Shadows Fall

Fire From The Sky

Written by: PP on 23/08/2012 22:15:17

Halfway through the previous decade Shadows Fall were a big deal. Their 2004 album "The War Within", a metalcore classic according to some, has sold more than 300,000 copies in the US alone, and was one of the most enigmatic and dynamic albums released during the golden years of the genre. Today, Shadows Fall still enjoys a large and dedicated fan base, but buzz surrounding their seventh studio album "Fire From The Sky" - their first one since 2009's "Retribution" - is minimal. With metalcore being as saturated as it is in 2012, the old style metalcore of the more polished kind just doesn't appeal to kids as much as it used to anymore. You know, the stuff that was essentially kickstarted by Killswitch Engage twelve years ago.

That's why Shadows Fall have decided to inject some a fresh breeze of air into their sound anno 2012. "Fire From The Sky" is no longer the prototypical metalcore release we expected it to be, but continues to build from its predecessors thrash metal influence. While the band still makes heavy usage of their signature metalcore formula with roughened riffs and hardcore inspired barks for vocals with appropriately raw cleans contrasting, there are now many passages and indeed entire songs where it's simply impossible to categorize Shadows Fall as anything but thrash metal. Even crossover thrash becomes an accurate label at times, given the relatively high tempo and vicious tone many of their riffs have on this album.

It's a nice change that certainly pulls Shadows Fall back towards relevancy somewhat, however, it remains questionable if that's enough. Though we can all agree that "Fire From The Sky" is a decent album with quality riffing and some fairly catchy songs, it has a difficult time escaping the fact that despite exploring a different style, it does end up sounding dated. It's directly referencing the early to mid 2000s metalcore scene, and even with the mish-mash of thrash and crossover in the mix, it suffers from an unintended retrospective vibe. That said, if you're into the Unearth / All That Remains / Killswitch Engage style metalcore to start out with, then "Fire From The Sky" might be the best Shadows Fall album since "The War Within".

7

Download: Fire From The Sky, Save Your Soul, Blind Faith, The Unknown
For the fans of: Unearth, All That Remains, God Forbid, Killswitch Engage
Listen: Facebook

Release date 15.05.2012
Razor & Tie

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