Shadows Fall spent a good chunk of 2023 in the studio recording their first new material since 2012's Fire In The Sky with producer Zeuss. Now in an interview on the Drinks With Johnny podcast, Shadows Fall vocalist Brian Fair talked a little about how the new stuff came to be and what it's been like working with his old bandmates again.
"We're pretty deep into the process. I'd say I'm kind of a slacker, but I'm really focusing on getting things as good as I can vocally because we have no agenda. We have no time frame. We have no record label pressure. We're just trying to write the best music we can. And it all kind of came about as we started jamming to do the reunion shows. And these guys have — Jon's [Donais, guitar] been playing in Anthrax and Jason's [Bittner, drums] been playing in Overkill, so their chops are still at top-notch level. But they had riffs, man.
"And I was, like, 'If we've got riffs and they sound like Shadows Fall, if we're gonna get together and jam, let's make some new music.' So I've got probably seven structured outlines pretty much nailed down. I think they have instrumentally like two or three more. They've started tracking with [producer] Zeuss already, so some of the foundation's getting laid down, which has been great, so I can demo to actual guitar tracks and drum tracks. And then we can also, if we need to rearrange, thankfully the modern technology allows for that as well."
He continued: "It's been a blast, man. It's funny, 'cause the older we've gotten, it's gotten a little more brutal, which was not a surprise, 'cause I just figured that would happen. We're, like, 'If we're gonna do it, we're gonna drop the hammer.' So it's been fun, man. I forgot how much of a riff machine Jon was. And he's just like — ideas are just flying out of him. And also in Anthrax, he just gets to solo in the studio. So he's just, like, 'Finally I get to write some riffs.'"
In a separate interview with RichardMetalFan, Fair reiterated that the new stuff is gonna be heavy. Which is obviously the most important bit of information, right?
"The material's sick. It's very Shadows Fall. It's definitely on the heavier side of Shadows Fall so far. I don't know if there'll be some other stuff coming down [as we continue writing], but I'm loving it, man. These dudes came to play. And I've been working on vocal demos now, so I'm trying to get everything figured out."
Shadows Fall recently announced a single anniversary show celebrating 20 years of their record The War Within. The show will take place at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ on March 16 and will feature openers Fit For An Autopsy, Alluvial, and Nora. Tickets available here.
