War Within by Shadows Fall

Pros: Shadows Fall have the rare talent of being extremely heavy without sacrificing melody. Lyrically stunning.
Cons: Lack of vocal variation is by far this album's biggest problem.

The popular hard rock and heavy metal scene has been quite...well... inhabited over the past five years. Adorned in their throne, you have your nu-metal instigators Korn and Deftones. Groveling at their feet are the fifty million ...

Pros: Well-crafted breakdowns and melodies in the strongest tracks
Cons: More than a few non-standout tunes; Short album; Mediocre lead vocals

With every heavy-metal release that I lauded this year, I would get a reminder from one corner or another that I really needed to check out Shadows Fall's The War Within, because anyone who likes album x or album y would be blown away by ...

Pros: solid instrumentation, good use of melody, decent variety
Cons: can be somewhat "samey," Fair's at times boring vocals

My interest in heavy metal is essentially limited to the classics. I very much love me some Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Pantera, and a tad of Slayer. For a while, when I was a teenage moron, I got ...

Pros: There are parts of the album that make you want to listen to it again.
Cons: There are parts of the album that make you want to neglect it.

Shadows Fall is among the many bands that I discovered as I quickly got into the metal genre. Of course, I had some idea of what they sounded like before I bought The War Within, and from what I heard, I liked it. So I gladly put my money ...

Pros: Fantastic guitar work, great drum and vocal performances, heaviness, production
Cons: Somewhat repetitive, some songs are too similar, bass is too hard to hear

Shadows Fall has been slowly gaining momentum since their debut in 1997. That momentum helped them sell over 100,000 copies of 2002’s The Art of Balance, and they released one of the most anticipated metal albums of 2004 with The War Within. The ...

Pros: Shadows Fall are amazing. Enough said.
Cons: Don't think so

This is truly one of the best metal albums of this year. I first got into Shadows Fall by their album, Of One Blood. It's a good album for new fans of Shadows Fall. If you ever get this album, look for the limited edition. It has three, count em, THREE ...

Pros: Awesome riffs, godlike solos, superb drumming, improved production and singing.
Cons: It doesn't last forever

I approached this CD with a mixture of excitement and nervousness. I was a huge fan of their last release, The Art of Balance; I couldn't wait to hear what they would do next, it was at the top of the list of my eagerly awaited. I was just praying they ...