Despite building a large fan base and enjoying chart success, Massachusetts metallists
Shadows Fall found themselves label-less prior to sessions began for their sixth studio album overall, 2009's
Retribution. But everything worked out in the end, with the group collaborating with Warner Bros. Records on a new label venture, Everblack Industries. Any label snafus have not affected the way the lads go about their business, as
Retribution follows the same game plan as latter-day
Shadows Fall releases -- raging metal tempered with some melody. And it takes very little time to show that guitarist
Jonathan Donais is a frontrunner in the "modern-day six-string gymnastics" department, as he gets downright
Yngwie on us with his solo in "My Demise." Elsewhere, you'll find ditties that at various times, cross over into thrash metal, death metal, and hardcore metal territory, especially "War," "King of Nothing" (not to be confused with the similarly-titled
Metallica tune), and "Embrace Annihilation."
Shadows Fall have made quite the roaring return with
Retribution. [A Silver Core Version was also released.] ~ Greg Prato