Audio CD review:
Shadows Fall - The Art of Balance

Shadows Fall - The Art of Balance

Band: Shadows Fall Title: The Art of Balance Rating: Release Date: 2002-12-02 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Idle Hands 2: Thoughts Without Words 3: Destroyer of Senses 4: Casting Shade 5: Stepping Outside the Circle 6: The Art of Balance 7: Mystery of the Spirit 8: The Idiot Box 9: Prelude to Disaster 10: A Fire in Babylon 11: Welcome to the Machine - Shadows Fall, Waters

Hard and Beautiful I listened to "Perseverance" by Hatebreed, and thought all the songs sounded too much alike with little variation in style. Here I am, continuing my exposure to extreme metal, and finally I am surprised by a group. Meshuggah's CD "Nothing" was better because I thought the music was very complex, but I struggled with the singing. It would seem to me that singing like this is a great way to ruin your vocal chords. This CD surprised me for multiple reasons. First, though the yelling/singing or whatever you want to call it is there, this group plays music very well. When they aren't singing they can bang out a tune really well. But the real shocker here was the last track, a cover of Pink Floyd's "Welcome to the Machine". With my stereo turned down low I thought at first that some how a Pink Floyd song had crept onto this CD. Once I turned the sound up, I realized that it was Shadows Fall doing an absolutely excellent cover of a Pink Floyd song. The other tracks that blow me away are the instrumentals "Casting Shade" and "Prelude to Disaster". For those fans of thrash or death metal, these songs are as uncharacteristic as Black Sabbath's "Laguna Sunrise". Complain as much as you want, Shadows Fall would have a great career as a mainstream band if they played music like this all the time. "Casting Shade" particularly will evoke images of streams in woods in medieval times, and you might almost think you are listening to a progressive rock group. I could eliminate all but tracks 4, 9 and 11 and walk away a happy camper. You may call this group a sellout to extreme metal, but when they want to they can create the most incredibly beautiful music. Four stars for have the bravery to challenge thrash metal fans to listen to music milder than the usual screaming about pain, anger, hate and self-loathing. Rock music was always about doing your own thing, not always kowtowing to grumpy fans that think a particular group should always sound the same. Note that this particular version is imported from Japan. While there is a bonus track on it, the price is substantially different from other readily available editions. Before you buy you need to see the versions available and decide which version meets your needs best. Good luck! This review is based on a review copy of the CD. You can see a complete list of all Shadows Fall discography, or go back to the Shadows Fall tabs