Review Summary: Featuring some of modern American metal's best guitar work, this is something that should be in every metal fan's collection, despite a few errors here and there.
Popular American metal these days is really a hit and miss thing. There are some bands that are really bringing their best to the table, like Lamb of God and Unearth. While these two acts are really bringing out the best the country has to offer, the scene has been watered down by a myriad of lackluster acts which give the country’s metal scene a bad name. The state of Massachusetts is really metal’s capitol in the country, as it has came out with plenty of today’s better known heavy bands. Shadows Fall has been around for plenty of years but has only been successful for the last three or so. The Art of Balance can be seen as their first truly major album, as it garnished both critical acclaims and love from their ever-growing hordes of headbanging fans. While I have only come across the modern Shadows Fall albums, this one still stands to be the best one I’ve heard.
What can Shadows Fall always fall back on? A great guitar riff. This album is filled with plenty of them, and they’re quite varied. You can enjoy plenty of thrashy headbangers in “Idle Hands”, epic chugging breakdowns in “Destroyer of Senses” as well as tasteful clean guitar work in the band’s title track, “The Art of Balance”. This album is great for just that alone, but guitarists Jon and Matt have also given the album’s ten tracks plenty of solos that bring you back straight to the glory days of Metallica and Megadeth. Some great examples of these can be found in the blisteringly fast “Thoughts Without Words” as well as a well-constructed and emotional guitar solo in “The Art of Balance”. The guitar work this album has is truly one of the best in the modern American metal scene.
What can be said about the rhythm section? Eh… not so much. Drummer Jason Bittner doesn’t really do anything worthy of rememberance aside from your standard fast metal drumming. I honestly can’t think of a moment where I was truly amazed by anything he does, but it certainly gives the two guitarists as well as vocalist Brian Fair plenty of room to work with. I guess that’s what it’s there for. As far as the bass goes, I’m pretty sure the album would sound the same if it wasn’t even recorded. Both guitars are so high in the mix that you can barely ever tell when the bass is playing, save for a few moments. I really wish that Paul Romanko could have been given some more time to shine, just like plenty of other metal bands out there. It’s always a pet peeve of mine.
Brian Fair is quite the vocalist, and a unique on at that. His style of harsh vocals are very distinct and no one else really sounds like him. Some of his screaming in “Destroyer of Senses” as well as “The Idiot Box” are just straight up brutal, but there’s also a calm side to this beast. His clean vocals are always spot on in terms of hitting the notes, but there are some instances where they just seem out of place or occasionally obnoxious. This doesn’t happen much, but it’s still noticeable in a few choruses. “Thoughts Without Words” is a good example. The clean chorus is just too poppy for metal’s standards, as it reminds me of Trivium’s “Pull Harder on the Strings of Your Martyr”. Brian Fair did a fine job on this album, but there’s room for improvement.
As far as songs go, this album remains steadfast. Just about each song has something different and unique to offer, despite a few moments of repetition. The album starts out nicely with a thrashy intro, moves on to a catchy single, more brutality, a ballad-esque song, and then more fairly heavy metal until the end. “A Fire In Babylon” ends the album on quite an epic note, as it is the longest song on the album and seen by many Shadows Fall fans as their best song to date. It’s pretty easy to see why too, as some of their best guitar work is in there, as well as a solid vocal performance. And just when you thought the album was over, Shadows Fall comes back with a great cover of Pink Floyd’s “Welcome to the Machine”. Upon seeing this I thought the band would have desecrated the classic song, but they held their own and came out with a very solid cover. A tip of the hat to these guys for doing something I thought couldn’t be done.
Highlights of the album:
The breakdown in Destroyer of Senses – get ready to headbang
All parts in The Art of Balance – perfect guitar work and ideal vocals for the song
The guitar work in A Fire In Babylon – some great clean guitars and amazing soloing
The Pink Floyd cover – mainly because of Brian Fair, did a great job of copying Gilmour
Conclusion: It’s not exactly a classic album, but it’s still pretty damn good. Check it out if you’re into American metal.
