Search - Shadows Fall :: Art of Balance

I Wrote This Back In 2002

The Great Rocky Hill | Pittsburgh, PA USA | 02/18/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Once upon a time there was a band named Metallica who found inspiration in the NWOBHM and created a new genre, becoming legends in the process. Ever since they forgot what they learned and began writing for radio, fans and critics alike have hoped for Metallica's second coming. Not only have they arrived in my opinion, but they've been here for years. They are called Shadows Fall and the albums that have made a believer out of me are Of One Blood and their latest, The Art Of Balance.



"Idle Hands", the galloping mid-tempo mauler of an opener, instantly made it clear to me just how important this band can and should become. As with Metallica's early work, the magic and efficiency of the NWOBHM can be heard, but instead of filtering it through Motorhead, Shadows Fall burn it to a blackened crisp. The Art Of Balance is a Rainbow Bridge that links the metal of the early 80's to the metal of the 90's and beyond. "Mystery Of One Spirit" which plays In Flames' hand only to trump them by invoking Iron Maiden and Accept halfway through, exemplifies this band's mission.



New classics jump out from around nearly every corner. "Thoughts Without Words" absorbs the infectious, funky misery of Down towards the middle and expunges it via the cold machinery of Meshuggah. "Destroyer Of Senses" absolutely shatters with its nasty, reverberating riffage, and the stirring penultimate track "A Fire In Babylon" succeeds as a philosophical and timely epic that Rush might have thought of had they formed in Britain circa 1980.



However, The Art Of Balance is a slightly flawed gem to me. I would have preferred the songs to be entirely done with the clean vocals which recall James Hetfield. The rough vocals don't really detract much, but I get the vague feeling the record would have levelled the joint even more without them. I also felt that the reworked version of "Stepping Outside The Circle" was ever so slightly inferior to the version found on the band's Deadworld EP. One other minor problem I had was with the band's merely serviceable cover of Pink Floyd's "Welcome To The Machine". I would have preferred and expected a band as inspired as Shadows Fall to pay homage to their fiercely metallic roots instead of remaking a song which has been well worn by rock radio.



But those missteps aside, I am thoroughly enjoying The Art Of Balance for its craftsmanship, its intelligent songwriting, its marvelous guitar work, its thoughtful lyrics, its modern yet vintage riffery, and for the fact that it truly lives up to its title. Crusades have begun with lesser works than these. Here's hoping that Shadows Fall never stray from the path.

"

Real metal spawned within the last decade? It's true!

J. C. Amos | Seattle | 09/01/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I picked up this one on a recommendation from a friend of mine. He is a true metalhead, and for the most part, he can't stand "metal" that had come about in the last 10 or more years and neither can I. So when he recommended Shadows Fall and told me that they were one of the few modern metal bands that he really likes I had to check them out. I am defintely impressed.

What immeditately hooked me was the riffing. The guitars have that classic 80s style metal vibe with all the great hooks and melodies that I love about thrash metal. It maintains what classic metal is all about without sounding like a cover band, but also manages to be new and innovative without going into "Nu" territory.

The vocals are one of the most interesting things about this band. The songs go from melodic vocals to thrash metal vocals to death metal vocals and it all sounds awesome. I know that the guitarists contribute to the vox as well as the lead singer, so I am not sure who contributes the different styles, but it's all great.

If you haven't heard Shadows Fall and you like thrash metal, you should definitely check them out. Standout tracks are "Stepping Outside the Circle," "Idiot Box" and "A Fire in Babylon.""

Not As Good As The War Within

Mike Smith | 09/05/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I gave The War Within 5 stars. I was disappointed with The Art of Balance. War Within had more of what I was looking for, for instance, good riffs and more melody. The Art of Balance strikes me as being a little weak compared to The War Within. I gave TAOB 3 stars because the Pink Floyd cover (Welcome to the Machine) was very good. Other than that TAOB has few redeeming qualities in my opinion."