Shadows Fall Breaks the Silence with “In The Grey”

Shadows Fall, a cornerstone of the New Wave Of American Metal, has returned with “In The Grey,” their first new single in over 12 years. Released via MNRK Heavy, the track signals a revitalized energy and a strategic approach to releasing new music.

In a recent interview with the Thunder Underground podcast,vocalist Brian Fair discussed the band’s excitement: We’re just so happy to finally release new music. Fair elaborates on the band’s strategy, noting, We’re working on a full album‘s worth of material, but I feel like it’s gonna drop kind of in chunks and then hopefully the rest of it all at once kind of thing. we just couldn’t sit on it… it’s kind of a different world now too, where you can release singles leading up to more songs and keeping people interested.

This approach reflects a significant shift in the music industry, moving away from the traditional album-centric model. Bands like Shadows Fall are now leveraging digital platforms to maintain audience engagement and build anticipation for larger releases. This strategy is particularly relevant in today’s fast-paced media landscape, where attention spans are shorter and content consumption is fragmented.

The band’s return also marks a personal resurgence for its members.Fair notes, I’m super psyched to just be writing again with the guys, ’cause we didn’t know if that was gonna be kind of part of the deal when we started playing shows again. And the writing has really become the main focus for the last year and a half or so, which has been awesome again to kind of get back in that mode. So it’s killer.

A Return to Roots with a Modern Edge

“In The Grey” embodies the classic Shadows Fall sound while incorporating new influences.When we first started kind of writing music, we wanted to make sure it was gonna be Shadows Fall music, Fair explains. We hadn’t worked on new material in such a long time, and once we started writing, things just clicked right outta the gates. And ‘In The Grey’ was one of those songs that kind of came together pretty quickly too.And we wanted to kind of have the first song pretty energetic, just come out swinging thrash metal style. It’s got a big, melodic chorus, but the rest of it is indeed pretty much just pedal-to-the-metal thrash. So, that was also — why mess around? Just come out with the first one swinging. So we were super stoked. So, yeah, everything about it was just kind of an exciting new chapter.

The band’s commitment to their signature sound is a strategic move, appealing to their established fanbase while subtly introducing contemporary elements. This balance is crucial for legacy acts aiming to remain relevant in an evolving music scene. Think of bands like Metallica, who have consistently evolved while retaining the core elements that define their sound, enabling them to attract new generations of fans without alienating their existing audience.

The Recording Process: Stripped Down and Raw

Shadows Fall’s recording approach for their new music emphasizes a more organic and less processed sound. According to Fair: This recording process with [producer] Zeuss [Chris Harris] this time around, we’ve done it pretty stripped down as far as we’re not reamping guitar tracks a ton… Before we would experiment with reamping a million different things and combining tones and all this. This one we kind of wanted to make something that didn’t sound maybe as surgical and clinical as some metalcore or modern metal’s kind of gotten.We wanted to bring a little bit of thrash energy to it and a little more of a raw — not necessarily sonically raw, but just a little more live-ish approach to it.

This decision reflects a broader trend in modern metal, with many bands opting for a more authentic and less sterile sound.The emphasis on a “live-ish approach” aims to capture the raw energy and intensity of the band’s live performances, creating a more visceral listening experience for the audience. This approach contrasts with the highly polished and heavily produced sound that has become prevalent in some segments of the metalcore scene.

Choosing MNRK Heavy: A Partnership Built on Vision

The decision to partner with MNRK Heavy was a strategic one, aligning with the band’s vision for their future. Fair explains: We talked to a few labels, but very few, ’cause we kind of had an idea of what we wanted to do and kind of the type of deal we were looking for. So, we hit it right off the bat with them. They have a great roster with everyone from Zakk Wylde and ace frehley, but then also Darkest Hour and Escuela Grind and then High on fire and Crowbar — just so many killer bands. So, it really made sense. And they’re kind of also approaching it more as we’re signing for a group of songs where we can sort of release things slowly and then put it all together.’Cause just the way we work as a band right now, as it’s not everyone’s full-time life, we wanna do it — not necessarily take our time, but we wanna make sure we maximize our time when we can get it, ’cause it’s so hard to get everyone together. So, they were really willing to kind of work with us on that level of realizing where the band is at this point in our life. So that was a big part of it. And they’ve been killer so far.

MNRK Heavy’s diverse roster and flexible approach made them an ideal partner for Shadows Fall. The label’s understanding of the band’s current circumstances, where members have other commitments, was crucial in forging a prosperous partnership. This collaborative dynamic is increasingly important in the modern music industry, where artists seek labels that can support their creative vision and adapt to their unique needs.

Navigating the Modern music landscape

Fair acknowledges the significant changes in the music industry since Shadows Fall’s initial rise to prominence. Yeah, it’s more just the break from the album-cycle sort of thing. when we first were around, you basically put out a record every year and a half or so, and then you toured nonstop.And that was kind of how it worked. And now there’s so many different outlets, there’s so many different ways to get your music to people. It’s not as traditional record label relationship kind of setup, which is cool. And you have to kind of have a modern approach. And for a band like us — we kind of come from an old-school approach, so it’s good to have a label that has that forward thinking and kind of knows how to navigate the kind of new way of the music biz.

The shift towards digital distribution,streaming services,and social media marketing has fundamentally altered the way music is consumed and promoted.Bands must now be more proactive in engaging with their fans online and leveraging digital tools to reach new audiences. This requires a willingness to adapt and embrace new technologies, a challenge for bands that came of age in a pre-digital era.

The Future of Shadows Fall: More Music on the Horizon

Shadows Fall fans can expect more new music in the near future. Fair reports: We have a couple [of songs] that are totally done that may need some mix [tweaks], but are tracked. And then we have the instrumental tracks for a lot. And we’re starting to work on vocal demos. Right now we’re kind of trading things back and forth.And we’ve got the skeletons to another group of new songs that we haven’t tracked instrumentally. So, all said and done, we’re gonna kind of keep just writing and recording kind of as things come along, but we have a good foundation of, I’d say, six or seven songs that are pretty much there and tracked instrumentally. and the vocal ideas are at least in a skeleton form; it’s a matter of getting in and getting time to record ’em.But then, like I said, there’s a whole other group of songs right behind it that we’ve gotta start working on too.

While a full album release date remains uncertain, the band’s commitment to writing and recording new material suggests that fans will have a steady stream of new music to look forward to. This approach aligns with the modern music industry trend of releasing singles and EPs more frequently, allowing bands to maintain audience engagement and generate buzz between larger releases.

The band’s excitement about their new material is palpable. When “In The Grey” was first released, Fair stated: We are incredibly excited to share our first new music in over a decade with our single ‘in The Grey’ and are proud to announce our partnership with MNRK Music Group. He continued, When Shadows Fall first got back in the practice space to prepare for our reunion shows, we did not know if it would lead to new music, but the excitement of jamming together and all of the riffs that Jon [Donais, Shadows Fall guitarist] had floating around in his head led us in the direction almost immediately.The idea began flowing, the energy started building and new songs began taking form out of the chaos.

Describing the lyrical themes of “In The grey,” Fair offered: ‘In The Grey’ is a full-throttle thrasher that contains all of the elements that are the bedrock of the Shadows Fall sound, but also adds new elements and approaches that developed in the recent past while we all explorer other musical avenues. Lyrically, I was trying to put into words and describe the physical manifestation of the weight and crushing power that can come with depression, that feeling that the weight of gravity is crashing down on you or being trapped in the dark waters of our own mind, trying to rise to the surface and take a breath. It can be an overwhelming and lonely place but there is always a light at the end of that tunnel and we always need to keep striving for a brighter day and escaping the grey. He concluded, We want to sincerely thank everyone for the decades of support that you have given Shadows Fall and we cannot be happier to be back and rocking once again. Crank up ‘in The grey’, raise those horns to the sky, and bang your head as hard as you can. Stay tuned for more music and news soon…

shadows Fall: Back for the Long haul?

While Shadows Fall may not return to the relentless touring schedule of their early years, they are committed to remaining active. In an August 2023 interview with Sh!t Talk Reviews, fair addressed the band’s future: It’s not going anywhere, but I don’t think we’ll ever be the full-time touring band we were. It’s a lot of family stuff and people have just got different things going on.Jon, being in Anthrax, that’s gonna be kind of his main gig most of the time. Jason [Bittner, drums], yeah, he left Overkill, but he’s also got Category 7 with John Bush and Phil Demmel and all those guys, and that new record’s killer. So they’ll be busy with that. But we’re definitely gonna keep playing shows. We’re gonna keep doing festivals. We probably will hopefully do some short tours here and there, especially when new music comes out, but we’re gonna kind of pick and choose our battles, which is, again, also a nice place to be in.

This strategic approach allows the band members to balance their musical endeavors with their personal lives and other professional commitments. Fair emphasizes the importance of enjoying the process: When the band was our full-time job, you couldn’t stay at home for too long or there wasn’t gonna be a home to come home to. You’ve gotta go out and grind. So it’s nice to not have that pressure, but also to do it as it’s fun again. Each show that we’ve done have all been blockbusters in our minds because there’s just enough time between each one that you get that excited again. It ramps up and then it’s just like an explosion. He candidly admits, Me personally, I was so burnt out by the time we stopped touring in 2015. We’d been on a 15-year run where I hadn’t been home for more than a few weeks through that whole thing. And physically,my neck was shot,my back was shot. I was burnt mentally as well, so it was time

How does Shadows Fall’s plan to embrace digital distribution adn social media tie into their desire to connect with fans and navigate the new music landscape?