HEAVY MUSIC HISTORY: Retribution – Shadows Fall
When is a cover song not a cover song? Well, War by SHADOWS FALL is a good example. At first glance, it’s a heavy interpretation of a classic reggae track by BOB MARLEY AND THE WAILERS. Their thrash metal riffs have nothing in common with the original, but the title and lyrics are exactly the same. Makes sense to just call it a cover, right?
Well, if we’re going to be pedantic – and we are, because pedantic people are charismatic and sexy – it’s not. The chief connection between the two songs are the aforementioned lyrics, but here’s the twist; they weren’t written by Bob Marley. They were originally part of a speech made by Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia when he spoke to the United Nations in 1963. It’s a remarkable text and his words still resonate today; the line “until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited, there will be war,” has lost none of its power.
Marley turned this speech into the basis for a song and so did SHADOWS FALL, but otherwise the two tracks have nothing in common. The reggae version is a heartfelt, mid-tempo ballad with centuries of pain etched into it, whereas the metal alternative is fast, heavy and brutally angry. And it’s just one piece of arguably the best album in SHADOWS FALL’s career.
Released in September of 2009 on their own Everblack Industries label, Retribution saw the Massachusetts quintet firing on all cylinders after their previous album divided the fanbase. 2007’s Threads Of Life was their first (and to date, only) major label album, and despite earning them a Grammy nomination and decent reviews, it wasn’t the runaway success they might have hoped for. The sales were respectable but not groundbreaking, but the real issue was the music. Threads Of Life was noticeably more melodic, and catchier than their earlier material, and accusations of “selling out” started to get thrown around from disappointed fans.
In hindsight, Threads Of Life is a really solid mid-2000’s metal album, but the disappointing commercial performance and public backlash must have stung. When SHADOWS FALL entered the studio with producer Chris ‘Zeus’ Harris, they had something to prove. Retribution wasn’t a comeback, they’d never left, but it was the sound of the fire roaring back to life just when it seemed to be dying down.
Once the gentle instrumental intro is out the way, Retribution jumps straight to fifth gear with My Demise. With no executives breathing down their necks asking about hits, SHADOWS FALL were free to indulge their heavier impulses and they go all in. Running to seven minutes in length, My Demise combines elements of thrash, metalcore and Gothenburg death metal into an opener that is as epic as it is uncommercial. It feels like a direct response to the allegations that SHADOWS FALL were letting themselves be watered down, its position as the first proper track was undoubtedly a calculated move.
They follow this up with a classic. Still I Rise was the lead single for the album and is one of the best tracks in their catalogue. It’s as catchy as anything off Threads Of Life, but without dialling down the intensity. Vocalist Brian Fair puts in a commanding performance and the accompanying MMA-themed video was more macho than getting ‘Dillon, you son of a bitch’ tattooed on your biceps. Still I Rise is a cast iron banger, although the rumours of it being about having intercourse with a lady friend, then unexpectedly becoming aroused for the second time in one night were quite frankly, made up by us just now.
Elsewhere, the profanity-laced A Public Execution stakes its claim as the heaviest track with over six minutes of almost-death-metal, and there’s a notable cameo from one D. Randall Blythe on King Of Nothing. His gravel throated roars lend particular grit to a song about alcoholism, a subject that he had firsthand experience of, and the end result is a gnarly, pit-igniting bruiser. The album ends in rousing fashion too, the climactic Dead And Gone is another epic, filled with irresistible melodies, big hooks and a proper shout-along chorus.
While they might have won back a few disillusioned fans though, Retribution wasn’t enough to turn SHADOWS FALL into the success they always deserved to be. In 2003, they were the darlings of the so-called New Wave Of American Heavy Metal, but by 2009 their popularity had dwindled. The movement they were associated with had splintered and while the metalcore influenced bands continued to do well, SHADOWS FALL’s more traditional approach to metal had competition. The thrash resurgence was in full swing and next to the back-to-basics vibes of KREATOR, EXODUS and their ilk, SHADOWS FALL stuck out. They were too polished for the old school, but too retro for the metalcore crowd.
Exacerbating this was the fact they no longer had the support of a major label, or even the powerhouse indies like Century Media. SHADOWS FALL were free from the pressure to write radio-friendly unit shifters, but it came with a reduced price. The marketing budget was lower, and while they still chalked up a few decent support slots with the likes of LAMB OF GOD and FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, they no longer had the backing they’d previously enjoyed.
They soldiered on though and delivered another underrated gem in 2012’s Fire From The Sky, but that would prove to be their swansong. When guitarist Jon Donais joined ANTHRAX, it felt like the band’s days were numbered and this was all but confirmed when they announced a string of farewell dates in 2014. SHADOWS FALL never officially broke up and still reunite to play together occasionally, but their days as a full-time act seem to be done.
To be fair, they might not have reached the giddy highs that their longtime friends and contemporaries KILLSWITCH ENGAGE did, but SHADOWS FALL managed to carve out an impressive career and a respectable legacy. They are technically an active band, but now come across more like a group of old friends reuniting to play for fun, rather than fighting for a spot at the top of a festival bill. In some respects, that’s a very envious position to be in; playing to a few thousand rabid fans with your mates without having to abandon your kids for months on end is a pretty sweet gig. However, listen to Retribution nowadays and it’s hard not to wonder what might have been. They should have been huge, maybe not BOB MARLEY AND THE WAILERS huge, but you know.
Retribution was originally released on September 15th, 2009 via Everblack Industries.
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