The War Within

(Welcome to Relitigating High School, a series where I take good faith looks at metalcore/"NWOAHM" bands that were popular when I was a teenager but stubbornly refused to listen to because they didn't sound enough like Slayer)

Shadows Fall apparently has a pretty storied history within this niche, being one of the earlier bands to form (way back in 1995) and pulling an In Flames by having "Land" Phil Labonte (the meathead dipshit from All That Remains) sing on their first album before landing their iconic vocalist in "Flyin'" Brian Fair, and also accomplishing the rare feat of keeping a stable lineup for a solid 15 years and releasing several influential albums in a row with the same group of dudes in the studio. That's why I'm choosing to start this series with them as opposed to bigger bands that broke out earlier. Shadows Fall just kinda passes the smell test a bit better in terms of being a statuesque institution in the scene almost entirely due to their stability and, if fans are to be believed, consistency. We're going to be looking at 2004's The War Within purely because a quick skim of the tracklist reveals some names that I vaguely remember hearing on the radio, so I'm not starting completely blind.

Let me tell you, I feel like a door in some deeply buried temple in my mind unlocked when I heard the main riff of "What Drives the Weak" that starts around the eleven second mark. That fuckin' octave-slide-to-gallop-chug-to-pinch-harmonic brought back so many memories. Hearing that was like unlocking the overworld map in Zelda. It turns out that not only do I remember that riff, I also remember every note and lyric to not only "What Drives the Weak", but also "Inspiration on Demand" and "The Light that Blinds", the three I passively heard on the radio as a teenager. This might seem like personal fluff to pad out the review but really I think it speaks to how finely tuned Shadows Fall's songwriting is. These hooks never left my brain after picking them up via audial osmosis a decade and a half earlier. The aggression inherent in most metal is definitely there in the speedy double bass and harsh vocals, but these guys have a very keen ear for melody and hooks, absolutely nailing that nexus between simplicity and complexity by crafting catchy riffs and In Flames style melodies that are different enough to be instantly recognizable and simple enough to be easily remembered. The abundance of squealing guitar solos keeps The War Within recognizably metallic in its theatricality and the equal abundance of simplistic chugs and breakdowns interspersed between the high tempo melodeath riffing keeps it recognizably emblematic of the time in which it was made. This is As I Lay Dying for thrash kids, and I absolutely should've loved this as a teen.

The problem arises when you listen beyond those three singles, because Shadows Fall definitely suffers from the same problem Lamb of God frequently fell victim to. The War Within has a few obvious highlights and then a bunch of filler. They're excellent at crafting these memorable hooks, but they're very reliant on a small handful of tricks to achieve this effect, and it doesn't take long for the simplified pop song verse-chorus structure to reveal itself to be a very workmanlike project. Apart from the closest thing the scene probably had to a power ballad in "Inspiration on Demand" and the sweet guitar lick that opens "The Light that Blinds", the remaining eight tracks are all more or less interchangeable. "What Drives the Weak" is clearly the best one thanks to that tasty main riff, memorable chorus, bass licks in the pre-chorus, and soaring leads, but everything else sounds like previous drafts of that song before the screws were fully tightened. I've listened to this like four or five times in preparation for this review and I still can't remember what "Act of Contrition" or "Ghosts of Past Failures" sounds like. "The Power of I and I" really should stand out for the first thirty seconds being honest to god Cannibal Corpse worship, but it very quickly shifts gears back into that nebulous monogenre that took America by storm in the mid aughts.

It really doesn't help that Fair is uh... more "recognizable" as a vocalist than he is "good". That's not to say he's bad necessarily, but his gruff monotone quasi-scream is basically musical wallpaper and it gets to be distracting when you pay attention to it. It sounds like Fair knows that you can avoid damage to your vocal cords by screaming more from your diaphragm than from your throat, but he never really nailed the technique in such a way that would allow him to sound as menacing as he's likely trying to sound. As a result they're very breathy and clearly layered over themselves a few times throughout the whole album, so they come off more like talk-level yells with a volume boost. That legitimate death metal influence does shine through occasionally with random deep roars, but they're depressingly uncommon. Shadows Fall is very much a guitar band, all of their best elements revolve around the riffs and solos, so it's bizarre to me that the vocals often take center stage considering how mediocre they are compared to the rest of the band. If my memory is correct, the guitarists are the ones who handle the clean vocals that invariably carry every chorus, and they're fine I guess, but it just sorta adds to the plug-and-play nature of the songwriting. The individual elements are occasionally fantastic, but the old dichotomy of "harsh aggressive verses - clean melodic choruses" never breaks, and it gets old very quickly.

The instrumental element of the band is surprisingly great, but the vocals are an obvious weak link and the songwriting is very formulaic. As a result, The War Within is basically a blur of faceless aggression with a handful of spikes in quality every three tracks or so. As much as I'd love to hear more of those death metal roots poking through, I feel like leaning into them any more than they have would fundamentally change what the band was going for, so that feels like an unfair way to critique the album, especially when all the best parts are clearly rooted in American melodeath instead of orthodox death metal anyway. The overall color of the album is "grey". Any splashes of vibrancy to be found are pretty neatly sequestered into the handful of great songs and the rest of the album feels like a tedious sidequest before getting back to the good songs. I'm still gonna give it a positive score because god dammit I really like the three songs I highlighted early on and the rest of the album is fundamentally very similar to them, but on the whole it loses its lustre pretty quickly. If nothing else, I feel like this is a great primer to this scene because everything that made it what it is is here to some extent, and I feel confident in saying that everything I check out from this point on will focus on one element found here more than the rest.


Originally written for Lair of the Bastard

I might've gone for "Shallows Fail" for the title there but that would've been pushing it too much.

Shadows Fall are often credited as being one of the seminal driving forces behind the American metalcore movement, that is what original metalcore meant to be and not what the term would later be associated with. Their earlier work may've had a more raw, natural and fresh momentum to it but this album is arguably the one where they reached a peak in terms of maturity with the song-writing. Structurally the songs more or less follow a typical verse/chorus approach built around a central chorus section.

As a heads up for what's about to follow, my main conclusion for this album (and band more broadly) is it's a solid hybrid (hardcore, melodic death metal, alternative metal...) that's ultimately shallow and insufficient. But I couldn't just stop there for the review so bear with me as we break this down a little.

The guitars sound gorgeous, with punchy focused power chords, chunky tight palm mutes, wailing pinch harmonic squeals, while the melodic death metal inspired riffs and open string alternative picking are well incorporated into the sections and make up a cohesive guitar work ensemble. There are solos aplenty with the usual shredding and wild vibratos. The vocals are mostly the usual barks and their energy was really well channeled into the tracks, with the clean voice reserved for the choruses. The clean is sometimes given a nice reverb presence like on the middle part to 'Act of Contrition' which brings a nice atmospheric element to the music and it's unfortunate the band didn't explore this component more and settled for the basic formula for too much of the record. The bass is very present throughout with its throaty tone and boosted high frequencies giving the tracks a more complete sound.

There's a definite hardcore feel as is to be expected for a metalcore album, on the abrasive guitars and their emphasis on heavy power chord grooves, the breakdowns, with the in-your-face shouting, or the clicky double kicks.

The album does contain some more cheesy or even reprehensible aspects, like 'Inspiration on Demand' and its blatant Metallica imitation. The verse sounds like a revamped version of Sanitarium with the clean/lightly chorused guitars and James Hetfield vocal ripoff. There's also the chorus to 'Ghost of Past Failures' which quite honestly sounds like some sort of a cheesy caricature of their own sound. Such moments immediately compromise some of the respectable material heard earlier on the record.

It's a shame that the album starts off with what will turn out to be the best track in 'The Light That Blinds'. The acoustic guitar intro, followed by an intense arpeggio section and then the awesome tremolo picking riff, an intricate verse section and one of the finer choruses, all constitute a very positive sign for what's to come ahead. It really sounds like the band have taken it to the next level and are ready to impress. The following two tracks are satisfactory by the band's standards too, and one of the highlights would be the video-clip single 'The Power of I and I' appearing later.

There are some genuinely inspired moments and solid heavy grooves, but the album seems to lose momentum pretty quickly, as the times when the band is expected to raise the creativity and offer a bit of variety never quite occur. It's more of the same stuff and it isn't particularly fresh or redeeming and feels a bit too flat. The melodic riffing starts to sound tame, the catchy parts not all that catchy, and then it's just more hardcore splatter fest. It's never bad material, but it doesn't supply enough to lift itself above its own status quo comfort zone. It's a shame the band ultimately played it safe and wouldn't venture more into some other aspects of their sound, like the more atmospheric stuff or some of the intricate guitar work from the opener, and the music comes across as too shallow in the end with far too few moments with any actual depth that would've stuck more with the listener. This band was very promising for a while but never really capitulated on their creative genre fusion that could've been unique and powerful, and turned rather generic more than truly original overtime.

In the first place, grey album covers are a big mistake in my eyes. Unless your band needs something atmospheric and misty (see Katatonia's Last Fair Deal Gone Down and Dimmu Borgir's For All Tid profiting from grey tones), the colour will just make me assume that your album is boring or takes itself too seriously. This one even dares to throw in some distorted faces in the Hatesphere/Machine Head vein just to make sure that we have a negative impression before listening, which is probably the reason why I tend to ignore this for other Shadows Fall albums such as the colourful Threads of Life or the ambitious early effort Of One Blood. That said, this has some clear advantages over both those releases.

First up, this is certainly a metalcore album, epitomizing just about every trope the genre had to offer back in the mid-'00s. Comparisons to Killswitch Engage should reveal greater focus on guitars than vocals, greater hardcore influence than Avenged Sevenfold, and generally heavier roots than many of the other bands in the scene. The whole concoction of The War Within thus ends up unmistakably aggressive yet melodic, taking a more direct path to the listener's clenched fist and banging head than Shadows Fall had done prior to this album, while sticking the landing at least as well as they have done since. One cannot help but bless the production for this asset, pushing the guitars right up front and allowing the boisterous riffs to thrash, slam, and groove in equal measure, meantime giving Brian Fair the opportunity to turn in his workmanlike vocals with a raw fury that does not particularly please but at least suits the energy of the riffing. Many of the songs possess similar features, pounding drums carving a path forwards, as if cutting through the hewn rock of the guitar tone, while minerals glitter from the gilded edge of Jonathon Donais' playing, often leaving a slight melodic flavour even to the straightforward heaviness. At the moments when the drums allow different beats to come to the fore or when they cease to be highlighted, the bass work is actually very good, evident from the downtime in 'Eternity Is Within', during which the slow movement is ably supported by Paul Romanko's instrument.

Aside from commenting on the heavy chugs, bludgeoning drums, and regular melodies, there is not that much to distinguish this album from other good metalcore efforts, barring the few moments that Matthew Bachand chooses to introduce a divergent riff, such as the death-influenced effort early on in 'The Light that Blinds', the occasional use of acoustic guitars, or the more frequent solos that brighten the formula. Any given verse from any given song tends to sound very similar, while choruses are slightly more distinctive, though still without the necessary quantity of hooks. As such, I'm disappointed by the homogeneity of the release as a whole, as is often the case in this genre: it staggers me that with such an array of influences (metalcore draws from hardcore, trad metal, and melodeath, while Shadows Fall declare rock and thrash as equal inspiration) any band could come up with so little distinctive in the course of 40 minutes. From this perspective, it is certainly the songs earlier in the album that leave the strongest impression, though rather more because they come first than are much better, since the overall consistency is tolerable, nothing entirely dropping the ball in terms of quality. The big hitters were 'What Drives the Weak' and 'The Light that Blinds', which are probably among the best, while I'm a fan of the lighter 'Ghosts of Past Failures', which opts for cleaner, hookier riffing in the memorable choruses, plus a nice breakdown where every bandmember contributes something different, not to mention a couple of thoughtful leads.

In the end, it is a simply meagre compliment that I can leave to The War Within. The album is consistent and well-executed, does not lack passion, and possesses enough hooks to indulge in repeated listens, though all these things are included in moderation instead of to the anticipated high levels. The lead guitar and heavy tone should pacify some fans of more traditional metal, yet there is still more of 'core if one considers the drumming and chuggy riffing, so this certainly won't appeal to all users of this website. If anyone is looking for an album to experience what metal sounded like 10 or 15 years ago, they would do well to check out The War Within, though might also remember that there is a quantity of other releases with a very similar sound and equally professional finish that would sound just as good in their headphones.

Eh, I guess this is probably the best Shadows Fall album since it's where they really gave in to doing straightforward pop music dressed up like heavy metal. Much in the same way Killswitch Engage did with 'The End of Heartache,' Shadows Fall sacrifices basically all of the thrash and extremity of previous albums in favor of even more consonant, likeable, and fun music on this album without any sort of pretense towards artistic credibility. Yeah, it's about as deep as a puddle, but it's still better than pretentious, tedious albums like 'The Art of Balance'. At least this one manages to be fun most of the time.

'The War Within' is really pretty responsible for summing up all the trends of melodic death/metalcore from a couple years previous into a style even more accessible than that, which I basically see as musical candy already. Playing a combination of burly, Lamb of God-style post-thrash combined with melodic metalcore and more than a hint of alt rock, 'The War Within' is really the ultimate synthesis of mainstream heavy music for the mid-'00s. The bulk of the riffing is Americanized Gothenburg melodeath, tempered by a rhythm section that's much more rocklike (perhaps too rocklike for its own good sometimes), removing a lot of the sheer aggression which might turn off new listeners, instead leaving the thrash beats and double bass for punctuating moments rather than the bulk of percussion. Vocals, in turn, alternate between a rough (but still accessible and even) shout and a strong, straightforward clean.

Admittedly, even at its heaviest, this album is rather toothless; the aggressive moments would probably only be intense to the average 15 year old. That's why I listen to this more like a pop album than a metal one, though; the melodeath riffs are catchy, straightforward, and entertaining, and the vocals are well delivered. The song structures are simple, the overall package isn't very intricate or deep, and this is hardly something I would go to when seeking a deep, compelling musical experience, but it's executed well enough for what it is and is still an interesting historical precursor to the more defined melodeath/metalcore style that would emerge shortly after this album dropped. My biggest issue with it, really, would be the rock influences; the drumming is just too static for the most part and I want to hear more melodeath riffs, not attempts at radio stardom! Well, I guess I can't complain about THIS album being a grab for the mainstream, after all.

Trying to make a serious point about music like this is mostly impossible since it's just as inherently disposable as a Lady Gaga record, but hey, Lady Gaga makes fun songs too.

Shadows Fall, a band that plays melodic metalcore with thrash metal influences, had made a historic release with the album The War Within. It is not only one of the greatest in melodic metalcore, but is also good as overall heavy metal. The band really shows its potential in what can be regarded as its best album ever made.

Brian Fair has good vocals in this album. Although the singing is sometimes out of tune, his mix of singing and screaming is done very well. The screaming throughout the album is good. The guitar by Jonathan Donais and Matthew Bachand is also done well, with great thrash-influenced riffs and good solos. The bass with Paul Romanko is catchy when audible, and although it is nothing special, Jason Bittner has some good beats and tempo for the drums. As for the actual songs, although they may be in pretty much the same overall format, each of them are still great. The first one, The Light That Blinds, a song about being something that you are not, has a nice acoustic intro, and then wends into some good riffs, and the rest of the song is played well; the double bass kicks and bass are noteworthy. Enlightened by the Cold is the next song, which has nice riffs and vocals. Act of Contrition has a noteworthy amount of clean vocals, albeit they are done well. The harsh vocals and good riffs are not missing, however, as well the good solo.

After that, one gets to What Drives the Weak. This song begins with some good riffs and a nice beginning guitar line. This song is good, notwithstanding getting slower every once in a while. Even with the clean vocals being mellow for bits of the song, this song still proves to be a good one. Stillness has a good melody and good riffs. It is not very unique, but it is still a catchy song. The song can be pretty heavy at times, with many heavy riffs and frequent use of harsh vocals. The harmonics before the solo, and the solo itself, make the song much better than it may seem at first. The next song, Inspiration on Demand, is ballad-like. There is much of singing, with most of the screaming coming from the chorus. If you do not mind something different, with a few listens, it is a good song.

The beginning of The Power of I and I has great double bass kicks, and is pretty heavy. Throughout the song, as a matter of fact, there are heavy riffs. Ghost of Past Failures has good riffs, especially the beginning harmonization. It has a catchy beat as well. Eternity Is Within also has good riffs and a good beat. Lastly, Those Who Cannot Speak, a song dedicated to Brian Fair’s autistic niece and nephew, has a nice acoustic beginning, akin to the starting track. Throughout the song, there are good double bass kicks and great harsh vocals. This song makes a good ending to this great album. Overall, this album, fulfilled with each band member doing his job, is indeed an album that is likable, even by those who do not enjoy melodic metalcore.

Shadows Fall are usually overlooked and/or criticized by thrash purists because they incorporate breakdowns into their songs, as well as metalcore-ish riffs. Sometimes, they sacrifice their thrash intensity for poorly constructed riffs and breakdowns in order to appeal to mainstream fans of metalcore. Also, many times the cleanly-sung choruses are terrible. The thing is, despite the fact that many of the criticisms are valid, the musicians in Shadows Fall are incredibly talented. Every once in a while throughout their discography, a killer riff pops up that is as good as anything that came out from the thrash genre in the mid 1980's, but they usually wind up killing that intensity with a lazily constructed breakdown. Seriously, every goddamn band in America is writing breakdowns. There isn't much room for variation, so what's the point?

The irony is, those kids (or morons) who Shadows Fall attempt to cater to with such trite musical themes overlook them as well. Ask any one of these types of fans who the best bands in metal are, and you'll hear Slipknot or Lamb of God; perhaps even In Flames. This is unfortunate, because as I mentioned before, the band members are actually insanely talented, with the possible exception of the vocalist. The sad thing is that those other bands are probably more accepted because they have no talent. I mean, Lamb of God have been doing the same tricks (if you can call them that) since their inception! And they are not even that clever or innovative, but I digress.

The one thing that Shadows Fall has going for them is their appeal outside the genre. I have friends that are fans of indie music that like Shadows Fall. The same goes for punk fans and fans of hardcore. But in the end, it doesn't really matter so much who likes the band, what matters is their artistic output. On this album, Shadows Fall has attempted to reach out to fans of banal American mainstream metal. The majority of this album contains predictable song structures, lousy monotonous riff-work and choruses that are terrible. "The Power of I and I" is a good example of everything mentioned above, and guess what, it's a fan favorite!

The guitarists have some major chops, but they rarely display what they are capable of. The solos for the most part are lackluster to say the least. The riffs can be found on any number of metalcore albums. The only standout performer throughout is Jason Bittner. It's obvious that this guy is a big fan of Mike Portnoy (he's actually filled in for a couple of Dream Theater shows) as well as Dave Lombardo. However, that's ok. There's nothing wrong with being influenced by a great musician, and Bittner has his own style. Sadly, it's hard to appreciate what he gives because everything else about the songs is so bad.

It needs to be said that not every song on here is terrible. "The Light That Blinds" is a classic in every sense of the word. The rhythm guitar work is just insane, and Bittner gives a top-notch performance. Even the vocals, both clean and yelling, are not too bad; especially the yelling. It shows that if only they incorporated Brain Fair's voice to more appropriate music, he's actually pretty good. Also, the closing track, "Those Who Cannot Speak," shows the band expanding. While "The Light That Blinds" kicks ass in about ten different ways, this song shows the band pushing their boundaries, while still sounding like Shadows Fall. The underlying riff actually sounds unique and the overall flow of the song works well. Extra kudos for the lead guitar parts in the middle.

It's so frustrating when a band this good and with this much talent lets it go to waste in order to win more fans. "The Light That Blinds" is such a good song, why couldn't they have written more of the album to be as powerful? Oh yeah, because they needed to write "Stillness" and songs like that to get played on the radio and win over shallow people. I guess it worked because when this review was written, this album had sold around 250,000 copies and was Century Media's highest selling album, ever. The two songs that sandwich the album are definite keepers and prove just how good this band could be, but in all reality, they do not make this album worth the full price. Itunes anyone?

The first thing that strikes me when listening to this album is the placing of Jonathan Donias' solos and the length of them. I'm kind of a sucker for having solos anywhere and everywhere, so that was what i liked about the "Art of Balance." I'm not a guitarist but I am a long time drummer, so I have a feel for when something sounds incredibley difficult or when something is impressive without knowing what every fucking note is that they're playing. The feel of the solos didn't catch me off guard like they did in Art of Balance, like "Shit! this guy's not just fast, but he's fucking angry." In The War Within it's just like the solos are there out of defense instead of offense. This was my biggest disappointment.


I have to say I love the vocals of Matt Bachand. They felt appropriately, and emotionally fitting to Brian Fair's screams and growls. Even Brian's singing, though he's definitely not a "singer", is done quite well:i.e. "What Drives the Weak". Brian seems to have quite a knack for putting the right rhythm on a monotone growl in outtros for a "scream along" that always leaves a crowd feeling great after many of their songs, but not on all of them to make them feel lifeless or overused. If you can't feel it live, then don't make it in a studio when it comes to metal.


The rhythms between Matt Bachand and Jonathan Donias are a relief to me when presented with the rock that surrounds me wherever I go. The give and take between the two is very apparent. Chugging away as tightly as can be together, then suddenly, and subtely one will drop off to sort of take something away for a split second, then the other will jump in to beef it up again. I commented on the solos earlier, but it's not all bad as I do enjoy how Matt seems to find a new riff behind the solos to give them extra dexterity that might not be there without the rhythm part.


I'm glad I can finally hear a metal band's bassist. The "And Justice For All" days, and the "Ashes of the Wake" ideals of having a badass bassist and all he does is headbang essentially to doing nothing on a project is ridiculous to me. As a musician I would be fucking irate over such a slap in the face, and Shadows Fall was guilty of it on the Art of Balance, but they got it right here. It really shows on every song, so I can't really point a specific part (that's what the bass is essentially for, right? Exception: John Myung).


Jason Bittner is basically just the epitome of what a metal drummer should be: a leader of other musicians. His solo on the title track "The Light that Binds" is an illusion. It sounds easy, but when slown down is all over the place. After watching Jason Bittner's Modern Drummer DVD I've realized just how this guy can play this shit any fucking tempo perfectly. If you noticed that Shadows didn't really get big until they brought in a dude from Berkley, then maybe you don't think it's a coincidence either. His speed, control, aceents, double-ride fills, off-beat triplets, make this a must-have-album have for anyone who thinks they've heard all drumming styles.


As a whole "The War Within" is not as flashy as the "Art of Balance," perhaps because this was the first time they were expected to sell shit-loads of albums. It's better held together than any of their predecessors, as the band seems more comfortable with the surrounding band members after their time together. The vocals, drums, and rhythm guitars are hard for anyone to match in any genre. This is a great sign of what American metal could be.

In a conversation about modern metal, the name Shadows Fall will almost certainly come up, especially in regards to the best new artists out there. Every scene kid trying to rise above that most odious of labels will make sure to mention them as one of their favorite bands, if only to try and wring some respect from his thrash metal buddies, for Shadows Fall is obviously the heaviest band since Metallica in his mind. The War Within is the band's best selling album, and supposedly, the best selling album on Century Media. Is Shadows Fall really the next big thing? Sure. But do they deserve that status?

Before my credibility is called into question, that answer is an assured no. I hate to devolve into repetition, but I really can't emphasize the following point enough: Shadows Fall is not metal. Shadows Fall is metalcore to the bone, a fact so apparent that one should never, ever be compelled to consider them anything otherwise, which I hear more often than not in discussions about new bands. You say Shadows Fall is the best metalcore band ever? Fine, I'll buy that. Compared to the dregs of Lamb of God, Avenged Sevenfold, Killswitch Engage, and all their clones, Shadows Fall is a radiant beacon of quality. But to compare them to thrash metal, death metal, or any style of metal that existed in the 80's is preposterous. A decade from now, no one will still be headbanging to this or any of their other releases like one would a Slayer or Possessed album. Your favorite band is nothing more than a transient guilty pleasure. Get over it.

But despite being incredibly overrated, the band has managed to actually craft a solid album, so now I'll justify this review's title. The War Within shaves off most of the metalcore cliches that render their previous albums mediocre and focuses on the things that the band excels at. Instrumentally, the band is in top form. The guitar work on here is the best I've ever heard from anyone in the genre. Riff after riff after crushing riff from beginning to end, with the occasional mellow acoustic riff to provide the listener a break. Unlike their previous albums, guitar solos show up quite often and never disappoint. I hate how Matt Bachand and Jon Donais are considered modern guitar gods, as they're really the darker equivalent of the Vengeance/Gates tagteam that fails to impress anyone over in A7X, but I'll be damned if I say they can't craft a nice solo section (Bachand providing the rhythm while Donais does all the lead work). You don't get to hear the bass, as it's often drowned out by the thickly distorted guitars and the insane drumming, but when you do, it's a treat. All the bass lines are far more impressive than on earlier albums and meld perfectly with the guitars. Hell, even the vocals on here aren't bad, though they're quite typical of the genre. Psuedo-death growls shouted out with occasional melodic singing, usually in the choruses. Not a bad performance from anyone in the band.

But all that goes for naught if the songwriting fails. Luckily it doesn't. Though there are some songs that carry the lingering aroma of filler, most provide the perfect combination of killer riffing and catchiness. "The Light That Blinds" is the greatest song to come out of metalcore, with that haunting acoustic intro riff preparing no one for the onslaught that is to follow. That song alone gives this album most of its points. Other highlights include "Those Who Cannot Speak," "The Power of I and I," and "What Drives the Weak." Not really a terrible song on here, musically that is. The one and only thing holding this back are the lyrics. No matter how many innovations metalcore bands make musically, vocally, or structurally, they always seem to write the same fucking lyrics. Every song is really bad poem ripped from the tattered pages of some mallcore kid's diary. If you're going to include elevated vocabulary, you best be damned sure you know how to use it. Almost every line is an ambiguous fragment of a thought, devoid of any real emotion and incomprehensible to even the most astute of analysts. If you have a point to express, don't bury it in metaphors or you'll leave the listener with a big 'ol WTF while they get lost in deciphering it. But then again, if you don't care about lyrics, this objection is a moot point and you should find nothing to dislike here.

In closure, this album is good, but like all their albums, it will most certainly fail to convert anyone that dislikes metalcore. Metalcore fans will worship this and metalcore detractors will condemn it. Though I generally dislike metalcore, I've found that this is a far cry from insulting my senses. If you're already a fan of Shadows Fall/similar bands then you probably own this already and I've wasted time reviewing it. But if you're not and you're open-minded about modern metal, you might feel the same way I have. But as always, I can't promise anything.

Shadows Fall released their awesome third album 'The Art Of Balance' back in 2003 and in my review for that album, I already pointed out that it would have been hard to top that release and unfortunately, they didn't succeed in that on their follow-up effort 'The War Within'.

Not that 'The War Within' is a bad album, not by any means! It's just that 'The Art Of Balance' was so perfect, the band members seem to have outdone themselves on that album. The band played a couple of songs from 'The War Within' on the tour after 'The Art Of Balance' and those songs sounded pretty impressive and that's still a word that could be used for most of the songs on 'The War Within'. The songs are still very good, just a little less memorable than on their nearly perfect predecessor.

'The Light That Blinds' is the perfect opener for the album. After a short and great acoustic intro, a song which sets the tone for Shadows Fall's sound perfectly follows. Heavy, melodic, pounding rhythms (Jason Bittner did an awesome job on the drums of this album!), a catchy chorus and awesome guitar work by both Matthew Bachand and Jonathan Donais (guitar heroes of the new age!). The following track is my personal favorite of the album. In just three minutes, 'Enlightened By The Cold' shows everything I love about this band. Heavy riffing, some incredible solo work and most of all, the beautiful catchy vocal lines in the chorus.

'Inspiration On Demand', a semi-ballad, shows how much Brian Fair has grown as a vocalist over the years. A very moving and beautiful track, which is slightly remniscent of the title track of the previous album. A great choice for a single and video. One of the other videos, 'What Drives The Weak', is your typical catchy Shadows Fall track, including more tranquil, clean guitar breaks. A great song also. As well as the other video of the album, 'The Power Of I And I', which is a pretty powerful track, especially rhythmically.

It's too bad that there are songs like 'Stillness' and 'Ghosts Of Past Failures', which are pretty good songs, but a lot less memorable than the other tracks, they just don't have the same power and just don't sound as convincing as the rest of the album to me. Especially 'Stillness' is a little too modern for my taste, I guess it should appeal to the younger audience though.

A brilliant climax is part of the album though; at the end of the album, first there is 'Eternity Is Within', again a very powerful track with a leading role for Bittner's outstanding drum work. And of course there are awesome guitar solos. And as the first song of the album opened with an acoustic part, so does the last song of the album and that is a true "prelude to disaster" (to quote the title of an acoustic prelude on the previous album). 'Those Who Cannot Speak' is one of the best melodic Death Metal-like songs I have ever heard. Slightly remniscent of 'A Fire In Babylon' from the previous album, but faster and heavier overall, but the same Chuck Schuldiner-ish vibe, structure and solos to it. Great job on this song! And what a way to close off the album!

Okay, so 'The War Within' is a slight letdown as compared to 'The Art Of Balance', but it's still so much better than the stuff that most of the younger bands of today release. Still a must buy for fans of the heavier genre!

Sometimes it is hard to imagine how some bands get their popularity. Is it the music? Is it the vocalist and/or the lyrical content? Or, is it just how hard the label they are on pushes and promotes them?

The latest from "Shadows Fall", The War Within is available for us all to listen to and bang each other's heads against the air or brick walls with delight or anger. But how exactly does this album stack up against the ever growing number of metalcore acts that seem to be appearing out of nowhere?

From the moment you start the CD, you realize you are really in for one hell of a metal trip here. 'The Light That Blinds', though a really simple title, is a pretty complex and impressive song. However, as you continue through the album, more and more singing is apparent, leading to one of the biggest let downs on the album when you realize the vocalist is singing some of the lines in the most annoying fashion. You expect him to be low, he sings it high. When it would sound better higher or without a space, he does just that. This is obvious in the track Inspiration On Demand.

However, the music on this album is simply sickening. Amazing double bass and extremely fast guitar riffs with killer bass chords make for one hell of a metalcore album music-wise. Though the screaming on the album isn't half bad either, about sixty percent of the singing vocals on this album are enough to piss you off to the point where you just want to stop listening.

The album concludes just as how it came in. An amazing song with little to flinch about. While there are still some vocal problems singing-wise on 'Those Who Cannot Speak', at this point, it doesn't really matter. Either you loved it and you want to go back and give it another listen, or you are praising your god that it's over and done with.

So, with the slight singing problem out in the open, would it make any real difference towards the band's reputation if they weren't on such a big and well-respected label? Perhaps, but not alone. All in all this album is amazing, but not quite on of the best one's out there. After you get your fill of the vocalist's sometimes annoying vocal work, you'll want to put the CD away for good. However, like a crack fiend, you'll definately want to go back and relive the amazing riffs and drum works that pulsate throughout the album so warmly, openly, and insanely.

As can be guessed by my username, I am a Shadows Fall fan. I find that they are among the two or three metalcore bands who actually know how to do the genre right, which is by including thrash and NWOBHM influences. This was showcased on The Art of Balance, the band's masterpiece and my favourite album of all time. While this album is good, it can in no way compare to the two albums that came before this. The songwriting is worse, and it simply just has more of a "typical metalcore" sound than their other albums.

The good: There are several amazing songs on here. The first of these is the opener, The Light That Blinds, which has a shitload of great, thrashy riffs as well as some amazing lead guitar. Jon Donais truly is a great lead guitarist, and his NWOBHM leads and shredding solos match those of the past album. Act of Contrition has that great riff in the middle, during the "I drift along" part... Most excellent. Eternity is Within delivers with some more great thrash and a great performance from vocalist Brian Fair. Finally, Those Who Cannot Speak is the greatest song on the album and has a multitude of great riffs and leads, especially at the end, when Fair gives his best vocal performance of the album as the guitars get thrashier and thrashier. Excellent stuff. I find Fair's vocals, contrary to popular opinion, to be quite good in general.

The bad: The chorus to Enlightened by the Cold is incredibly "typical metalcore" and completely sucks. It completely ruins the song for me. The intro to Stillness also sounds really terrible, but thats what fast forward buttons are for (the rest of the song does rule). What Drives the Weak is lacking in good riffs, though once again Jon's guitar solo completely rules.

Then there's simply a bunch of songs, that, while being good, are really not anything that special. The songwriting has definitely suffered on this album, and it just really isn't anything that special. So, if you enjoy this band, I suggest buying it, but not to expect anything incredibly amazing.

Yesterday I purchased "The War Within" Digipack for $8.64. Hey it comes with a DVD and sampler CD so the cost of the actual CD is about $2.85 give or take.

Anyways enough about me purchasing this CD.

Shadows Fall is often called a thrash metal/metalcore band that at one time used melodic death metal elements in their songs.

"The War Within" happens to be a metalcore CD that does what so many metalcore bands try to do, and fail miserably. Unlike Chimaira's "The Impossibility of Reason" and many others this CD actually sounds metal throughout the entire CD.

When the CD first starts, an acoustic guitar is heard in the intro and switches to electric guitar. Already the band has used three differant riffs. Very impressive.

The guitarists make good use of groove oriented thrash riffs, and they manage to make use of a good lot of them in all of the songs. The tradition for metalcore is usually to utilize one riff per song, maybe two. Shadows Fall manages to use alot of differant riffs in each one of the songs on this CD. It's obvious though that these riffs are simple, but damn it they are rather catchy. The guitar solos on this album are also rather ear catching, especially many of the acoustic intros that are placed on this album which make good use of the arpeggio scales.

The drumming is also an excellent example of a thrash element in a metalcore album. The drums tend to do something not often heard in this type of album. It follows the guitar riffs, but does not copy them. This makes for a very unique sound. The drumming often follows a melodic thrash pattern, but occassionally speeds up.

The bass is nothing too impressive. It does provide the low end for the songs, but since there are no awesome bass lines or bass solos I can't say too many good things about the bass.

Sadly where this CD becomes metalcore is in the vocals. The clean vocals are excellent, but it's the hardcore aggro screaming that almost ruins this CD. I say almost because the singer doesn't use them all the time, and will occassionally switch his voice around just slightly. It's also a plus that he doesn't sound like the vocalist from Chimaira. I feel however that if the band would ditch these type of vocals and utilize a lower and harsher sound they could easily fit into the thrash metal category.

Naturally this won't convert any true thrash metal fans, and I can see why. I would recommend this CD to the person just now dipping their toes into the true metal pool. Go past all the other metalcore CDs and pick this up instead.