Shadows Fall
The Art of Balance
Century Media
2002

Shadows Fall hail from the current U.S metal haven, Massachusetts. In a state that is overrun by an insane amount of bands with talent, how does Shadows Fall set themselves apart? Up until now, they didn't. Shadows Fall used to be merely a solid American group playing European metal. They've changed all preconceptions you had of them with their latest album, The Art of Balance.

Shadows Fall has given up a large part of their death metal growls and European metal riffing, opting to play a style of metal that resembles 1980's American metal. No, not lame shit like Winger and Poison. I'm talking Slayer, Anthrax, and Metallica. I swear, some of this stuff sounds exactly like it was pulled from Ride The Lightning or Master of Puppets. The Art of Balance is thrash metal at its finest.

Vocally, Shadows Fall shines like a crazy diamond with the mighty Brian Fair of Overcast fame on vocals. On Of One Blood, Fair utilized a lot of death metal growling, and overall, his vocal presence just did not match what it once was in Overcast. He's done a complete vocal overhaul now, belting out Hetfield like barks, and sounding better all-around. Fair has never sounded better than he does on The Art of Balance.

Everyone else in Shadows Fall pulls their share of the workload as well. The riffs can be straightforward and punishing, or complex and dynamic. The drum work put forth pounds with lightning fast work to complement most of the songs mid to fast tempos. Bass playing is rigid and thick. This album is incredibly accessible, yet there are no sacrifices made to the band's integrity to do so.

Shadows Fall has seen a large amount of growth since their inception, and The Art of Balance is their finest yet. As the band continues to mature, I can foresee things getting even better now that they have tried on a pair of shoes that finally fit. The Art of Balance is a stellar metal album. Buy it.

The Verdict: 9/10