Shadows Fall are nothing if not culpable to their fans. That's probably why the Western Massachusetts metal band constantly feeds its fanbase with new music. They've issued DVDs, companion efforts and even reissued a remixed and remastered update of their 2000 debut, Of One Blood. Due to this flurry of activity, fans can never accuse the metal band of not releasing a breadth of material. The verdict is in: Shadows Fall never leaves fans clamoring for more and delights in satiating those ravenous appetites.

Forevermore is a compact, five-song EP that follows the band's major label debut, last year's Threads of Life, which failed to match the band's previously impressive sales on indie label Century Media, in the most untraditional of ways. Forevermore is only available when you purchase $30 of merch on the band's website. You get "Fade Into Smoke" and "Stupid Crazy," which further showcase the quintet's ability to shred with the best of them. Vocalist Brian Fair, he of the ass-length dreadlocks, alternates vocals, employing a mid-level, talky style that's not far removed from the era when James Hetfield was lubricating his throat nightly with Jagermeister!

Shadows Fall have always demonstrated a guitar-oriented likeness to Metallica and Forevermore doesn't do anything to dispel that notion. All the songs here—including the live, demo rehearsal versions of "Redemption" and "Venomous"—will transport you to any Shadows Fall gig you've ever attended, or allow you to live vicariously through the raw fury of the tunes and pretend you're seeing them live for the first time. They're a riffing good time, putting the art of the guitar solo on a pedestal. It's also somewhat ingenious for the band to record rehearsals instead of going the hackneyed route and recording standard live cuts from a concert. The Shads let it all hang out and let us peek in on their rare, most unpolished moments, which is a treat for a diehard. It's refreshing to not have to deal with or suffer through crowd noise in the background of these live tracks, which often impedes and hampers enjoyment of captured material.

So, all you Shadows Fall fans out there, go gobble up some gear and listen to these tunes, while you sport a new t-shirt and wait for the band to complete an album full of brand spanking new material.

— Amy Sciarretto
08.26.08