of metal that was previously only found in europe, I had to check them out. I now own all their releases and have fallen in love with this talented band. Shadows Fall's style of playing is close to other american bands such as Lamb Of God, Killswitch Engage, As I Lay Dying, Hatebreed, Darkest Hour, etc. However, they distinguish themselves by putting more emphasis on melody and guitar solos. I cannot understand why american metal bands have pushed aside solos. Anyways, about the album, the band also combines clean vocals with heavy screams, which in this style of music is always a winning combination. However it is the guitar leads and harmonies that force me to put them in a category of their own in American Metal. The Art Of Balance I believe is better than Of One Blood, even though both releases are outstanding. I will go through each song and try to tell you people what is so outstanding about them "Idle Hands" - the opener of the album is an excellent song. The agression can already be felt by this track however it is not the heaviest song here by any means. You can hear the melodic riffs 45 seconds into the song laying the background for the chorous. Overall a brilliant track 9/10 "Thoughts Without Words" - A very agressive track, I love the scales played that stand between the verses and choruses. A very powerful chorus which grows on me every time I hear it and an "overwhelming desire to react" takes over and I usually break stuff in my room. I must mention that the solo in this song is amazing. 8.5/10 "Destroyer of Senses" - Probably the most brutal track in this album, I am always amazed at the guitar work, these guys are very talented musicians. The bridge slows down the song a bit but only to have Brian's growls take over. Brilliant overall song. 8.5/10 "Casting Shade" - A short instrumental which reminds us that we are dealing with people that can play and don't just make noise. vote: n/a "Stepping Outside The Circle" - This is my favourite track in the album. What a song. It posses the best chorus, a cross between hardcore with brutal metal, of course the beautiful melodic bridge followed by another amazing solo. What more do you want in a song. 10/10 "The Art Of Balance" - This song has a slower rythm and because of that it takes us to another level were the listeners are subdued to beautiful melodies and relaxing verses only to find their souls filled with rage and strength in the chorus. The guitar work is again brilliant. A true masterpiece of a song. 10/10 "Mystery Of One Spirit" - By this point you might be wandering were the filler songs in this album are, well this song is not it, in facts we don't have fillers in this album. This song is another powerfull song with amazing guitar work. The seems to be interupted in the middle by an acoustic bridge and then the solos enter backed by a majestic rhythm. very good song. 8/10 "The Idiot Box" - Very aggressive from the beginning however, a song that is weaker than what we have heard so far. The choruses are the problem, the singing slows down the song too much. The guitars here are still at the same level on the previous tracks, with an amazing solo. 6/10 "Prelude To Disaster" - The second short acoustic instrumental in this album. It is a slow piece that I believe serves to relax the listener and rest. The harmonies created are beautiful. vote: n/a "A Fire In Babylon" - WOW, what an intro. I wish I could write such a piece of music. Here the skill of the guitarists is really evident. Very good song. 8.5/10 "Welcome To The Machine" - To tell you the truth this album does not need this song. It doesn't need it to make the album better, nor does it need it to make the band more popular. However this version of the song (Which is so much better than the original) is played in a very heavy style that fits with the other songs on this album. I prefer their original work by a landslide though. Maybe they wanted more variation on this release, in that case I'll give it 8/10 In other words, buy this album or never truelly live.
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