Best news I've heard in awhile from Shadows Fall

In a recent interview with the Rock it Out! Blog, Shadows Fall frontman Brian Fair was asked about plans for a new studio album.

This is what he had to say:

"We've been talking about the new record. We haven't really started writing, but me, Matt [Bachand, guitar] and Jon [Donais, guitar] were talking, [and] we wanna write a really fast, technical thrash record this time around — really just kind of keep it nice, brutal and heavy."

As a long time Shadows Fall fan, I just want to say 'hell yes!' This is the news a lot of us old school fans were waiting to hear, and while I do like a lot of the slower more melodic Shadows Fall songs, the heavier stuff on Of One Blood, The Art of Balance and The War Within is still where it's at.

Let's hope the band delivers on its word. If so, Shadows Fall might just be my favorite modern metal band once more (Retribution was great in my opinion, but it takes a lot to make up for Threads of Life).

Shadows Fall Rocks Out '80s Ozzy style.

I have to say, Brian Fair does a good Ozzy laugh. And I liked this cover of "Bark at the Moon" ever since Retribution came out in 2009.

The other covers the guys do on the album as bonus tracks are also badass (Nuclear Assault's "Critical Mass" and Cro-Mags' "Age of Quarrel"). Check out the music vid for "Bark at the Moon" and the track "Age of Quarrel" below.


Bark At The Moon

Shadows Fall | MySpace Music Videos

Heavy Metal Billboard Charts Update

While the Billboard Charts aren't always a friend of metal, a number of artists have landed in the top 200 list for album sales this week. Check it out in order from highest to lowest charting position!



Band: Megadeth
Album: Endgame
Albums Sold: 45,000
Charting Position: No. 9

My take on the album: While Endgame is the highest charting album, I definitely have given more attention to the new Shadows Fall and Ace Frehley albums.

That being said, Endgame is a kickass metal album, that blends influences from the '80s and '90s Deth sound. Only a few of the songs really land in your head ("44 Minutes" especially), but the guitar playing is spot on.



Band: Ace Frehley
Album: Anomaly
Albums Sold: 17,000
Charting Position: No. 27

My take on the album: "Anomaly" flat-out ROCKS!

Ace Frehley has really gotten his act together and his vocals are better than ever. The album makes you remember what true rock 'n' roll sounds like, having a classic sound that most rockers are unable to touch in the more recent years.

This should have made the Top 10 and is likely to be one of the best releases this year.



Band: Shadows Fall
Album: Retribution
Albums Sold: 13,000
Charting Position: No. 35

My take on the album: "Retribution" is the best album the band has put out since "The Art of Balance".

They finally nailed mixing the heavier growling stuff with the melodic clean vocals. Too bad it took them two uninteresting albums ("Fallout From the War" and "Threads of Life") to get there.

This band really deserves to be on top of the game in the current metal scene. The album is better than Lamb of God's "Wrath", however that album sold much better.

Lets hope word gets out about how good this album is!



Band: The Black Dahlia Murder
Album: Deflorate
Albums Sold: 12,000
Charting Position: No. 43

My take on the album: "Deflorate" is probably the best album of The Black Dahlia Murder's career.

A band like this can get stale quickly, but with the new album it's The Black Dahlia Murder's brutal energy put into each song that forces you to headbang.

Congrats to this band! The members tour heavily and deserve to be here.



Band: Kittie
Album: In The Black
Albums Sold: 3,400
Charting Position: No. 132

My take on the album: Say what you will about Kittie, but the all-female group has proven the test of time, despite what all of us guessed.

I haven't had time to listen to this album, but from what I've read, it is a vast improvement over previous work, even if it does take on a sort of "Lamb of God knock-off" sound.

Heavy Metal Tuesday: Shadows Fall and The Black Dahlia Murder Web streams

Shadows Fall's Retribution and The Black Dahlia Murder's Deflorate are both currently streaming online. I have had the Deflorate for awhile and it is definitely one of the band's best. I am waiting until I get my preordered copy in the mail to hear Retribution.

Click here for Shadows Fall.


And here for Black Dahlia Murder.


Update: Dying Fetus's album Descend Into Depravity is also available for your listening pleasure online now. It's BRUTAL!



Remember if you end up liking any of these albums to go support metal and buy one either online or at your favorite store. This Tuesday has many big releases, so I made a list below.

Tuesday Metal Release List:
* Ace Frehley- Anomaly
* Megadeth- Endgame
* Shadows Fall- Retribution
* The Black Dahlia Murder- Deflorate
* Dying Fetus- Descend Into Depravity

Shadows Fall Perform "Still I Rise" on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

Shadows Fall rocked Jimmy Fallon's 5-year-old smirk right off his face last night. View the carnage below.

Shadows Fall: "Still I Rise" Video

The Shads are back! I dig this track more than most of the stuff on "The War Within"! Good guitar work and the video is alright, even if the whole MMA thing is becoming redundant. I am psyched for the new CD now. Hopefully the rest of "Retribution" is as good or better.

Shadows Fall - Still I Rise

Where's Your Crown King Nothing?

Shadows Fall put up the new song King of Nothing on its MySpace page. The track features Lamb of God vocalist Randy Blythe doing some guest vocals and it sounds like the band is getting back into its heavy sound.

I tried to get into "Threads of Life", but it just seemed like generic metal for the most part with mediocre production. Which is hard for me to say because Shadows Fall have always been one of my favorite newer bands.

If this track is any indicator we will have something that will at least be on par with "The War Within" if not "The Art of Balance".

UPDATE: Song available below. Also download available here.

In September We Go Broke

List of Albums Coming Out in September (if all goes to schedule):

September 1: Megadeth- "Endgame"
September 8: 3 Inches of Blood and Dethklok albums
September 15: Ace Frehley- "Anomaly", Shadows Fall- "Retribution" and Black Dahlia Murder- "Deflorate"
September 22: Vader- "Necropolis"
September 29: Alice In Chains- "Black Gives Way to Blue"

Also scheduled for release in September: New Kiss Album

Shadows Fall Seek "Retribution"

Shadows Fall has been one of my favorite metal bands of the past decade after releasing metal classics, "Of One Blood" and The Art of Balance". The band saw commercial fame with its release "The War Within" and signed to Atlantic Records.

The band's momentum was at an all time high, but then crashed after they released the mediocre "Threads of Life" album.

Now the band has started its own independent label by way of which it will be releasing the new CD "Retribution" on September 15.

Hopefully Shadows Fall will reclaim its former glory and prove to fans that there are still many more raging years of metal to come.

Check out the band playing the new song "Retribution" live. My metal heart fills with hope.



UPDATE: New album cover below. Nothing too fancy, looks like a badge/seal of some kind.

Burning Human Track: "Tormented Mind" Available at Metalsucks.net

You might better know Jason Bittner for his drumming in Shadows Fall, but recently he has been slamming the skins for death metal band Burning Human who actually sound pretty good, if not a little generic.

You can download the track "Tormented Mind" for FREE courtesy of the dudes over at metalsucks.net. Just right click on the download button and hit "save link as" and you are good to go.

Burning Human's first self-titled CD is out today.



And while we are on the topic of metal bands with Shadows Fall members, I finally listened to some of the latest Overcast release "Reborn to Kill Again" and it is rockin' (Overcast features Shadows Fall vocalist Brian Fair and Killswitch Engage bassist Mike D' Antonio).

Brian Fair sounds more like he used to on the Shadows Fall albums "Of One Blood" and "The Art of Balance", so it is worth checking out.



Lets hope the guys in Shadows Fall can put together something better than the mediocre "Threads of Life" album for their next release!

Other notable new metal releases out today include:

+Daath: "The Concealers"
+Chimaira: "The Infection"
+Lacuna Coil: "Shallow Life"

Also today marks the release of Iron Maiden documentary "Flight 666".

Don't forget that The Metal Show airs from 6-7PM TONIGHT only on KRUI 89.7 Iowa City, Iowa!