Shadows Fall are a new band to this reviewer despite this being their fifth full album,the music seems to be very reminiscent of some of the 2nd wave of Bay Area thrash bands from the mid to late 80's (particularly Forbidden and Testament in my opinion) but this is not meant as any kind of negative criticism and in the current climate of nu-metal and rap-metal serves to give them a more unique sonic identity.

The album starts strongly with The Light That Fades, which is a combination of a melodic intro coupled with some excellent double bass drum work and tight riffing which is echoed throughout the album. Stand out tracks in my opinion are the aforementioned Light That Fades, What Drives The Weak, Inspiration On Demand (which with its excellent vocal hooks and superb guitar solo should be considered as a single in my opinion), Ghosts Of Past Failure and Those Who Cannot Speak, which all feature good variation in the song structures coupled with the excellent musicianship displayed throughout the album, special mention should be given to the strong backing vocals which really add to some of the melodic bridge and chorus work found on this album.

If I have any criticism of the album its that some of the tracks, such as Act Of Contrition, Stillness and Eternity Is Within for example, don't offer enough variation to stand out and grab the attention but they are still very listenable and benefit from the high standards of musicianship displayed elsewhere so all in all a very good album that gives us a modern take on some classic thrash stylings, highly recommended!

Let us know your views on 'The War Within'

Track List

The Light That Blinds
Enlightened By The Cold
Act Of Contrition
What Drives The Weak
Stillness
Inspiration On Demand
The Power Of I and I
Ghosts Of Past Failure
Eternity Is Within
Those Who Can Not Speak

Line Up

Matthew Bachard - Guitar/Vocals
Brian Fair - Lead Vocals
Jason Bittner - Drums
Paul Romanko - Bass
Jonathon Donais -Lead Guitar/Vocals