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.
Weight of the World
Shadows Fall Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
By the life you wanted
Trapped by the hands of time
The end is near
And the end is what you fear
Fading
Hell is right here waiting
In the silence of your mind
Cannot kill the ghost inside
Are we born to bleed
The world consumes you
Can't breathe
Suffering
The world consumes you
These dreams dies before my eyes
Our futures lost and left to die
Running deep into the night
Abandoning the fight
As you flee
Turn your back on your beliefs
Chaos breathes life into the fire
Consumed by your desire
To save yourself
Save yourself and no one else
Are we born to bleed
The world consumes you
These dreams have died before my eyes
Our futures lost and left to die
It seems there nowhere left to die
Our futures lost and left to die
The panic will begin
It never seems to end
Trapped inside
How long will this torture last
The walls are closing in
You've given up again
The weight of the world crushes you into dust
These dreams have died before my eyes
Our futures lost and left to die
It seems there's nowhere left to hide
Our future in nothing
The lyrics to Shadows Fall's song Weight Of the World depict a feeling of being trapped and haunted by one's own life and the fear of the end. The opening verse suggests that the singer is haunted by the life they wanted and feels trapped by the hands of time, implying that they have lost control of their life. The chorus of the song talks about how the world consumes you and you can't breathe; this further emphasizes the feeling of being trapped. The line "Are we born to bleed" suggests that suffering is a part of the human experience, and the weight of the world crushes you into dust.
The second verse introduces the theme of self-preservation and abandonment of beliefs when put in a chaotic situation. The line "Consumed by your desire to save yourself / Save yourself and no one else" implies the survival instinct taking over even if it means sacrificing one's own values. The bridge of the song describes a state of panic where walls are closing in, and one feels trapped inside. This further emphasizes the feeling of being trapped and helpless in one's own life.
Overall, the lyrics of Weight Of the World suggest that life can be overwhelming, and we often feel trapped by our own circumstances. It talks about the fear of the end and the struggle to survive in a chaotic world.
Line by Line Meaning
Haunted
Feeling disturbed and troubled
By the life you wanted
Affected by the experience of not achieving the desired life goals
Trapped by the hands of time
Feeling stuck and unable to progress due to the passage of time
The end is near
Sensing an approaching conclusion or finale
And the end is what you fear
Having anxiety and distress towards the inevitable conclusion
Fading
Losing strength, power, or brightness
Hell is right here waiting
Experiencing torment and agony in the present moment
In the silence of your mind
Amidst the quietness of one's thoughts and self-reflection
Through your hide
Going beyond the outer layer of oneself
Cannot kill the ghost inside
Unable to eradicate the haunting memories and feelings from the past
Are we born to bleed
Questioning the inevitability of pain and suffering in life
The world consumes you
Feeling overwhelmed and victimized by the external environment
Can't breathe
Experiencing suffocation and difficulty in breathing metaphorically
Suffering
Undergoing physical or mental distress or pain
These dreams die before my eyes
Observing the collapse of one's aspirations and goals
Our futures lost and left to die
Seeing the unfulfilled or ruined prospects for one's future
Running deep into the night
Escaping from the present reality and into the darkness
Abandoning the fight
Giving up on the struggle and challenge
As you flee
While escaping and running away
Turn your back on your beliefs
Betraying one's values and principles
Chaos breathes life into the fire
The disorder and disorderliness brings growth and intensity to the flame
Consumed by your desire
Being driven and controlled by one's needs and wants
To save yourself
Striving to rescue oneself from danger or harm
Save yourself and no one else
Prioritizing one's survival over others' well-being
It seems there's nowhere left to hide
Feeling exposed or helpless with no available escape or shelter
The panic will begin
Expecting to feel a sudden and intense alarm or anxiety
It never seems to end
Perceiving a never-ending cycle or pattern of distress
Trapped inside
Feeling confined and enclosed internally
How long will this torture last
Inquiring about the duration of the agony and torture
The walls are closing in
Experiencing a sense of enclosure and restriction
You've given up again
Surrendering and abandoning hope once more
The weight of the world crushes you into dust
Feeling an immense burden and pressure that destroys one's spirit
Our future in nothing
Having no hope or prospect for the future
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Brian Fair, Jason Bittner, Jonathan Donais, Matthew Bachand, Paul Romanko
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bobby Murphy
Most bands have forgotten true metal has solos,& shadows fall hasn't. They sound kick ass as well
wtsmokegrenade
Saw them play this live last night holy shit amazing mosh and song!
Adam Wash
best song on the album
Bharath Subramanian
I have always been a decent shadows fall fan, not quite in my tops but, I have heard songs on all albums (2 to 5 on each album). I feel like this album is superior in the sense of the production. What I mean by that is the guitar is more tight, the vocals are more defined and clearer and the songs seem to be effortlessly done (in a good way!). Its like the production by I think Adam from KSE was better developed in this album then others. As far as overall songs they have always been good.
TheScreametal
I'm not a big fan of shadows fall, but I must admit they have done a great job on this album
AHACKS
love it !!
Brian Walker
all hail shadows fall kings of the epic breakdowns love this shit keep up the good work
Rosie McEntee
epic album
sonofliberty66
Man Brian Fair is one of the most dimensional vocalist around. I have no idea what you are talking about.
Siors
Much love for Threads, has some great songs like 'Another Hero Lost', 'Just another Nightmare' and 'The Great Collapse' for example :P