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.