SHADOWS FALL Frontman Discusses New Album

Massachusetts metallers SHADOWS FALL have completed work on their sixth album — the band's first to be released through their own label in conjunction with Warner Music Group's Independent Label Group and Ferret Music. Tentatively due in September, the CD was recorded primarily at Planet Z in Hadley, Massachusetts with longtime producer Chris "Zeuss" Harris, while Michael "Elvis" Baskette oversaw the vocal recordings in Virginia.

"The new SHADOWS FALL record is a true cross-section of all our influences, past and present," vocalist Brian Fair told Noisecreep. "We tried to hold nothing back and decided to take chances to avoid putting out a safe, by-the-numbers' record."

He contined, "There are songs based on pure aggression and chaos, like 'My Demise' and 'Embracing Annihilation', that showcase the thrash metal and melodic death metal influences that have been the bedrock of the SHADOWS FALL sound. There's tons of shredding guitar leads, double bass drum insanity and full-on screaming." Elsewhere, "Songs like 'The Taste Of Fear' and 'Picture Perfect' owe more to the production of pop rock bands DEF LEPPARD and BOSTON, than, say TESTAMENT or CARCASS. There's huge vocal melodies, harmonized gang vocals and layers that push the songs to new levels. It may sound schizophrenic but it all makes sense and creates a dynamic that I believe separates this album from a lot of the cookie-cutter metal records flooding the market today."

SHADOWS FALL's latest effort, "Threads of Life", was made available through Atlantic Records in the U.S. and Roadrunner Records in Europe. The CD shifted around 100,000 copies in the United States since its April 2007 release — a fraction of the 300,000-plus sales total achieved by its predecessor, 2004's "The War Within", which was issued by Century Media.

SHADOWS FALL drummer Jason Bittner recently stated about the band's new material, "The songs are a little more on the darker, angry side... lots of heaviness, lots of crazy guitar, and LOTS of room for me to have some fun. There is no doubt in my mind that this will be the best performance of my career, so far, and I owe that to my guys for bringing me incredible riffs to write killer drum parts to."

Video footage of SHADOWS FALL performing a brand new song, "Fuck It All", on December 28, 2008 at Pearl Street in Northampton, Massachusetts can be viewed below.

Upcoming SHADOWS FALL shows:

Apr. 11 - Farmingdale, NY - The Crazy Donkey
Apr. 30 - Manila - Pulp Summer Slam
May 22 – Wallingford, CT – Chevrolet Theater
Jun. 11-14 – Manchester, TN - Bonnaroo
Jun. 25 - Anchorage, AK - Chilkkoot Charlies
Jun. 29 - Anchorage, AK - Club Millennium