Shadows Fall

Shadows Fall continue to carve a path for themselves to the top of the metal scene with The War Within. While The Art of Balance was reminiscent of Metallica’s Master of Puppets thrash, The War Within has more influences of Iron Maiden guitar leads and riffing. Mind you, the great Metallica-influenced tempo changes from pummelling metal to soft, melodic parts remain. Brain Fair’s vocals have developed since their last album, with the softer parts having more impact. "Ghosts of Past Failure” crosses deep into power ballad territory and to the point of being painfully close to ’80s rock. Shadows Fall continue to progress as a band and do what they want. Along with bands like Killswitch Engage, Shadows Fall are leading the pack of the new metal.