Formation and Somber Eyes to the Sky (1996–1997) Shadows Fall was formed in 1996 by guitarists
Jonathan Donais and
Matt Bachand, who were good friends from the local music scene. Bachand had previously been a founding member of a death metal band and Donais a member of the metalcore band
Aftershock. Later on, the band found a complete lineup with the addition of Damien McPherson (vocals), Mark Laliberte (bass), and David Germain (drums). Also in 1996,
Adam Dutkiewicz performed live drums to fill in for Germain. By late 1996, the band recorded and released a demo titled
Mourning a Dead World, of which only about 200 copies were produced. Now with a more solid lineup, the band released its first EP,
To Ashes, with Dutkiewicz playing as a session drummer. The band's name, according to Bachand, comes from the title of a comic book published in the early 1990s. Shadows Fall toured the New England area opening for artists such as
Fear Factory and
Cannibal Corpse. On November 30, 1997, the band released its first studio album
Somber Eyes to the Sky through Bachand's recording label, Lifeless Records.
Of One Blood (1998–2000) In 1998, Labonte was asked to leave the band due to personal and artistic differences. He had ideas for a side project while a member of the band and went on to form
All That Remains. The band searched for a replacement vocalist and eventually recruited
Milford, Massachusetts native
Brian Fair from
Overcast. The band had been friends with Fair for years. In 2001, David Germain decided to leave the band due to alcoholism, and was replaced by former Stigmata and Burning Human drummer
Jason Bittner.
The Art of Balance (2001–2003) Due to repeated comparisons with
Gothenburg melodic death metal bands, Shadows Fall decided to change its style. Inspired by more
thrash,
hard rock and
power ballad influences, the band recorded its third studio album, titled
The Art of Balance. Released on September 17, 2002, the album peaked at number 15 on the
Billboard Top Independent albums chart. Shadows Fall released three music videos to promote the album; "Thoughts Without Words", "Destroyer of Senses", and "The Idiot Box".
The Art of Balance featured a cover of the
Pink Floyd song "
Welcome to the Machine." Andy Hinds of
AllMusic stated the album is "a modern heavy metal album that is both brutal and highly musical, traditional yet forward-thinking", but criticized the placement of "Welcome to the Machine", stating the song "is stylishly well-executed, but seems a tad out of place nonetheless." Shadows Fall supported
The Art of Balance by touring on
Ozzfest in 2003. Later that same year, they co-headlined the “MTV2
Headbangers Ball” tour alongside
Killswitch Engage and
Lamb of God.
The Art of Balance helped gain the band their first bit of notoriety, and during this period the group was named one of Top Five Bands in Metal Today by
Alternative Press, also being voted Best New Talent in a
Revolver readers poll beating out both
Evanescence and
Lamb of God.
The War Within (2004–2006) The band were selected to headline the first Strhess tour in early 2004. Shadows Fall then released its fourth studio album
The War Within on September 21, 2004. It was the first release to enter the
Billboard 200 for the band at number 20 and peaked at number one on the Top Independent albums chart. "The Light That Blinds" was featured in the video game
Guitar Hero II. Wade Kergan of AllMusic praised the album stating the band has "grown beyond the confines of the metal-loving hardcore crowd anyway, with more in common now with the classic thrash of
Metallica than the metal-tinged hardcore of
Coalesce". A reviewer for Ultimate Guitar game the album a 10/10 stating “This album in one day changed the way that I personally look at metal. I knew this record had potential to be great and I was right.” Later that year, they embarked on a tour alongside
Damageplan in support of
The War Within. In 2005, the band once again performed on Ozzfest, but this time as a mainstage act which made them the first
New Wave of American Heavy Metal band to achieve the honor. They also toured alongside Slipknot and Lamb of God for a U.S. arena tour in March. They were dubbed the "Band To Watch In 2005" by
Spin magazine. Shadows Fall released its first DVD
The Art of Touring in November 2005. The DVD included a live concert, backstage footage, and six music videos. In December 10, 2005, Shadows Fall signed a deal with
Atlantic Records. The band released, titled
Fallout from the War on June 13, 2006 through
Century Media Records. Released as a
compilation album, it debuted at number 83 on the Billboard 200.
Fallout from the War included tracks recorded for
The War Within that did not make it on to the album,
B-sides, re-recordings, and
cover songs. David Jeffries of AllMusic claimed the album is "a great informal introduction to the ferocious and melodic witches' brew Shadows Fall always seems to nail." They then headlined the Strhess tour once again with
Poison The Well providing support. They also contributed to the
God of War II Official Soundtrack with the song "Blood of Destiny.”
Threads of Life (2007–2008) The band released its fifth studio album
Threads of Life on April 3, 2007 and debuted at number 46 on the Billboard 200 selling 24,000 copies in its first week. "
Redemption", the first single from the CD was released on February 20, 2007, through
iTunes with an accompanying music video. "Redemption" received the band’s second Grammy Award nomination for Best Metal performance at
50th Annual Grammy Awards, but
Slayer's "Final Six" won the award. The album received positive reviews, with Thom Jurek of AllMusic stating Shadows Fall has "lost none of the fire, attack or attitude" on
Threads of Life. Jurek also said the album featured "killer guitar breaks, big fat chugging riffs, power-slam skin work, cattle prod bass, and cool little hooks and melodic touches on top of those bludgeoning riffs make
Threads of Life a major label debut of merit, and a metal record worthy of celebrating." However prior to album’s release the band’s biggest supporters at Atlantic, including their A&R man, were laid off by the record company. Leading the band to not get much attention from the label afterwards. Atlantic then wanted the bands follow up release to be more commercial, but after they refused they were let go by the label. Shadows Fall toured in support of
Threads of Life, including making appearances at the
Jägermeister tour with
Stone Sour and
Lacuna Coil, the Operation Annihilation tour with
Static-X,
3 Inches of Blood, and
Divine Heresy, and the Black Crusade tour with
Trivium,
Machine Head,
DragonForce, and
Arch Enemy. On October 23, 2007, Shadows Fall released a greatest hits album titled
Seeking the Way: The Greatest Hits. The band was a part of the Soundwave tour in Australia and in Asia in February 2008, along with
Killswitch Engage,
As I Lay Dying and
Bleeding Through.
Retribution (2009–2011) Shadows Fall performed their single "Still I Rise" on
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on September 3, 2009. Shadows Fall released their sixth studio album
Retribution on September 15, 2009, through the band's own label, Everblack Industries, which was created in conjunction with
Warner Music Group's ILG,
Ferret Music and ChannelZERO Entertainment. It was released in the UK via
Spinefarm Records. The album was produced by Chris "Zeuss" Harris. Drummer Jason Bittner stated about the band's new material, "The songs are a little more on the darker, angry side... lots of heaviness, lots of crazy guitar, and LOTS of room for me to have some fun. There is no doubt in my mind that this will be the best performance of my career, so far, and I owe that to my guys for bringing me incredible riffs to write killer drum parts to." The album debuted at number 34 on the Billboard 200 and 3 on the Hard Rock Charts. The album was met with positive reception; Greg Parto from AllMusic praised the guitar and stated “Shadows Fall have made quite the roaring return with Retribution.” During the fall of 2009 the band was appearing on the 'Shock & Raw' tour of North America with
2Cents,
Otep &
Five Finger Death Punch. After a South American tour, Shadows Fall performed on the Jägermeister Stage in the
2010 Rockstar Mayhem Festival in July and August 2010, as well as supporting
Lamb of God. During a show in
Toronto, Canada on March 4, 2010
Testament guitarist
Alex Skolnik joined the band on stage to perform their cover of "
Bark at the Moon." Shadows Fall released a live CD/DVD,
Madness in Manila: Shadows Fall Live in the Philippines 2009, on October 26.
Fire from the Sky, final tours and hiatus (2012–2020) In late 2011, Shadows Fall entered the studio to begin recording their seventh studio album. While in the studio, they held live video streams to discuss the progress of the album and answer questions from fans. It was the first to be produced by
Adam Dutkiewicz since the band's original studio release
Somber Eyes to the Sky.
Fire from the Sky was released on May 15, 2012 through
Razor & Tie. Many of the lyrics touched upon the
apocalypse, inspired by the end of the
Mayan calendar in 2012. The album debuted at number 38 on the Billboard 200 and was met with positive reception. J. Andrew, writing for
Metal Injection, said “this album probably has the best mix of vocal styles of any Shadows Fall release.”
Revolver Magazine added “
Fire From the Sky is suitably heavy, grim but not ridiculous, and its best songs will remind listeners of Metallica." In late 2012, the band headlined the
Party To The Apocalypse 2012 tour with
God Forbid starring Shadows Fall,
God Forbid,
Thy Will Be Done and Trumpet The Harlot. On January 11, 2013, it was announced that guitarist Jonathan Donais would be joining
Anthrax on their upcoming Metal Alliance Tour and on August 13, Donais was confirmed as a full Anthrax member. On June 28, 2014, Shadows Fall performed with the bands
Black Fast,
Dead by Wednesday, Hallow Point, and Gray's Divide in
St. Louis, Missouri. On August 25, the band announced several final tours to take place in Europe and North America so the band could take a hiatus from future extensive touring. This farewell tour lasted into the summer of 2015. During the bands hiatus Matt Bachand played guitar for the American metal band Living Wreckage with former Shadows Fall guitarist Jon Donais. When asked about the bands hiatus in a 2024 interview Fair stated: On June 22, 2021, Brian Fair confirmed that Shadows Fall were reuniting for their first show in over half a decade at the
Worcester Palladium on December 18. Supporting acts for this show were
Unearth,
Darkest Hour,
Within the Ruins,
Sworn Enemy and Carnivora. if there will be new music from Shadows Fall, Fair said the band had talked about it, but they had not written any new material. They wanted to focus on their reunion show and issues with Fair's neck. That same year Brain Fair stated in an interview with
Blabbermouth.net that the band was working on new material. On March 16, 2024, the band played the first of special one-off show in New Jersey in celebration of their album
The War Within 20th anniversary. They then played an additional anniversary show at the Worcester Palladium in December. On December On December 6, 2024, the band released a new single titled "In the Grey." In May of 2025, they released another new single “Souls Devoured” and supported Killswitch Engage on a short tour. Later that same year, the band was honored by Springfield
Mayor Domenic Sarno, who declared July 18, 2025 "Shadows Fall Day". The proclamation ceremony took place before the band’s set at the
MassMutual Center, where they opened for
Lamb of God. During their set, Brian Fair held up the proclamation during their show, thanking the community for the recognition. In August of that same year, the band started recording the back end of their new album with drummer Jason Bittner, stating they are hoping to get it done by the end of the year. In February of 2026 Bittner provided a new update in an interview with Laughingmonkeymusic claiming the album will be released sometime in 2026. ==Musical style==