#shadows fall

I Went Down A 00s Metalcore Rabbit Hole…

Consider this to be the companion piece to my most recent rabbit hole piece on hard rock, because on top of the hard rock that I talked about, I also got some metalcore albums, specifically from the mid to late 00s; instead of reviewing those individually, I thought I would go ahead and review all of them together. These are all from the early to mid-00s, but these are all bands that I’ve been a fan of for a long time, starting with…

The Bled - Found In The Flood (2005)

The Bled is a really cool mathcore band from the early 00s, but I haven’t heard all od their albums, especially their middle albums, but I found 2005’s Found In The Flood on eBay. That’s one album that I hadn’t heard from them, and it has their most popular song according to Apple Music. I have listened to their debut, 2003’s Pass The Flask, plus their last album, 2010’s Heat Fetish, so there are only two more albums to listen to them, and this was a cool thing to find. Truthfully, it’s a pretty cool album, too, and I’m glad I got it. I need to get the rest of their stuff, because these guys are pretty underrated. This record, in particular, is interesting because it tries to balance atmosphere and melody with aggression, but it doesn’t always work as well as I wish it would. I like their heavier sounds more than their more melodic sensibilities, whether it’s because their vocalist can’t quite carry a hook that well (his scream is absolutely fantastic), or the hooks themselves just aren’t that great. It’s great they were experimenting here, but if anything, I like what they were going for more than how they executed it. I love the heavier mathcore and metalcore stuff here, but when they try to go more atmospheric, it doesn’t always work for me.

Shadows Fall - Threads Of Life (2007)

The next album I got is from Shadows Fall, and it’s their fifth album, 2007’s Threads Of Life, and I was excited to listen to this when I found it. I’ve always wanted to give these guys a listen, and this is their only major label album that was released with Atlantic, so they were on a major label for a bit. I like this album quite a bit, but like The Bled’s Found In The Flood, I like certain aspects of it more than the whole thing. I mainly like this band’s sound, and weirdly enough, this album strips back the metalcore sound that I knew they were known for and opts for a thrash and groove metal sound. There are a handful of breakdowns here, but maybe they went for a more accessible sound being on a major label. Either way, their sound is cool, but their vocalist just doesn’t do much for me. He’s not that great, whether it’s his screams that don’t have any real personality, or the clean vocals that sound pretty generic. He’s not awful, and it doesn’t kill the album for me, but it doesn’t help, either. The guitarwork on this album is utterly stellar, however, and that’s mainly why I keep coming back.

All That Remains - The Fall Of Ideals (2006)

Say what you will about All That Remains now, especially Phil LaBonte, but these guys were great at their peak. That peak would be 2006’s The Fall Of Ideals, and this is admittedly not a super unique album, but it really helped melodic metalcore gain a lot of steam. Their ability to blend metalcore with catchy hooks was uncanny, and they had a gift for killer guitarwork, both in terms of crushing breakdowns and awesome solos, as well as brutal harsh vocals and catchy hooks. A lot of bands at this time were influenced by 90s Swedish melodic death metal, and it shows here, but this is the crux of it. They would arguably go downhill after this, and I almost grabbed one of their other albums at Half Price Books, but I decided against it. This is the one album you really need from these guys, and it’s great, but this is where the band reached their peak.

Underoath - Lost In The Sound Of Separation

Underoath is one of my favorite metalcore bands, although their later stuff doesn’t do anything for me; I miss when they were at their peak from 2004 to 2010, but I understand that bands change their sound. I appreciate that they wanted to add more contemporary sounds to their repertoire, but it just doesn’t work for me. With that said, I do love a lot of their albums, especially 2008’s Lost In The Sound Of Separation. I love this album, and how it takes the sounds of their last couple of albums, along with something new. They take their heavier sounds that they added on 2006’s Define The Great Line, and the catchiness they had with 2004’s They’re Only Chasing Safety. They add in an electronic and industrial sound that I really like, and it was their most mature and interesting album to date. It’s also my personal favorite, because it takes a lot of things I enjoy from them and puts them together. I’m glad I finally found an Underoath album pretty cheap, especially this one, because it’s my favorite.

Saosin - S/T

Happy 47 to Jonathan Donais!!! An amazing solo-guitarist of bands Anthrax Shadows Fall and Living Wreckage!

Jonathan Donais!

(Shadows Fall, Anthrax solo-guitarist)

Y'all, guys, need to listen to shadows fall end their last single "in the grey". It's the best thing I've heard in my life