Shadows Fall has released the new song and video “Souls Devoured” ahead of upcoming tour dates with its Massachusetts metal brethren Killswitch Engage.
The quintet of vocalist Brian Fair; guitarists Jonathan Donais and Matt Bachand, bassist Paul Romanko and drummer Jason Bittner, who were trailblazers of the New Wave of American Metal scene that dominated the ’00s, announced its signing to MNRK Heavy at the end of 2024 and dropped the new song “In the Grey.”
“Shadows Fall have always been a band that lets all of our influences and ideas show in our music and have never been afraid to mix and match genres within our sound,” Fair said. “‘Souls Devoured’ is a great example of that style of songwriting where we let it all hang out. It opens with a huge groove and rock riff before transitioning into a black metal-inspired verse to add a little evil to the party. Things open up into a half-time chorus that has an almost Pantera-style vibe before we inject some melodic death metal into the bridge and solo section. On paper, that can sound a bit schizophrenic, but we always try to have a cohesiveness and underlying theme that keeps it all unified. It’s a song that captures what I believe is the true essence of Shadows Fall by bringing in elements of our past but with a clear eye towards the future. It has familiar elements but sounds like nothing we have ever written before.”
Addressing the song’s the subject matter, Fair said: “Lyrically, the song is about finding yourself trapped in an apocalyptic event where demons and disasters have begun to consume the world. It’s about fighting for survival as the planet crumbles around you and you realize the only way to survive it is to fight fire with fire. We spend most of our lives trying to quiet the evil voices in our mind or denying they exist but in this scenario tapping into that darkness and letting the personal demons out may be the only way to survive the terror.
“Facing pure evil by becoming that evil yourself. You know, heavy metal type shit! I usually write from a personal or philosophical place but ‘Souls Devoured’ allowed me to step outside of that box and tap into a dark form of storytelling that fit the intensity and foreboding vibe of the instrumental side of it. Bang your head and get into it!”
Shadows Fall tour dates:
5/8 – Columbus, OH — Sonic Temple*
5/10 — Indianapolis, IN — Egyptian Room @ Old National Centre
5/11 — Memphis, TN — Minglewood Hall
5/13 — New Orleans, LA — The Fillmore New Orleans
5/14 — Birmingham, AL — Avondale Brewing Company
5/15 — Atlanta, GA — 529 Bar**
7/18 – Springfield, MA – MassMutual Center
5/17 — Myrtle Beach, SC — House of Blues
5/18 — Virginia Beach, VA — The Dome
7/18 — Springfield, MA — MassMutual Center***
* festival
** headline show
*** supporting Lamb of God
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