Shadows Fall is an American

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 from

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, 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, backing vocals),

Matt Bachand Matt Bachand (born April 29, 1977) is an American guitarist. He has strong death metal and thrash metal influences. He is rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist for the heavy metal band Shadows Fall, and the bassist for Act of Defiance. He is k ...

(rhythm guitar, clean vocals), Paul Romanko (bass), Brian Fair (lead vocals), and

Jason Bittner Jason Bittner (born January 11, 1970 in Niskayuna, New York) is an American drummer, best known as the drummer for American metal band Shadows Fall. He is also the current drummer for Overkill since 2017, and was the drummer for the thrash meta ...

(drums). Shadows Fall has released seven studio albums, two compilation albums, and two DVDs. The band's first album featured

Philip Labonte Philip Steven Labonte (born April 15, 1975) is an American singer from Massachusetts, best known as the lead singer of the metalcore band All That Remains. He is the former lead vocalist for Shadows Fall, was the touring vocalist for Killswitc ...

(of All That Remains) on lead vocals; but, he was soon replaced by Fair. Shadows Fall's first two studio albums featured David Germain playing drums; however, in 2002, Bittner joined the band full-time. In February 2008, the band was a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

nominee in the category

Best Metal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards to recording artists for works (songs or albums) containing quality performances in the heavy metal music genre. The Grammy Awards is an annual ceremony, where ...

for the song "Redemption" off the album ''

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. ...

''. Their most recent studio album, ''Fire From the Sky'', was released on May 15, 2012 and was the first to be produced by

Adam Dutkiewicz Adam Jonathan Dutkiewicz (born April 4, 1977) is an American musician, recording engineer, songwriter, and music producer, best known as the lead guitarist and backup vocalist from Massachusetts metalcore bands Killswitch Engage, Aftershock, and ...

since the band's first studio release. Shadows Fall announced in August 2014 that they were going to go on an indefinite hiatus, and by the following summer, they had wrapped up what was planned to be their farewell tour. The band reunited for its first show in six years in December 2021 in their native Massachusetts, and they have discussed the possibility of recording new material.

History

Formation and ''Somber Eyes to the Sky'' (1996–1997)

Shadows Fall was formed in 1996 by guitarists Jonathan Donais and

, then good friends from the local music scene."Shadows Fall Interview"
metalupdate.com. Retrieved on May 10, 2012. Bachand had previously been a founding member of a death metal band and Donais a member of the metalcore band

Aftershock In seismology, an aftershock is a smaller earthquake that follows a larger earthquake, in the same area of the main shock, caused as the displaced crust adjusts to the effects of the main shock. Large earthquakes can have hundreds to thousand ...

. Later on the band had found a complete lineup with the addition of Damien McPherson (vocals), Mark Laliberte (bass), and David Germain (drums). Also in 1996,

performed live drums to fill in for Germain. By late 1996, the band recorded and released a demo titled ''Mourning a Dead World,'' of which only about 200 copies were produced. It consisted of the songs Lifeless, Suffer the Season, Fleshold, Forever Lost, A Souls Salvation, and Deadworld. McPherson decided to leave the band, and was replaced by

in 1997. Around the same time, bass guitarist Paul Romanko, formally of the hardcore band Pushbutton Warfare, was recruited as a permanent replacement for Laliberte, who had originally joined on a temporary basis. Now with a more solid lineup, the band released its first EP, ''To Ashes'', with Dutkiewicz playing as a session drummer. The band's name, according to Bachand, comes from the title of a comic book published in the early 1990s. Shadows Fall toured the New England area opening for artists such as

Fear Factory Fear Factory is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1989. Throughout the band's career, they have released ten full-length albums and have evolved through a succession of sounds, all in their main style of industrial metal. ...

and

Cannibal Corpse Cannibal Corpse is an American death metal band formed in Buffalo, New York in 1988, now based out of Tampa, Florida. The band has released fifteen studio albums, two box sets, four video albums, and two live albums. The band has had little radi ...

. On November 30, 1997 the band released its first studio album ''

Somber Eyes to the Sky ''Somber Eyes to the Sky'' is the debut studio album by American heavy metal band Shadows Fall, released in 1997 on Matt Bachand's own label Lifeless Records in the United States, while the European release was handled by Genet Records.

'', through Bachand's recording label, Lifeless Records.

''Of One Blood'' (1998–2000)

In 1998, Labonte was asked to leave the band due to personal and artistic differences. He had ideas for a side project while a member of the band, and went on to form All That Remains. The band looked for a replacement vocalist and eventually recruited Milford, MA native Brian Fair of the pioneering metalcore band

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 ...

. The band had been friends with Fair for years. After a US Summer tour 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 ...

, Overcast disbanded and the band asked Fair if he would like to join Shadows Fall. While on tour Shadows Fall was signed to

Century Media Records Century Media Records is a heavy metal record label with offices in the United States, Germany and London. In August 2015, Century Media was acquired by Sony Music for US$17 million. Background Century Media was founded by Robert Kampf and Oli ...

. The band recorded its second studio album '' Of One Blood'' with Fair on vocals in 2000, and the release included re-recorded songs from ''Somber Eyes to the Sky''. In 2001, David Germain decided to leave the band due to alcoholism, and was replaced by former Stigmata and Burning Human drummer

''The Art of Balance'' (2001–2003)

Due to repeated comparisons with Gothenburg melodic death metal bands, Shadows Fall decided to change its style to find its own sound. Inspired by more

thrash Thrash may refer to: *Thrashing (computer science), where increasing resources are used to do a decreasing amount of work *Thrash (surname) *Thrash, mascot of the Atlanta Thrashers *''Thrash Rally'', a top-down perspective rally racing video game ...

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...

and

power ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner.J. M. C ...

influences, the band recorded its third studio album, titled ''

The Art of Balance ''The Art of Balance'' is the third album by American heavy metal band Shadows Fall, released on September 17, 2002. The album sold over 4,500 copies the week of its release, and debuted at position 15 on the Top Independent Albums chart. With ...

''. Released on September 17, 2002, the album peaked at number 15 on the

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

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 Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...

of the

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philo ...

song "

Welcome to the Machine "Welcome to the Machine" is the second song on Pink Floyd's 1975 album ''Wish You Were Here''. It features heavily processed synthesizers and acoustic guitars, as well as a wide range of tape effects. Both the music and the lyrics were written b ...

." Andy Hinds of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

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 Ozzfest is an annual music festival tour of the United States and sometimes Europe and later Japan, featuring performances by many heavy metal and hard rock musical groups. It was founded by Sharon Osbourne and her husband Ozzy Osbourne, both ...

in 2003.

''The War Within'' (2004–2006)

Shadows Fall released its fourth studio album '' The War Within'' on September 21, 2004. It was the first release to enter the ''Billboard'' 200 for the band at number 20, and peaked at number one on the Top Independent albums chart. In promotion for the album, Shadows Fall released four music videos over the course of one year; "The Power of I and I", "What Drives the Weak", "Inspiration on Demand", and "Enlightened By the Cold". The song "What Drives the Weak" received a

nomination for

in 2006, however the award went to Slipknot for the song " Before I Forget". "The Light That Blinds" was featured in the video game ''

Guitar Hero II ''Guitar Hero II'' is a music rhythm video game developed by Harmonix and published by RedOctane for the PlayStation 2 and Activision for the Xbox 360. It is the second main installment in the ''Guitar Hero'' series and is the sequel to 2005's ...

''. Wade Kergan of AllMusic praised the album stating the band has "grown beyond the confines of the metal-loving hardcore crowd anyway, with more in common now with the classic thrash of

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

than the metal-tinged hardcore of

Coalesce Coalesce may refer to: *Coalesce (band), a metalcore band from Kansas City, Missouri, active from 1994 to 1999, 2005– **Coalesce discography, a list of Coalesce's albums and songs * COALESCE, an SQL function *Null coalescing operator, a binary o ...

". In support of the album the band once again performed on Ozzfest, but this time as a mainstage act. As of 2008, the album has sold almost 400,000 copies in the United States. Shadows Fall released its first DVD ''

The Art of Touring ''The Art of Touring'' is the first DVD released by the United States, American, heavy metal music, metal band Shadows Fall. It was released in 2005 through Century Media Records. The DVD features live concert, backstage, and behind-the-scenes foo ...

'' in November 2005. The DVD included a live concert, backstage footage, and six music videos. The band released its final CD on Century Media Records, titled ''

Fallout from the War ''Fallout from the War'' is a compilation album by heavy metal music, heavy metal band Shadows Fall, released on June 13, 2006. It contains a selection of songs written during the sessions for ''The War Within (Shadows Fall album), The War Within ...

'' on June 13, 2006. Released as a

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

, it debuted at number 83 on the Billboard 200. ''Fallout from the War'' included tracks recorded for ''The War Within'' that did not make it on to the album,

b-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

s, re-recordings, and cover songs. David Jeffries of AllMusic claimed the album is "a great informal introduction to the ferocious and melodic witches' brew Shadows Fall always seems to nail."

''Threads of Life'' (2007–2008)

Shadows Fall signed a deal with

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

to distribute the band's albums in the United States, and a deal with

Roadrunner Records Roadrunner Records is an American record label focused on heavy metal and hard rock bands. Founded in the Netherlands in 1980, it is now a division of Warner Music Group and is based in New York City. History The label was launched in 1980 in t ...

for international distribution. The band released its fifth studio album ''

'' on April 3, 2007. "Redemption", the first single from the CD was released on February 20, 2007 through iTunes with an accompanying music video. "Redemption" received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Metal performance; the award ceremony as held on February 10, 2008, but Slayer's "Final Six" won the award. Thom Jurek of AllMusic stated Shadows Fall has "lost none of the fire, attack or attitude" on ''Threads of Life''. Jurek also said the album featured "killer guitar breaks, big fat chugging riffs, power-slam skin work, cattle prod bass, and cool little hooks and melodic touches on top of those bludgeoning riffs make ''Threads of Life'' a major label debut of merit, and a metal record worthy of celebrating." Keith Bergman of Blabbermouth.net stated "''Threads of Life'' is slick as hell." Shadows Fall toured in support of ''Threads of Life'', including making appearances at the Jägermeister Music Tour, Jägermeister tour with Stone Sour and

Lacuna Coil Lacuna Coil is an Italian gothic metal band from Milan. Since their formation in 1994, the group has had two name changes, being previously known as Sleep of Right and Ethereal, and they have recorded nine studio albums, two extended plays, two ...

, the Operation Annihilation tour with

Static-X Static-X is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1994. The line-up has fluctuated over the years, but was long-held constant with band founder, frontman, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Wayne Static until his ...

3 Inches of Blood 3 Inches of Blood was a Canadian heavy metal band formed in 1999 in Victoria, British Columbia, last consisting of Cam Pipes, Justin Hagberg, Shane Clark, and Ash Pearson, none of whom were original members of the band. Their music was strongl ...

, and

Divine Heresy Divine Heresy is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California by founder of Fear Factory guitarist Dino Cazares and Devolved drummer John Sankey. Although the band's origins trace back to 2002, Divine Heresy was officially for ...

, and the Black Crusade tour with

Trivium The trivium is the lower division of the seven liberal arts and comprises grammar, logic, and rhetoric. The trivium is implicit in ''De nuptiis Philologiae et Mercurii'' ("On the Marriage of Philology and Mercury") by Martianus Capella, but the ...

Machine Head A machine head (also referred to as a tuning machine, tuner, or gear head) is a geared apparatus for tuning stringed musical instruments by adjusting string tension. Machine heads are used on mandolins, guitars, double basses and others, and ar ...

DragonForce DragonForce are a British power metal band from London, England. The band was formed in 1999 by guitarists Herman Li and Sam Totman, and are known for their long and fast guitar solos, fantasy-themed lyrics and retro video game-influenced ...

, and

Arch Enemy Arch Enemy is a Swedish melodic death metal band, originally a supergroup from Halmstad, formed in 1995. Its members were in bands such as Carcass, Armageddon, Carnage, Mercyful Fate, Spiritual Beggars, The Agonist, Nevermore, and Eucharist. ...

. The band was a part of the Soundwave tour in Australia and in Asia in February 2008, along with

Killswitch Engage Killswitch Engage is an American metalcore band from Westfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1999 after the disbanding of Overcast (band), Overcast and Aftershock. Killswitch Engage's current lineup consists of vocalist Jesse Leach, guitarists Joe ...

As I Lay Dying ''As I Lay Dying'' is a 1930 Southern Gothic novel by American author William Faulkner. Faulkner's fifth novel, it is consistently ranked among the best novels of 20th-century literature.The New Lifetime Reading Plan: The Classical Guide to Wor ...

, and

Bleeding Through Bleeding Through is an American metalcore band from Orange County, California, formed in 1999. In 2004, ''Revolver'' magazine hailed Bleeding Through as one of eight bands ushering in the "Future of Metal" cover story, and '' Spin'' called Ble ...

''Retribution'' (2009–2011)

Shadows Fall released their sixth album, '' Retribution'', on September 15, 2009, through the band's own label, Everblack Industries, which was created in conjunction with Warner Music Group's ILG, Ferret Music and ChannelZERO Entertainment. It is being released in the UK via

Spinefarm Records Spinefarm Records is a Finnish independent record label focusing mainly on heavy metal artists. It is a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. History Spinefarm Records was originally founded in 1990 by Riku Pääkkönen as a mail-order distrib ...

. The album was produced by Chris "Zeuss" Harris. 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." As of the fall of 2009 the band was appearing on the 'Shock & Raw' tour of North America with 2Cents,

Otep Otep is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2000. They have released two EPs, eight studio albums, and one live album. They are currently signed with Napalm Records. The band has sold over 500,000 albums world ...

Five Finger Death Punch Five Finger Death Punch, also abbreviated as 5FDP or FFDP, is an American heavy metal band from Las Vegas, Nevada, formed in 2005. The band originally consisted of vocalist and keyboardist Ivan Moody, rhythm guitarist Zoltan Bathory, lead gui ...

. After a South American tour, Shadows Fall will be playing on the Jägermeister Stage in the 2010 Rockstar Mayhem Festival in July and August 2010. The band is also scheduled to support

Lamb of God Lamb of God ( el, Ἀμνὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, Amnòs toû Theoû; la, Agnus Dei, ) is a title for Jesus that appears in the Gospel of John. It appears at John 1:29, where John the Baptist sees Jesus and exclaims, "Behold the Lamb of God wh ...

on their Australian tour in December 2009 Shadows Fall is pleased to announce their first and only New York City performance this year, taking place at Santos Party House on December 18, 2010 with direct support from

Thy Will Be Done Thy Will Be Done is an American heavy metal band formed in 2005 from Providence, Rhode Island. The ensemble has released the studio albums ''Was and Is to Come'' and ''In Ancient of Days'' via Stillborn Records, as well as the EP ''Temple'' v ...

. Shadows Fall released a live CD/DVD, '' Madness in Manila: Shadows Fall Live in The Philippines 2009'', on October 26.

''Fire from the Sky'', final tours and hiatus (2012–2020)

In late 2011, Shadows Fall entered the studio to begin recording their seventh studio album. While in the studio, they held live video streams to discuss the progress of the album and answer questions from fans. This album is the first to be produced by

since the band's original studio release, ''

''. '' Fire from the Sky'' was released on May 15, 2012 through

Razor & Tie Razor & Tie was an American entertainment company that consisted of a record label and a music publishing company. It was established in 1990 by Craig Balsam and Cliff Chenfeld. Based in New York City (with additional offices in Los Angeles an ...

. In late 2012, the band headlined the ''Party To The Apocalypse 2012'' tour with

God Forbid God Forbid is an American heavy metal band formed in East Brunswick, New Jersey in 1996. History Early career (1999-2004) Building up a following in the late 1990s by touring with bands such as GWAR, Nile, Cradle of Filth and Candiria, God Fo ...

starring Shadows Fall,

and Trumpet The Harlot. On January 11, 2013, it was announced that guitarist Johnathan Donais would be joining

Anthrax Anthrax is an infection caused by the bacterium ''Bacillus anthracis''. It can occur in four forms: skin, lungs, intestinal, and injection. Symptom onset occurs between one day and more than two months after the infection is contracted. The sk ...

on their upcoming Metal Alliance Tour and on August 13, 2013 Donais was confirmed as a full Anthrax member. On June 28, 2014, Shadows Fall performed with the bands

Black Fast A Black Fast, also known as a strict fast, is an ancient form of Christian fasting. Those undertaking a Black Fast consume no food during the day (although sometimes water is permitted) and then break the fast after sunset with prayer, as well as ...

Dead by Wednesday Dead by Wednesday is an American heavy metal band from New Haven, Connecticut, formed in 2006.

, Hallow Point, and Gray's Divide in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

. On August 25, 2014, the band announced several final tours to take place in Europe and North America so the band could take a hiatus from future extensive touring. This farewell tour lasted into the summer of 2015. In December 2014, it was announced drummer Jason Bittner would join Arizona thrash metal band

Flotsam and Jetsam In maritime law, flotsam'','' jetsam'','' lagan'','' and derelict are specific kinds of shipwreck. The words have specific nautical meanings, with legal consequences in the law of admiralty and marine salvage. A shipwreck is defined as the r ...

, and he is currently the drummer for Overkill. Guitarist Matt Bachand left to join

Act of Defiance Act of Defiance is an American heavy metal supergroup from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2014 by guitarist Chris Broderick and drummer Shawn Drover of Megadeth after they both resigned from the band on the same day, vocalist Henry Der ...

, along with the former members of

Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal along wit ...

. Matt Bachand is currently in American metal band, Living Wreckage with former Shadows Fall guitarist Jon Donais.

Reunion (2021–present)

In a May 2021 interview on the ''Who's Your Band?'' music podcast, drummer

revealed that Shadows Fall had "tried to get together last year for a reunion", and they were planning to play one of their first shows in over half a decade at the Worcester Palladium. He also commented on the possibility of new material and further band activity: "We're not gonna say we're still gonna be on hiatus, but we're not gonna say we're active either. We wanna just try to play a show. That's the point of right now — can we play a show first, and then everything else that comes after that, like talk of writing a record or talk of writing an EP… We've already talked about this — we said, if anything, we would write an EP first. We wouldn't write a full-length; we'd probably just four-song increments or something." On June 22, 2021, vocalist Brian Fair confirmed that Shadows Fall were reuniting for their first show in over half a decade at the Worcester Palladium on December 18. Supporting acts for this show were

Unearth Unearth is an American metalcore band from Boston, Massachusetts. Formed in 1998, the group has released seven studio albums. History Early career (1998–2002) Unearth was formed by Trevor Phipps, Buz McGrath, Ken Susi, Mike Rudberg, a ...

, Darkest Hour,

Within the Ruins Within the Ruins is an American metalcore band formed in Westfield, Massachusetts in 2003. The group currently consists of guitarist Joe Cocchi, drummer Kevin McGuill, bassist Paolo Galang, and vocalist Steve Tinnon. They are currently signed to ...

Sworn Enemy Sworn Enemy is an American crossover thrash band from New York City. Biography The band formed as "Downfall" and later on as "Mindset", a product of the extremely expansive and influential New York hardcore scene. At its original inception th ...

and Carnivora. In December 2021, when asked by th
Podioslave Podcast
if there will be new music from Shadows Fall, Fair said, "We've talked about writing stuff, and there's a very definitive Shadows Fall approach to writing. So if Matt or Jon or Paul had ideas that really made sense, I'd see us pursuing 'em. But nothing right now. All we wanted to do is get through this show — we wanted to get through it, see if we could pull it off, see how it went. And now we're, like, 'Okay, now we can think about if we wanna do something else.' But nothing planned right now. I know Jon and Matt are riff machines — I'm sure they've got stuff — but they do also have other projects they're working on too… But right now we're just kind of recovering a little bit, trying to make sure I get my neck back in shape."

Musical style

Shadows Fall has been mainly described as

death metal Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep growling vocals; aggressive, powerful drumming, feat ...

and

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...

. Tom Murphy of ''

Westword ''Westword'' is a free digital and print media publication based in Denver, Colorado. ''Westword'' publishes daily online coverage of local news, restaurants, music and arts, as well as longform narrative journalism. A weekly print issue cir ...

'' opines that "Shadows Fall began as a melodic death-metal band with some roots in

hardcore Hardcore, hard core or hard-core may refer to: Arts and media Film * ''Hardcore'' (1977 film), a British comedy film * ''Hardcore'' (1979 film), an American crime drama film starring George C Scott * ''Hardcore'' (2001 film), a British documen ...

". Murphy notes that on the 2002 album ''

,'' the band started to incorporate thrash metal into their sound. Steve Huey of

compared Shadows Fall's style to Gothenburg death metal, with the band

In Flames In Flames is a Swedish heavy metal band, formed by guitarist Jesper Strömblad in Gothenburg in 1990. Alongside At the Gates and Dark Tranquillity, In Flames pioneered the genres known as Swedish death metal and melodic death metal. During t ...

being a notable influence.

Band members

Official current members

* Jon Donais –

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are use ...

(1996–2015, 2021–present) *

–

rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...

clean vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

(1996–2015, 2021–present) * Paul Romanko – bass (1997–2015, 2021–present) * Brian Fair –

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

(1999–2015, 2021–present) *

–

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

(2001–2015, 2021–present)

Former members

Lead vocalists

* Damien McPherson – lead vocals (1996) *

– lead vocals (1997–1999)

Bassists

* Mark Laliberte – bass (1996–1997) *Ed Lanouette – touring bass (2012) *Mike Turbayne – touring bass (2013–2014)

Drummers

* David Germain – drums (1996–2000) *

– session drums (1996) *

Derek Kerswill M. Kerswill (born April 5, 1973 in Wilmington, Delaware) is an American musician best known for his drumming in the bands Unearth, Seemless, Kingdom of Sorrow, and multiple fill-ins/studio projects. He was also invited to play in the heavy meta ...

– drums (2000–2001) *Willis Mathiasen – touring (2012)

Lead guitarist

*Felipe Roa – touring lead guitar (2013–2014) Timeline

Awards and nominations

Grammy Awards , - , 2006 , , "What Drives the Weak" , ,

, , , - , 2008 , , "Redemption" , , Best Metal Performance , , Boston Music Awards , - , 2007 , , Shadows Fall , , Outstanding Metal/Hardcore Band of the Year , , , - , 2007 , , Shadows Fall , , Act of the Year , , , - , 2007 , , Threads of Life , , Album of the Year (Major) , , Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards , - , 2003 , , Shadows Fall , , Best Underground Act , ,

Discography

Studio albums

Demos

Compilation albums

Video albums

Singles

Music videos

References

External links

Official website Shadows Fall bass player Ed Lanouette talks about joining the band and current your tourBrian Fair interview on Revelator talking upcoming 2013 fall tour and new Death Ray Vision Album
{{Good article American melodic death metal musical groups Metalcore musical groups from Massachusetts American thrash metal musical groups Atlantic Records artists Heavy metal musical groups from Massachusetts Musical groups established in 1996 Musical groups disestablished in 2014 Musical groups reestablished in 2021 Musical groups from Boston Roadrunner Records artists Ferret Music artists