Shadows Fall

Even those unfamiliar with the Springfield, Massachusetts outfit Shadows Fall would surely not be entirely shocked, with a name like that, to discover that they’re a metal band. They’ve tended to specialise in the fast-paced thrash sub-genre of the style over the course of a career that has now almost spanned a full two decades, but that’s not to say that they didn’t have some melodic leanings earlier in their career; as they’ve gone from strength to strength, though, building up an impressively sizable worldwide fanbase in the process, their sound has become altogether more focused. They’ve released seven albums over the course of their career to date, with the two most recent efforts - 2009’s Retribution and Fire from the Sky in 2012 - reflecting the scale of their cult fanbase by both managing to break into the top forty on the U.S. albums charts. The band toured the world in support of that most recent release, playing incendiary, hugely energetic shows that also served as exercises in technical proficiency. The setlists were career-spanning affairs, although you rather suspect that the actual selection of songs might not have mattered too much to those down in the mosh pits - just that Shadows Fall brought their brutal signature sound to proceedings.

The metalcore band, Unearth, has a sound that will attack you with fists of furry. Volumes are cranked to full blast and the band is not afraid to unleash their sound in the fiercest way possible. The band came upon their name, Unearth, because they wanted to unearth a new sound in the metal genre, and their ambitious approach to do so has paid off. They have attempted to up the intensity of metal music by large leaps, always producing the heaviest sounds that are possible to make. There is hardly any melodic singing whatsoever during their performance. The vocals are always approached with deep yells and growls that are in your face. Even the backup singing is handled in the same manner of intensely bellowing the lyrics. The band clearly revels in the intensity of their songs, which can be conveyed in the title of one of their songs, “This Glorious Nightmare”. The more horrific and exhilarating they can make the music, the better it is for their performance. Although the vocals are always presented in an atonal and harsh approach, the guitarists often incorporate some melodic riffs into the music. The band is extremely epic on stage, running all around, and head banging to their heavy metal music. The singer, Trevor Phipps, never lets up on his intensity when addressing the audience. When speaking to the crowd he does not refrain from using his deep, raspy growl, and incites the crowd to go crazy. The crowd seems to eat up the viciousness of the performance and aggressively partakes in mosh pits and head banging.
Although the band shows direct influences from some of their metal heroes such as Slayer, Anthrax, and Testament, there is no doubt that they have unearthed a sound of their own that continues to push the boundaries of heavy delivery.