Shadows Fall

Shadows Fall originate from Massachusetts, even though their sound occasionally echoes the intricate, forward-thinking death metal style that originated in Gothenburg, Sweden, and is best represented by groups such as In Flames. Guitarists Jonathan Donais and Matthew Bachand assembled the band in 1996; by summer the next year the roster locked in with vocalist Phil Lebonte, bassist Paul Romanko, and drummer David Germain. Their compositions revolve around the abrupt tempo shifts and riff patterns first established by Metallica, Slayer, and Iron Maiden, which helped them secure regional gigs across New England and support slots alongside Fear Factory and Cannibal Corpse. Late in 1997 the group self-funded and self-issued Somber Eyes to the Sky, an album that reached CMJ’s Loud Rock Top Ten and later secured foreign licensing. In 1998 former Overcast vocalist Brian Fair replaced Lebonte, bringing greater range for both melodic passages and outright aggression. Further roadwork earned them a Century Media contract in 1999, leading to the early-2000 release of their first nationally distributed domestic album, Of One Blood. Shortly thereafter David Germain departed and Jason Bittner took over on drums. Following the 2002 album The Art of Balance, the band joined the summer 2003 Ozzfest trek, where their ferocious stage presence expanded their audience. Consequently The War Within entered the Billboard Top 200 at number 20 in 2004. Unreleased material from those sessions surfaced in 2006 as Fallout from the War, which preceded Threads of Life in 2007 and Retribution in 2009. A subsequent world tour yielded the 2010 live document Madness in Manila: Shadows Fall Live in the Philippines 2009, after which the group continued extensive international dates and festival appearances. They reentered the studio in 2011 to record Fire from the Sky, issued in spring 2012.