Music from Shadows Fall's early days can be compared to metal legends such as Metallica, Slayer, and Iron Maiden as their songs relied heavily on the start-stop tempo changes made famous by the aforementioned bands. The band also had a lot of death metal influences at the time. They began touring the New England area and eventually were able to obtain open slots for acclaimed metal bands such as Fear Factory and Cannibal Corpse. In 1997, the band released its first full length album, Somber Eyes to the Sky, on Matt Bachand's own Lifeless Records. This however, would be the only album the band would record with Labonte. He was replaced by current vocalist Brian Fair in 1998.
The band signed with the prominent underground metal record label, Century Media in 1999. Early during the following year, Shadows Fall released Of One Blood. Their sound was a still mixture of thrash, death metal, and hardcore with a little more hard rock influence thrown in due to the entry of the Brian Fair. Shadows Fall released their critically acclaimed album The Art of Balance in the year 2002 after going through another lineup change, this time replacing drummer David Germain with present drummer Jason Bittner.
The band really broke through when it acquired a slot on Ozzfest's second stage in 2003. The band's fanbase grew largely while touring the famed metal festival. As a result of the enlarged fanbase, their next effort, The War Within, released in 2004 broke in at #20 on the Billboard Top 200 and went on to sell over 300,000 copies. The band released a collection on B-sides, covers, and reworked tracks entitled Fallout from the War in 2006.
Shadows Fall, now more than a decade old as a band, signed to Atlantic Records and released their major label debut, Threads of Life, in 2007. The album, an all-out thrasher with beautiful acoustic passages littered here and there, erased any doubts that this band would fall by the way side under major label pressure.
The band released it's sixth full length album, titled Retribution on September 15, 2009 on the the band's own label, Everblack Industries through Warner Bros. The band continues with it's melodic thrash influenced attack here, again utilizing vocals from multiple members and the harmonized leads along with thrashy rhythm guitar work.
Shadows Fall released their seventh full length album, titled Fire From The Sky on May 15, 2012 through Razor & Tie. The Fire From The Sky Songfacts states that though not a concept record, a doomsday theme does link the songs together. The band moved in a bit heavier direction for this album when compared to their most recent work.
This Is My Own
Shadows Fall Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wandering lost, until the ego dies
Perceptions been tainted by your lack of free will
We have become what we once most feared
The brilliance of the light's been dulled to grey
Denying our souls of the most noble truths
Trapped within and blinded by youth
We must end this wicked game
Mourning a dead world
Empty life of relentless shame
Mourning a dead world
See through what's been taught to you
Mourning a dead world
Breathe in life and seek the truth
Mourning a dead world rus:] As progress paves the forest and paints the sky
Cities rise like cancer, rive of life is dry
Spirits of ancients will then awake a rise
The seal is broken, final sign of our demise
We must end this wicked game
Mourning a dead world
Empty life of relentless shame
Mourning a dead world
See through what's been taught to you
Mourning a dead world
Breathe in life and seek the truth
Mourning a dead world
Awake and rise
Redemption fires
Burn the lies
Redemption fires
The lyrics of Shadows Fall's song "This Is My Own" criticize the modern world and its effects on the human soul. The first verse talks about how people have lost touch with reality and are living in a world of lies. They are wandering aimlessly without any sense of free will, and their perceptions have been tainted. They have become what they once feared the most.
The second verse highlights how humanity has lost touch with noble truths and has allowed the brilliance of the light to be dulled to gray. People are trapped within and blinded by youth. However, the lyrics suggest that there's still hope. They urge people to see through what's been taught to them and seek the truth. They urge people to breathe in life and end this wicked game of living a life of relentless shame.
The third verse describes the havoc we are wreaking on the environment. As progress moves forward, we are paving forests and painting the sky. Cities are growing like a cancer, and the river of life is dry. The lyrics suggest that this destruction will eventually awaken the spirits of the ancients, and the final sign of our demise will be upon us.
In the end, the lyrics call for action. They call for humanity to awake and rise, and to burn the lies holding us back. "This Is My Own" is a powerful song that urges listeners to take control of their own lives and seek the truth.
Line by Line Meaning
Drowning yourself in a world of lies
Losing oneself in a world full of lies and deceit
Wandering lost, until the ego dies
Feeling lost and directionless, until the ego no longer controls one's actions
Perceptions been tainted by your lack of free will
One's perceptions have been distorted due to lack of free will or agency
We have become what we once most feared
We have become the thing we feared the most due to our own actions
The brilliance of the light's been dulled to grey
The once bright and hopeful world now appears dull and grey
Denying our souls of the most noble truths
Our souls are being denied access to the most noble and truthful aspects of life
Trapped within and blinded by youth
Feeling trapped and unable to see clearly due to one's youth and inexperience
As progress paves the forest and paints the sky
Progress and development are destroying nature and the beauty of the world
Cities rise like cancer, rive of life is dry
Cities are spreading like a disease, draining the life force from the natural world
Spirits of ancients will then awake a rise
The spirits of those who came before us will awaken and rise up
The seal is broken, final sign of our demise
The breaking of the seal is the ultimate symbol of our downfall and destruction
Awake and rise
It's time to wake up and rise
Redemption fires
We must seek redemption and change
Burn the lies
We must burn away the lies and deceit that surround us
Contributed by Brody A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.