What The Hell Happened To... 09.01.08: Shadows Fall - The Art Of Balance

Posted by Dan Marsicano on 09.01.2008

This week, Dan Marsicano introduces a special edition of What The Hell Happened To..., featuring a guest writer and some awesome surprises!

The Introduction

This is a glorious week for What The Hell Happened To. Not only has Rotten Tomatoes taken my column name and concept, but this is the start of what I like to call Fan Appreciation Month. This is where you readers choose the albums I listen to and analyze.

This week, we're starting Fan Appreciation Month with a BANG! Yep, I had to do all caps on it, that's how big this edition is! Per Andrew Crow's request, I will be looking at Shadows Fall's third studio album, The Art of Balance. Don't worry, that's not the only huge surprise on hand this week.

For the first time in What The Hell Happened To… history, I will be graced with a guest writer. Yep, Andrew had taken me up on my offer, and written his own What The Hell Happened To… about The Art of Balance. So you get not only my opinion, but his as well.

So, let's get one thing out of the way first before we'll dive right into the start of something special around here!

We have a contest going on, the BIGGEST one that 411 Music has ever had. You could win an Xbox 360, a year's worth of RockStar energy drinks, a "SmackDown Vs. Raw 2009" video game, an autographed copy of Jet Black Stare's new album, In This Life, and copies of the latest WWE dvds. All of this is part of the "Ready To Roll" WWE Summerslam package. Just click on the official contest page and register to win. That's it: it doesn't get much easier than that!

So let's begin! First, we'll have Andrew's critical analysis of the album and then I will be putting in my two cents.






Andrew Crow's Analysis


So, a guest writing position, even for just a music critique column on a website, isn't something I'm too used to, nor is it completely new to me. For the few that ever read the actual site at TheSmartMarks, I once did the TNA reviews during the weekly PPV era under the name Corey Lazarus, which started by doing a play-by-play and a mock-up of an article for the forums there. But this is a different beast altogether. This beast is both more diverse and, conversely, more one-dimensional than wrestling could ever hope to be. This beast's number is 666, and its name is heavy metal.


The Band

Brian Fair – Vocals
Jon Donais – Lead Guitar
Matt Bachand – Rhythm Guitar
Paul Romanko – Bass
Jason Bittner – Drums


Track Listing

1. Idle Hands – 3:34
2. Thoughts Without Words – 4:31
3. Destroyer of Senses – 2:54
4. Casting Shades – 2:09
5. Stepping Outside the Circle – 5:14
6. The Art of Balance – 4:46
7. Mystery of One Spirit – 5:10
8. The Idiot Box – 4:30
9. Prelude to Disaster – 1:48
10. A Fire in Babylon – 7:30
11. Welcome to the Machine (Pink Floyd cover) – 5:05


The History

Shadows Fall was formed in late 1995 by guitarists Jon Donais and Matt Bachand in Springfield, Massachusetts . The duo recruited Paul Romanko on bass, Phillip LaBonte on vocals, and Adam Dutkiewicz on drums. After recording their first EP, To Ashes, Adam left the band to form Killswitch Engage, and drummer David Germain was brought in to fill the position. After touring New England and opening for national acts, the band put out an independent LP on Bachand's own Lifeless Records entitled Somber Eyes to the Sky. The songs were heavily influenced by the European melodic death metal scene, particularly early In Flames and Dark Tranquility, but with a decisively US twist: the structures were not as complex as their European brethren, forgoing masterful technicality (though that was present) for overall heaviness. LaBonte left the band to form All That Remains, and former Overcast frontman Brian Fair was signed on board. The band then signed to Century Media Records and released Of One Blood in 2000 to critical and fan acclaim. The album borrowed tracks from Somber Eyes, but was filled mostly with new songs, including fan-favorites like "Crushing Belial" and "Of One Blood." After touring for a little over a year in support, the band headed back to the studio, ready to record their next album, and the one that would push them to the forefront of the US heavy metal hierarchy.


The Analysis

While Somber Eyes to the Sky showed an unsigned band with great promise, and Of One Blood showed just what could happen when all of the right elements strike together, The Art of Balance is there to show when a promising band chooses appeal over quality. Phillip LaBonte's vocals on Somber were solid enough, but lacked the urgency and presence that Fair's do. While LaBonte has shown with the releases of All That Remains that he is the better of the two singers, Fair is made for a live show. If you've never seen Shadows Fall live, despite what your opinion on them musically is, I'd advise you to do so, because they are a band that has a must-see stage presence.

That said, this album is filled to the brim with mediocrity. I can only compare it to the Boston Red Sox in 2005, where the year before was breakthrough after showing so much promise years earlier, and everything was firing on all cylinders, but then a cool down happened. Perhaps the band rested on their laurels, or perhaps they were looking to simplify their sound just to find a new audience. Many bands in metal have done this before, with the most notable being Metallica, to various success (while Metallica has become on of the biggest bands on the face of the planet, other bands who have simplified their sound, such as Demolition Hammer or Cradle of Filth, have actually lost a good portion of their fan base, the former disbanding because of it), so it's easy to see where the band was coming from. The problem being, of course, that an over-simplified style in the metal realm is almost equal to sub-par quality. Where Of One Blood succeeded by forcing Madball and Hatebreed onto the same playing field of At The Gates and Arch Enemy and making the two styles come together, Art of Balance fails by trying to lean more so on the hardcore style and only paying attention to the metal at various intervals. Let's look at it track-by-track.



"The First Noble Truth" Live 2000


Opener "Idle Hands" is a good choice to open an album, simply due to the way it begins (a pounding bass drum, followed by both guitars and bass crunching in momentarily, then leading to one guitar playing the main riff with the other instruments joining in at the accent marks). However, it's also a poor choice, because it's insanely derivative. The main riff is just a simplified version of the main riff of Metallica's classic "Battery," and not even disguised well, either. The entire song keeps along the same pace, but the overwhelming feeling of just listening to somebody poorly play "Battery" remains entirely intact.

"Thoughts Without Words," the bands first single and music video, is a complete summary of the new direction for the band, and the album as a whole. The riff that introduces us to the song is varied upon during the verses, and while it is not as technical or as melodic as many of the riffs of the two previous albums, it is far from overly simple. The song forces its way through itself, being at times both inviting and rejecting of your attention. Fair's vocals are actually the biggest detriment to the song, as he screams his way through it all. He has a good scream, very unique, but it almost sounds too forced here.

"Destroyer of Senses" is a hardcore song with a little bit of metal thrown in. There is some palm-muting done here and there, but for the most part the song is the same one riff played over and over again, with minor variations throughout. A complete waste of space and time, and one of the band's worst songs overall (which, given the quality of their output from this album forward, is saying something).

"Casting Shade" is a beautiful instrumental, and is actually the song that helped me win over non-fans into at least giving the band a chance. The entire thing is played on acoustic guitars (or at least digital programs to give the guitars an acoustic feel), and is just wonderful. It ends abruptly, but definitively, and segues directly into the next song, giving you a moment to rest after the first three before the (in my eyes) three best tracks on the album pop up.

"Stepping Outside the Circle" has become Shadows Fall's trademark song, and with good reason: it is very, VERY good. It doesn't match the better songs off Of One Blood, but it does blow everything from Somber Eyes (save for "To Ashes," which was re-done for Of One Blood anyway) out of the water. The song starts with classic thrash riffing that then breaks down into a hardcore groove before ringing out and going back to classic thrash metal for the verse and pre-chorus. When the chorus comes in, so does the gang vocal, and the switch back to hardcore works to its fullest effect, the simplicity of the music allowing all to enjoy the collective effort of the vocal and chorus itself. The song keeps a steady pace going throughout, even with pauses taken for atmospheric effect, and then the end breakdown commences, when the title of the song is screamed. Lyrically, this is the strongest song on the album, with Fair ranting about attempts to change one's life failing time and time again, but ultimately succeeding. Why is he yearning to change his life? It's never made clear, and that's what makes it work. It could be domestic abuse from the point of a young child or a battered spouse, it could be an alcoholic wishing to sober up, a drug addict wanting to clean themselves up, or even just somebody sick of their daily routine wanting to change. It's open to interpretation, which is something that all good song lyrics should be.



"Stepping Outside The Circle" Live


The title track, "Art of Balance," is a power ballad in the vein of Metallica's "Fade to Black." It begins with distorted guitars and a melodic solo played through a wah pedal, and segues into acoustic guitar and steady drums, and then Fair showing that he can sing beyond the few parts where he does on Of One Blood (or his attempts at it during his Overcast days). His voice is unsteady at times, likely both because of a lack of confidence in his singing voice and to fit the theme of the song, which is about (as the title would suggest) finding a balance, only here it's not so vague. The song points more towards an attempt to find a balance between lashing out at anything and everything that has ever wronged you and keeping it to yourself. Choice lyrics in question: "How dare you compromise / The balance of our lives / The excuses you devise / And internal suicide." The song then rings out, flowing right into the next track.

"Mystery of One Spirit" follows, and is a song so tight and well-paced that it could have been found on Of One Blood. If there are only three songs that make this album worth owning, then this is definitely the third, with the prior two rounding out the trifecta. Placement-wise, the song is ideal for the middle of the album, as it doesn't have a building introduction, nor does it have any epic feel towards its end. It is a purely solid metal song, and that's nothing other than a compliment, as most of the album comes off too underwhelming.

Especially the next song, "The Idiot Box," which is lyrically focused at wasting your life watching television rather than doing anything else, and musically complete filler. The song tries to find its stride, almost looking for acceptance now that the three best tracks of the album are through, but fails, and is instead a cooling period before the end of the album comes. And if that was the song's purpose to begin with? Then I applaud the band for doing so, though a slower-paced, but better, song would have been just fine.

"Prelude to Disaster" is another instrumental, this one much shorter, and with an electric guitar soloing over it rather than another acoustic one playing harmonic parts. The song ends on a slow note, but something's off: the note doesn't fit with the rest of the song, creating a feeling of tension, of unease, and the sound of a fire burning fades up from the background, leading us into the next track.

"A Fire in Babylon" is the epic closer, but something about it feels like a misfire. The introduction is amazing, and the pace is constantly building to the almost Maiden-like riffing found towards the end, but it's as if there's not ENOUGH of a build. The pacing is constant for the first few minutes, and then a great clean breakdown comes through that turns into a heavy sonic metal attack at just the right moment, but the song feels almost forced rather than fluid. They're the only true complaints about the song: it's too short to be a true epic, yet too long to be just another song; it's a great listen that builds upon itself cohesively, but it's not a fluid build and leaves you wanting a little bit more. And the album should stop here, but the obligatory cover closes it off.



"A Fire In Babylon" Live 2004


And opinions on the cover of Pink Floyd's classic "Welcome to the Machine" vary about as wide as opinions can. While some see the song as a tarnish on the legacy of Floyd, others see it as a dutiful cover that sees Shadows Fall throwing their own style atop a classic, and others even say they prefer the Shadows Fall version. I'd say I'm a part of all three camps. While SF certainly miss the ambience (save for certain accents, where acoustic guitars with a heavy echo effect are played alongside the electric guitars) of the Floyd original, they more than make up for it with dull repetition. Normally, this would be a bad thing, but think about the title of the song and its meaning. The song is about a young up-and-coming rock star that gets absorbed into the machine of commercial media and loses their soul, becoming just another star for whatever label they've signed to. The guitars chug along steadily, the pace kept consistently mid-tempo, with the effect of a machine playing the song itself ever-present. Even Fair's vocals are monotone compared to that of the Floyd original, showing a complete conformance to the way the music industry works. And all the while, the metalcore style of SF is on display, with some vague attempts at placing quick breakdowns into the song (the "chugga-chugga" accents of certain notes) showing that this is not the Floyd original, but rather the SF cover. This is an ideal song to close this album, in retrospect.

Following the release of The Art of Balance, Shadows Fall became as close to a mainstream media darling that a metal band could be without being overly melodic. Fair has kept his screams and growls, but has also been experimenting with more clean vocals than actually suits the music. Compared to Of One Blood, Balance is a Sex Pistols album (overall, not entirely) in terms of technicality, which is exactly what most mainstream music is (simple rather than technically amazing). The songs have been churned into overall simplicity, sometimes disguised as an homage to thrash metal (not especially known for its masterful musicianship), and while the quality has diminished from the promise of Somber Eyes to the Sky and Of One Blood, there are still plenty of songs on the later albums that are worth a listen, and would even rank high in terms of quality output from the Shadows Fall boys. "Those Who Cannot Speak" and "Ghost of Past Failures," both off of the album The War Within, are possibly the two best songs that the band has ever produced, and each of the three albums following The Art of Balance are superior to it as a whole.

This is an album that will serve as a decent introduction to the band itself, along with their latest, Threads of Life. Both albums are about on par in terms of solid songs versus mediocre, or even bad, ones, but Threads is somehow more forgivable due to it being the band's first release on a major label (that being Atlantic Records), who, as a whole, tend to stay away from heavy metal as a genre. This was released the moment Shadows Fall became Century Media's premier band alongside metal heavyweights like Strapping Young Lad, Nevermore, Jag Panzer, and Eyehategod, and so is not as forgivable due to Century Media's standing in the metal community as a label (behind Metal Blade, on par with Roadrunner, and ahead of Nuclear Blast America). Do yourself a favor and listen to Of One Blood, especially the songs "Crushing Belial," "Of One Blood," "The First Noble Truth," and "To Ashes," and then listen to songs off of The Art of Balance. The differences will take a little while to simmer in, but they are there, and they're all in the favor of the Century Media debut being the better album.


Dan Marsicano's Analysis

Well, that was an epic read, wasn't it? Andrew made a lot of strong, and well-expressed, arguments against The Art of Balance. However, I would like to offer a different perspective on the album, one that is quite more positive than the bleak viewpoints of one Andrew Crow.

The Art Of Balance is quite an adept title for the album; throughout the 47 minutes, Shadows Fall tries to maintain a fair balance between their aggressive roots and their calmer, less edgy sound swimming beneath the surface. While later albums would have the band dwelling into power ballad ("Another Hero Lost") and radio-friendly ("What Drives The Weak") territory, The Art of Balance is the Shadows Fall album where the Massachusetts quintet found the perfect symmetry between their former selves and their prospective future selves.

Andrew compared the first track, "Idle Hands," to "Battery," the opener to Metallica's 1986 masterpiece Master of Puppets. I can see where he is coming from, but I never saw "Idle Hands" in that way. "Idle Hands" grabs the listener by the throat immediately, unlike the acoustic intro of "Battery" and slow burning anticipation towards the pulsing Hetfield riff a minute in.

"Thoughts Without Words" would be the first music video and single from Shadows Fall. The Art of Balance was a big step forward for Shadows Fall in terms of support from their label Century Media. Unlike Of One Blood, Shadows Fall would release three singles, with videos for each song, over a six month plus period. "Destroyer of Senses" and "The Idiot Box" were the other two tracks. These three songs provide the first-time listener of Shadows Fall to get a glimpse at what the quintet had to offer metal fans.

While not as critical as Andrew was on the three singles, I will have to admit that I find myself skipping these tracks a lot when I'm trying the "abridged" version of The Art of Balance. "Thoughts Without Words" was, in my mind, the only strong single from The Art of Balance, with guitarist Donais tearing the roof off in the solo section, and Fair providing solid harsh vocals. "Destroyer of Senses" is a standard modern thrash track, with a mini-breakdown and an all-too-short solo, while "The Idiot Box" starts off strong before leading to a mediocre song that doesn't follow up on the promise the epic introduction offered.



"Thoughts Without Words" Live 2002


While the singles off of The Art of Balance, the rest of the album is full of grandiose and dark metal, with hints of beauty lying around. This splendor is mainly in the two instrumentals, "Casting Shade" and "Prelude To Disaster." The former is an acoustic trip through a rain (possibly blood)-soaked meadow, while the latter prepares the listener for the beginning of the end of life on Earth with a wild guitar passage from Donais.

However, don't think Shadows Fall goes soft on metal fans. That would be the furthest thing from the truth and evidence A is "Stepping Outside The Circle." A fan favorite, the brutally hectic track had been played in live shows for years before it was recorded for The Art of Balance. Designed to open the mosh pits up, "Stepping Outside The Circle" turns the idea of the album, the foundation of balance, on its head. As Fair screams "A desperate act to remain free, a balance point cannot be found, this whole thing will come crashing down," the band follows suit, making sure that any chance of keeping a foot on the edge would be instantly stripped away. Shadows Fall deceives the listener with a melodic section, heavy on clean electric guitar and bass, but it is short-lived as the harmonics are out in full force, showing the unique style of guitarist Donais and Bachand.

The title track is the "ballad" of the album, but I can't agree with Andrew's comparison to "Fade to Black." Yes, they both have acoustic guitar and melodic singing that showed a different side of both singers, but "Fade To Black" definitely is much more emotional and impactful, especially in the lyrical content (suicide), than "The Art of Balance." That comparison not withstanding, the title track is a different side of Shadows Fall, one that would become more prevalent later on in their career. I'm surprised the title track was never considered to be released as a single, as the track just screams "mainstream success" to my ears.

Shadows Fall saved the best for last with "A Fire In Babylon" and the Pink Floyd cover of "Welcome To The Machine." The former starts off with an epic introduction, enhanced by Donais' best solo work on the whole album. Unlike "The Idiot Box," "A Fire In Babylon" follows suit with the opening the rest of the track. The vocal interaction between Fair, Donais and Bachard is quite prevalent, as Bachard and Donais provide the more death metal-ish screeches, compared with Fair's steady screams. I thought the song had a steady build towards a fantastic instrumental section, with some more flashy Donais soloing. After a slow fadeout, we get a closing track seemingly out of left field.

Andrew excellently pointed out the different viewpoints when discussing "Welcome To The Machine." The original was a space rock epic, heavy on the keyboards, only pulling out acoustic guitars for the chorus. For their cover, Shadows Fall turned the amps up and substituted keyboards for monotonous riffs. The only element retained from the original is an occasional keyboard and the acoustic guitar, which hides in the background underneath the electric guitar. Personally, I find "Welcome To The Machine" to be a worthwhile cover, with Fair pushing himself vocally, almost sounding like David Gilmour at times. Jim Weeks does the drumming on the track, and while no Jason Bittner, Weeks provides a steady backbeat for the rest of the band. I'm curious to hear what "Welcome To The Machine" would have sound like with Bittner on the drum track.



"Destroyer Of Senses" Live 2003


Speaking of Bittner, The Art Of Balance is his first studio album with the band. It was quickly clear that Bittner was a perfect fit for Shadows Fall and that he had a lot of talent behind his hands and feet. Did I think he would become as world-renowned as he did? Honestly, no, not when I first heard him, but as time went on, he continued to impress me, with his wonderful performance on Shadows Fall's next album, The War Within, sealing the deal for me.

The opinion on The Art Of Balance is mixed among metal fans. I see the division exactly like Metallica (talk about overusing a reference). Some people love the old Metallica, but hate everything after the Black album. Others actually prefer the later Metallica (believe it or not), while most are in the middle, tending to like everything the band has to offer. Personally, I'm in the third category, as I listen to The Art Of Balance as much as Of One Blood, The War Within, and even Threads Of Life.

It has been a while since I played The Art Of Balance, but even after a long period of time, the album still feels fresh in my mind. I understand how some may question the "metalness" of Shadows Fall and of The Art Of Balance, but I believe that the band was better off lending more of a melodic sound to augment their weighty, brooding side, then continuing in the direction of One Blood.


The Conclusion

I decided not to include a Who The Hell Is… this week because of the guest writer, but it will return next week and is guaranteed to blow your mind!

Before I sign off this week, Andrew would like to make a few shout-outs:


"Big up's to the TSM'ers who know me as Corey Lazarus, especially Angelslayed and Steviekick (two of the few metal brethren in those parts), and check out my band EXCYDE at www.myspace.com/excyde if you're into some heavy shit. Not brutal, but certainly heavier than what passes for "metal" on MTV."


I want to thank Andrew Crow for participating in the first ever guest writer slot on What The Hell Happened To… He's a great writer and definitely provided a solid set of arguments against The Art of Balance.

Remember, this month is Fan Appreciation Month. While I have gotten some great requests, in my own greedy way, it's not enough. So if you got an underrated/overrated album for me to analyze, or even want to have a guest spot on the column (great way to publicize yourself) let me know asap and we'll work something out. This is your month; you readers are taking over What The Hell Happened To…, so make your opinion count!

Next week, I'm looking at a later release from Soundgarden, a band that people have begged me to look at for months and months. Well, I aim to please, so get ready for some grungy action at What The Hell Happened To…