Shadows Fall
Of One Blood (Century Media)
by Tim Den
Some local Massachusetts folks will have you believe that just because they play with bands like Sam Black Church, Shadows Fall are a hardcore band. The truth is that there are more similarities to In Flames on Of One Blood than anything else. Harmonized guitars, Iron Maiden-gallops… about the only “hardcore” characteristic recognizable is the growling. But then again, all them Swede deathsters growl too. Either way, this ain’t no hardcore band. This is American death metal’s muscles trained by European melodies, played pretty decent, with a street-level attitude. Instead of trying to top or match their European counterparts in terms of intricacy or tightness (which most American bands can’t anyway), Shadows Fall’s winning attribute is their willingness to “go for it.” They push the guitar harmonies to do as much as they can, they use their shape-shifting vocalist to alter the moods (even though, like many other half-assed heavy music singers, he should just stick to screaming), and they know when to throw in a breakdown for “the kids.” There’s no reason why people who are into Swedish death metal, or American death metal like Monstrosity and Malevolent Creation, wouldn’t dig this.
(1453-A 14th St. #324 Santa Monica, CA 90404)