Brian James Fair (born May 30, 1975) is an American musician from
, best known as lead vocalist of the
metalcore
Metalcore (also known as metallic hardcore) is a fusion music genre that combines elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. As with other styles blending metal and hardcore, such as crust punk and grindcore, metalcore is noted for its use of ...
band
Shadows Fall
Shadows Fall is an American metalcore band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1996. Although Shadows Fall has experienced several line-up changes, for most of its recording career, Shadows Fall has been composed of Jon Donais (lead guitar, b ...
. He graduated from
Milford Milford may refer to:
Place names Canada
* Milford (Annapolis), Nova Scotia
* Milford (Halifax), Nova Scotia
* Milford, Ontario
England
* Milford, Derbyshire
* Milford, Devon, a place in Devon
* Milford on Sea, Hampshire
* Milford, Shro ...
High School in 1993, and went on to study literature at
Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...
.
History
From a young age, Brian Fair had always been known for his affinity for a wide range of music. In seventh grade he had his first visit to a recording studio after he and two friends won a radio jingle contest (sponsored by Mass Electric) with a
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys were an American rap rock group from New York City, formed in 1978. The group was composed of Mike D, Michael "Mike D" Diamond (vocals, drums), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (voca ...
-inspired tune "The Energy Conservation Rap Song." In high school, he played bass and sang in a punk band called Frenzy that performed at local underage shows.
Overcast
In the summer of his sophomore year (August 1991), Fair co-founded
Overcast
Overcast or overcast weather, as defined by the World Meteorological Organization, is the meteorological condition of clouds obscuring at least 95% of the sky. However, the total cloud cover must not be entirely due to obscuring phenomena near t ...
, an influential hardcore band in the
Worcester
Worcester may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England
** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament
* Worcester Park, London, Englan ...
music scene. While Fair was on vocals, Scott McCooe and Pete Cortese played guitar,
Mike D'Antonio
Michael D'Antonio (born May 19, 1973) is best known as the bass guitarist and founder of Massachusetts metal band Killswitch Engage and of the band Overcast.
Career
D'Antonio's writing influences include old New York Hardcore bands like Cro-Ma ...
played bass, and Jay Fitzgerald played drums. Overcast's first 7", ''Bleed Into One'', was released in 1992 through Exchange Records. The band's first full-length, ''Expectational Dilution'', was released in 1994 and is considered a groundbreaking effort as many claim that Overcast are the pioneers of the
metalcore
Metalcore (also known as metallic hardcore) is a fusion music genre that combines elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. As with other styles blending metal and hardcore, such as crust punk and grindcore, metalcore is noted for its use of ...
scene. Their final full-length, ''Fight Ambition To Kill'', was released in 1997. This release was followed by nationwide touring with
Shai Hulud
Shai Hulud is an American metalcore band formed in Pompano Beach, Florida, in 1995, and later based in Poughkeepsie, New York. The band is named after the giant sandworms in Frank Herbert's novel ''Dune''.
The two mainstay members of Shai Hul ...
and
Disembodied. Overcast eventually split up in November 1998.
Shadows Fall
Soon after Overcast disbanded Fair joined Shadows Fall in place of Phil Labonte who left due to creative differences. Soon after the band signed to Century Media Records. The band recorded its second studio album Of One Blood with Fair on vocals in 2000, the release included re-recorded songs from Somber Eyes to the Sky.
Shadows Fall decided to change its style to find its own sound. Inspired by more thrash, hard rock and power ballad influences, the band recorded its third studio album, titled The Art of Balance. Released on September 17, 2002, the album peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Top Independent albums chart. Shadows Fall released three music videos to promote the album; "Thoughts Without Words", "Destroyer of Senses", and "The Idiot Box". The Art of Balance featured a cover of the Pink Floyd song "Welcome to the Machine". Andy Hinds of Allmusic stated the album is "a modern heavy metal album that is both brutal and highly musical, traditional yet forward-thinking", but criticized the placement of "Welcome to the Machine", stating the song "is stylishly well-executed, but seems a tad out of place nonetheless." Shadows Fall supported The Art of Balance by touring on Ozzfest in 2003.
Fair continued with Shadows Fall as his main priority, and the band released several more records. On April 29, 2006, Overcast reunited to play at the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival. The band then announced and re-recorded archive material and two new tracks, produced by metal producer
Nick Raskulinecz
Nick Raskulinecz () (born February 4, 1970) is an American record producer. He resides in Nashville, Tennessee.
Production career
Raskulinecz is from the Bearden area of Knoxville, Tennessee. He first produced and recorded bands in Knoxville ...
, under the name ''
Reborn to Kill Again
''Reborn to Kill Again'' is an album by the American metalcore band Overcast, which was released on August 19, 2008. It contains eleven classic tracks and two unreleased songs.
"Root Bound Apollo" was first released on Shadows Fall's ''Of One B ...
''.
Shadows Fall's fifth record, ''
Threads of Life
''Threads of Life'' is the fifth studio album by American heavy metal music, heavy metal band Shadows Fall. Released on April 3, 2007, in the U.S. through Atlantic Records, the album debuted at number 46 on the Billboard 200, ''Billboard'' 200. '',_was_released_on_April_3,_2007,_through_Atlantic_Records">_...
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