With less than a week until the kick off of the 3rd portion of the Hatebreed's newest album tour, "The Divinity Of Purpose", fear not because they still has several VIP packages available for purchase. Do not get caught sleeping on this one or you might regret it! Visit this website today while VIP tickets are still available at a show coming near you.
The VIP package is more than worth it and is jam packed with a concert-entry ticket, a Hatebreed drawstring bag, a water bottle, a sticker, a signed copy of Outburn Magazine, a signed poster, a limited edition laminate & cd sampler, but there could be some more goodies as well like 8x10's, guitar picks, etc. It's a killer deal! Plus you get to meet the band & get a photo w/ them after the show.
General admission tickets for "The Divinity of Purpose" tour are available here.
It's Thursday again and you know what that means; time to talk about some old people that wrote, played, and recorded awesome music. In the grand scheme of things, Shadows Fall isn't really that old of a band, but for the past 15 or so years they have been releasing consistently good music. Along with bands like Lamb of God and Killswitch Engage, they helped to redefine the sound of heavy metal music for the new millennium.
In the mid 1990's, when mainstream American heavy metal was largely defined by nu metal bands, real metal was on the back burner and surviving mainly in the underground scenes. The Massachusetts hardcore and metal scene proved to be a crucial area for the revival of metal as it contained the ingredients for removing the aftertaste of the "limp biscuits" that were lingering in the mouths of hungry metalheads. In 1997, the first of many ingredients was unleashed with the release of Shadows Fall's debut album "Somber Eyes to the Sky". Although this debut wasn't particularly groundbreaking nor did it really garner any attention outside of the scene, it was still important since it allowed the band to play around with the Gothenburg melodeath sound before completely abandoning it to establish their own unique brand of metal. Plus, it was the only album to feature Phil Labonte on vocals which is pretty bad ass.
For Shadows Fall, the early 2000's turned out to be the most important years in terms of evolving and establishing their sound. Brian Fair made his first appearance as the band's vocalist on their 2000 release "Of One Blood". This was also the band's first album released through Century Media records. So with better production and a vocalist that was better fit for the band's style, they were on their way to becoming a solid entity in the metal community. In 2002 they released "The Art of Balance". This was the album that basically served as a template for the sound of all their future releases. By this point they had shed nearly all of their melodic death metal influences in favor of a unique blend of thrash and hardcore. This was also the first album to feature Jason Bittner on drums, therefore completing the classic Shadows Fall line-up. With "The Art of Balance" Shadows Fall found their niche.
The main reason I've always liked this band was for their ability to combine everything that's awesome about metal. Matt Bachand and Jon Donais are modern day riff-masters and really help to bring the thrash back into metal. Also, Donais's leads can be incredibly technical at times. Brian Fair has a fairly distinctive voice and the harmonies he creates with Matt are an appropriate fit for many of their choruses. Elements of their 90's hardcore roots (particularly Overcast) bleed through some of the rhythmic sections and breakdowns. I should also mention that no contemporary metal band can write a better power ballad than these guys. Shadows Fall is a great band and definitely worth checking out if you're looking for a younger band with a timeless sound.
There's a massive tour incoming with quite a mixed bag of artists. Hatebreed will be tearing apart the United States along with Shadows Fall, Dying Fetus, and The Contortionist. That means Hardcore, Metalcore, Death Metal, and Progressive Metal will be joining forces on this one. Should be one helluva show with a diverse crowd to boot. Check the dates on the flyer below along with music videos from all the bands \m/
We went to see Killswitch Engage, Periphery, Shadows Fall, and Acaro the other night in Baltimore, MD. Here's the footage we got along with music videos from all the bands \m/
Everyone living out on the west coast should definitely check out this festival. California Metalfest VI has a huge line up of great, and not so great bands. The bands worth seeing include Killswitch Engage (who will be playing the classic KSE album "Alive or just Breathing" in it's entirety), As I Lay Dying, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Unearth, Born of Osiris, The Faceless, Shadows Fall, Veil of Maya, For Today, Suicide Silence, Memphis May Fire, Upon a Burning Body, and Volumes among others. The festival will be taking place on November 24th in San Bernardino, Californ-i-a. Check out the festival poster and the music we have for you under that.
Shadows Fall has always been a solid band. Combining elements of both Thrash and Metalcore, this five-piece group from Massachusetts have played an important role in the New Wave of American Heavy Metal. It's safe to say that after the release of Fire From The Sky in May of this year these guys are still going strong. Like any of their previous albums, you can expect plenty of melodic solos, intense drumming, and Brian Fair's hardcore barking contrasted with his and guitarist Matt Bachand's clean singing. One of the most note worthy things about this album is the fact that Adam D. produced it (the only other Shadows Fall album that he produced was their debut Somber Eyes to the Sky). The good news is that both Adam D. and Shadows Fall have had about 15 years to perfect their quality of creating music.
Another high point on this album is the use of death growls. Any long time fan of Shadows Fall knows that this is not a new vocal technique for the band, seeing as how their first three albums Somber Eyes to the Sky, Of One Blood,and The Art of Balance used them frequently. Although the guttural lows aren't as rampant as they were in the earliest albums they definitely fit well in songs such as "Weight of the World", "The Wasteland" and the album's title track. Fire From The Sky also contains much darker lyrics than previous albums as well as apocalyptic themes. There really aren't any low points on this album, but don't expect anything too different. Shadows Fall has created a musical formula that works for them and pleases several fans, including myself. In conclusion, Fire From The Sky is an excellent addition to any long term fan's collection and a great album for curious metalheads to begin with.
P.S. If you are interested in this band and haven't picked up this album yet I would strongly recommend purchasing the Best Buy addition for a couple of bonus tracks.
With less than a week until the kick off of the 3rd portion of the Hatebreed's newest album tour, "The Divinity Of Purpose", fear not because they still has several VIP packages available for purchase. Do not get caught sleeping on this one or you might regret it! Visit this website today while VIP tickets are still available at a show coming near you.
Links: Hatebreed Facebook // Twitter // iTunes
