Shadows Fall kind of changed up their style a little bit for their new album. For the people who have the CD or downloaded it.....what are your thoughts on the new album?

I love the latest album. It's killer. Got some noice thrash riffs in there.

I think the new album is awesome. Only heard it through once, but just from that I can tell their sounds really developed for the better. Really hope they do a UK tour soon

QUOTE(Axl Torn @ Apr 15 2007, 02:46 AM) [snapback]371818[/snapback]you have got to be kidding, they're one of the only bands that dont overuse both of those
unlike millions of other bands
I'd agree, but they don't use either. Technicality for me means straying from C minor/chromatic runs and 4/4 time. And show me a song of Shads where they do blastbeats.

I got the new album ages ago. It sound Ok, i think.

I think i have only ever heard one Shadows Fall song. I cant have thought it was that good.

I don't think they changed their style very much... but I do think that this album is worse than the last. They don't try for greatness. They simly attempt to repeat what they have already done, and end up with a slightly weaker almum.

good cd. i've been listening to this one lately and i've never really gotten into shadows fall. The only complaint i have is the vocals, they need more melody, not random shouting. other than that its just a cool cd.

Shadows Fall never really did it for me. The new stuff is no different.

ive like everything this band has written, so yea i dig it!

Allow me to give a full review
SHADOWS FALL- THREADS OF LIFE
Its been a few years since I was first introduced to Shadows Fall. At the first listen, I was turned off by their barking vocals and relentless blastbeats. However, their driving sound grew on me and I was hooked. I ended up purchasing The War Within and I loved it. The sounds were great, soaring with melodic hooks and thundering with undying slamming rhythms. I went backwards next, purchasing the Art of Balance album. Again, I was blown away by Shad's sonic ability. These guys were more technical than anyone in the current metal scene and were leading a movement dubbed the New Wave of American Heavy Metal. Then came the release of 2007's Threads of Life.
Threads of Life is a half-assed attempt at major label greatness. The songs sludge through uncharacteristic cliches the band had previously avoided. The true standout tracks are the lead off single, Redemption, the seemingly Dimebag inspired dirge Another Hero Lost, and the instrumental The Great Collapse. Aside from those three, the rest of the album is unfocused and unrealized. For musicians who were the composers of such great works as The Light That Blinds and Stepping Outside the Circle, this is second rate material from what I had always praised as a first rate band. I'm a little unsure of the reason behind Threads's lackluster material. Nonetheless, I have to applaud the band for the effort they show while treading hopelessly through their life-less Threads of Life release.
1. Redemption- This lead off single track gave a lot of hope for what would be the major label debut of one of metal's most promising acts to come out in the last few years. Instead, its merely the icing of an otherwise bitter cake. Even the vocals seemed borrowed from 2004's The War Within. What could have been a precursor to a great metal album ends up becoming the discs's only redeeming metal blast.
2. Burning The Lives- Here, Shad falls into the trap of worn and old metal cliches with their panning intro before succumbing to lifeless vocals and mediocre rhythms. This track is surprisingly calm and boring for such a great band.
3. Storm Winds- What could have been an epic, blistering offering on its title alone manages to come off sounding like an amateur metal band better suited for smoky clubs than the grand stage Shadows Fall has always seemed poised to dominate. The melodic chorus lacks any depth or muscle and hardly lives up to the imagery born out of its tremble-tremble name.
4. Failure of the Devout- The intro alone is enough to compel me to hit the skip button. For the sake of giving the album a fair listen, I suffered through the rest of this God-awful track. The only failure here is from the guys in Shad. Shame on you for releasing such second rate material.
5. Venomous- Sorry guys, but this songs bark is worse than its bite. Buried in muddied guitar runs that wouldn't make even the grade for a backyard wrestling entrance theme, the only bite here is the glaring realization of a metal band aiming a little left of anything worth a minute's listen.
6. Another Hero Lost- While possibly standing in for lost and painful emotions at the lost of their mentor and friend, Dimebag Darrel, this song is slightly mired by 80's rock ballad cliches and uninspired lyrical content. For a song bearing so much emotion, its lyrical depth should have been considered and written with more of an abstract, perhaps subtle direction. This track does, however, showcase Shad's awesome ability at composing emotionally driving acoustic rock ballads, even if they borrow from their genre's 80's glory days.
7. Final Call- Bringing us back down from the beauty of Another Hero Lost, this defiantly upbeat track fails to capitalize on any of the band's sonic strengths. Instead, its sounds like rehashed out-takes from any of the band's past three releases.
8. Dread Uprising- Borrowing a kickoff from 2002's Idle Hands, this track manages to resemble something that could become a Shadows Fall track. However, potential aside, the track is weighed down in tired rhythms that have been explored elsewhere on this release. The title seems appropriate, however- this lifeless composition is nothing but dreadful.
9. The Great Collapse- Here, Shadows Fall exhibit their ballsy musical defiance in full force- haunting acoustic melodies, backed by unfortunately low-leveled piano. For a metal band, Shad manages to pull of great sounding acoustic harmonies. However, the true tragedy of this track is in its realization as an instrumental interlude.
10. Just Another Nightmare- The staggered intro of this nightmarishly boring song is the only grace to something that belonged on the cutting room floor. (One sentence is all I could muster while tolerating this horrible song.)
11. Forevermore- The final cut from Threads of Life manages to pull off a decent metal sound until singer Brian Fair weighs the song down in metalcore barking. All this track does is put a dead end to what was a very dead album for something bearing the name of Threads of Life. In fact, the title of this album is befitting- the only life presented from Atlantic Record's first offering of the metal giant Shadows Fall comes in bare and sparse threads.
Final rating- 3 fists out of 10