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Band:Shadows Fall Album:Threads of Life Record Company:Atlantic Records Writer: Eric \"CFH\" Johnson Media: \"Forevermore\" Click Album Cover To Buy Now

Since releasing The War Within, “Century Media’s best-selling album as of 2004,” Springfield, MA-based Shadows Fall have put out a companion piece to it, which contains six songs recorded during its sessions called Fallout from the War in 2006, signed with major label Atlantic Records and unleashed their latest album, 2007’s Threads of Life. They’re also releasing a remixed version of their second full-length album, originally released in 2000, Of One Blood, this April.

In the year 2007, many stellar metal albums were released, such as Machine Head’s The Blackening, Megadeth’s United Abominations, Arch Enemy’s Rise of the Tyrant and Down’s III-Over the Under. Thanks to nine kick-ass tracks out of eleven, Threads of Life stands firmly alongside them. In fact, the only unfortunate moment of the album occurs when “Another Hero Lost,” one of the most pussified ballads ever written, takes it turn. Now am I someone who hates ballads in general, or thinks that any metal band that records a ballad is a “bunch of fucking pussies”? No, I just can’t stand when metal bands write ballads that are obviously half-assed because those ballads never fail to sound pussified beyond belief. Had Shadows Fall listened to “Ghost” by Iced Earth or “Floods” by Pantera as they wrote “Another Hero Lost,” they may have done better with it, but it is just one song after all so fuck it. With that out of the way, “The Great Collapse” is the only other non-metal track on the album, and serves as a good, minute and a half break in the action. Back to the nine kick-ass songs, they are perfect examples of what the band thinks of as “neo-thrash with hardcore breakdowns and hard rock moments.” Sure some people think that Shadows Fall has not evolved since 2002’s The Art of Balance, and others believe that the band sold out by emphasizing melodic choruses more than ever on Threads of Life, but in all honesty, Shadows Fall has simply done a good job of maintaining their vision for a decade. Among the nine trademark Shadows Fall songs on this disc, the top spots are “Failure of the Devout,” “Venomous,” “Final Nightmare” and the one song that appears on the band’s MySpace page, “Forevermore.” When it comes to a top highlight for Threads of Life, it is hearing that lead guitarist Jon Donais is still on his quest to become one of metal’s all-time greatest lead guitarists.

As stated earlier in the review, some people believe that Shadows Fall has done the same shit since The Art of Balance, and that they sold out with Threads of Life. However, just about anyone who likes modern metal with an old-school take and a lot of melodies will probably dig Threads of Life.

Band:Shadows Fall Album:Threads of Life Record Company:Atlantic Records Writer: Eric \"CFH\" Johnson Media: \"Forevermore\" Click Album Cover To Buy Now

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