Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What is WITH these reviews?!?, November 1, 2004
A 4 star average review. How is this possible? This is one of the best CDs from one of the best modern metal bands. Four stars usually means that there are quite a few bad reviews, which is the case here.
I see in this bizarre list of review several, too many, who have given "The War Within" markedly bad reviews with ridculous logic. Among these reviews, you have 4 types - I would like to address each type individually
1. Old school metal-heads who have learned about Shadows Fall because of their popularity. These guys think that AC/DC and Anthrax are the greatest metal bands of all time. They cannot grasp the rough vocals that Shadows Fall uses. I say that if you have the entire AC/DC collection, then modern metal is definitely not for you & you have no business reviewing this CD. Also, get off of the computer because other people at the nursing home want to use it.
2. Fanatical death metal / hardcore fans. Its always the same with these guys. They always whip out the "nu-metal" tag like a dagger. And their reviews always end something like this: "If you want REAL metal then save your money & check out the bands I listen to: Cryptopsy,Deicide,Dying Fetus,Cattle Decapitation,Pig Destroyer, blah, blah, blah." Listen, I am a very well-listened metal fan & I always either own or have heard all of the CDs that these idiots rant about. None of them, I repeat, NONE, are even good enough to hold Shadows Fall's scrotum area while they prematurely relieve themselves.
3. People who always compare to the previous CDs ... with a vengence. Its o.k. to compare to their older albums because those are the baseline. But some people whine if a band changes their sound, yet others whine when a band doesn't change its sound. In this case, if you think that Shadows Fall have deviated from their previous albums, especially "Art of Balance", then I have to believe that you have mistaken this band for someone else.
4. Metal fans who just do not like this CD or do not like Shadows Fall. Finally, reviewers worthy of some respect. You opinions are always valid & welcomed.
My opinion...Shadows Fall have outdone themselves with "The War Within". I don't believe that I have heard a metal album in recent memory with songs this good from start to end. Not only is every song good - every song is incredible. There is no doubt that this album tops the other 2 best releases of the year, Lamb of God's "Ashes of the Wake" and Machine Head's "Through the Ashes of Empires" (what's up with "ashes" anyway?). Shadows Fall are the best metal band today, period.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
War Within, September 28, 2004
This is my first Shadows Fall album. After all of the raving reviews I've read for The Art Of Balance, I became extremely interested in hearing this band. I did some research and discovered that they had a new album on it's way, so I held out for War Within. Let me just say that I am extremely impressed with this album. The guitar work is creative and very challenging. The lead guitarist plays lead while the rhythym guitarist plays rhythym creating a wall a sound I have longed to hear from American metal. The bass is actually really good. The bassist has a distinguishable tone and it comes out a lot when it needs to, especially in What Drives The Weak, the man is going off. The drumming is pretty good, a little soft sounding for a metal album, but pretty technical none the less. The singer has a good screaming voice, but also has a pretty good singing voice for a metal singer.
The DVD is pretty cool. It has some older songs recorded live. The camera quality is alright, there are a lot of angles and such, so it was done pretty professionally. There are also two guitar lessons and a drum lesson, which I find pretty cool for those musicians out there that want to learn the songs.
All in all, if you like top knotch metal music with fast drumming and ripping solos, then this is for you. Highly recommended.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Relentless thrash metal, April 22, 2005
There are two ways you can view Shadows Fall's fourth C.D. You can think of it as a very monotonous album which is in serious need of some melody; or you can view this album as a devastating, relentless thrash-metal assault which easily holds its own against metal's heaviest bands.
After I read some glowing reviews about it, I picked up "The War Within" and, after my first few listens, I thought it was very overrated. But after repeatedly listening to this C.D., it has definitely grown on me. I've found several "twists", surprises, and other things which I originally didn't hear.
I only partially agree with the statement that this album is "brutal and beautiful." It is definitely more brutal than it is beautiful, and there are only a few spots of prettiness. (Tracks 1 and 10 have acoustic intros/interludes that briefly make the songs pretty, but songs 2-9 are all slabs of relentless, melody deficient heavy metal.) Even super-heavy metal bands (like Pantera) would have a softer song here and there, but "War Within" doesn't sport a single ballad or melodic, radio-ready guitar lick.
Every track, including the songs with acoustic intros, are full of explosive, iron metal riffs, pounding drums, and thunderous rhythms. The only thing that prevents "The War Within" from being a death metal album is that the singer (Brian Fair) usually sings the songs cleanly--he doesn't have Cookie Monster vocals, and he snarls only a few times. The album does slow down in places, but it always picks up where it left off with a super heavy, super speedy onslaught. While there could stand to be a tad bit more melody or texture on tracks 2-9, you do get used to the album's hard hitting attack, and all of the songs grow on you.
Highlights include:
"The Light that Blinds" opens with an acoustic bit, which is very similar to Metallica's "Battery." It then shifts gears and rockets into a full on metal assault that explodes out of your speakers. After the song slows for the chorus, the fast double bass drums kick in and turbo charge the beat again. This song is full of good riffs, as well as a good guitar solo.
"Enlightened by the Cold" has heavy rhythmic (almost chugging) riffs, which should be tailor made for headbanging. Brian Fair cleanly sings the song's chorus, and this isn't the only song where he does so.
"What Drives the Weak" is a stadium sized anthem that is still full of booming riffs, but it is the album's closest thing to a semi-ballad. The choruses (part of which are sung, part of which are yelled) are huge. Around the three-minute mark the song turns to a bobbing beat with punching guitars and almost machine gun drums.
"The Power of I and I" opens with thunderous, lumbering riffs, then the verses change to an almost galloping beat. This song has a handful of good riffs, but the reason why this song is a personal favorite is the great Biohazard-esque shout-along chorus.
"Ghosts of Past Failures" has two of the "twists" that I found with repeated listens: the acoustic mid-section, as well as a scorching solo laid down by guitarist Matt Banchand.
So, "War Within" is definitely a worthwhile grab for any metalhead, especially those who are really into the "New Wave of American Heavy Metal" or `80's thrash. Just make sure you give it repeated spins, and listen with rested ears.
Since bands like Metallica, Megadeth and Anthrax emerged in the 1980's, that decade is thought of as the golden age of metal. The new millennium is the second coming of that era. New Wave of American Heavy Metal bands (like Shadows Fall) are helping to recreate the "golden age of metal," by making heavy metal/thrash metal popular again. Some say that Lamb of God are the Pantera of this millennium (that they pick up where Pantera left off). That might be true, but if it is, then Shadows Fall is Sepultura's or Metallica's equivalent.
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