•
Rating: After the early and little-known "Somber Eyes To The Sky", "Of One Blood", and the beautiful "The Art Of Balance", Shadows Fall return with "The War Within".
If the third album had already shown significant improvements of the band, "The War Within" has been realized even better...
Metalcore music is fused with various death influences and especially thrash (mostly Metallica and Pantera) and the compositions blend melody and power well, resulting in very varied and enjoyable tracks. The voice of Brian Fair is amazing, transitioning from insane growls to more melodic tones without much trouble, giving a very interesting dynamism to all the tracks...it's hard to find a flaw, right from the first listen you can't get bored.
However, the more old-style riffs are not missing (especially the solos, which nonetheless are magnificent).
It's hard to single out a particular track because each one shines in its own light. From my side, I can recommend the seventh track, "The Power Of I And I", and the first, "The Light That Blinds".
This album has nothing to envy from other excellent metalcore bands (read Killswitch Engage). Frankly, upon first listening to this album, I was surprised and immediately loved it. Perfectly mixed, songs that rock... a must-have!
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
02 Enlightened by the Cold (03:01)
When you never know
Is when it's always there,
It seemed so clear...
The slightest touch
To catch the breath,
It turns it all around
Single path that I can see,
Emptiness devours me
Enlightened by the cold.
It overcomes the torment.
(What if I could bring you back?)
Enlightened by the cold
Enough to burn through walls
Built on anguish
Can I be revived?
Let it hit with force
Strong enough to blind.
The numbness heals.
My worth is only defined
by the nest disaster
03 Act of Contrition (03:40)
Feel the cold hands upon me
Recollection of my betrayal
My betrayal!
It is not the pain inside yourself
That tears the deepest wounds
I drift along suspended in shadows
Cold memories escape the haze
With sobriety comes recollection
It is not the pain inside yourself
That tears the deepest wounds
It is the pain that you create
That shreds your very soul
A specter of despair
Built on good intentions
It is not the pain inside yourself
That tears the deepest wounds
It is the pain that you create
That shreds your very soul
04 What Drives the Weak (04:43)
This time released security
Controlled dose of tranquility
Forgetfulness washes over me
Put to rest the voices of insanity
Only the cinders remain
As another night
Becomes a yesterday
Come on! Anesthetize the panic
It is what drives the weak
You're gone! Anesthetize the panic
Putting all uncertainties to sleep
Not an altered state of mind
But a safer place in an unsafe world
Within the nearness of death
Rapture in the skip of a heartbeat
05 Stillness (04:52)
Impermanence is always swift
Treasures of this world are fleeting
Our eyes blinded from the gift
Within the way there lies the meaning
All natures are pure
All appearances are empty
Shrouded in sensation and delusion
Consumed within unknowns
Shrouded in sensation and delusion
All will collapse and fall
All wisdom is treasured
All wealth is a shadow
Inexpressible in words
Embrace the stillness
Enless source, Eternal bliss
Absence of the mind is liberation
06 Inspiration on Demand (03:52)
Where has it all gone?
Have all of the words escaped?
Inspiration on demand
Emotions all displaced
'And I will wander endlessly
Seeking all the answers that I let slip
through my fingers.
I will wander endlessly
Seeking all the answers that
I let slip and fall away.'
Turn it all around
It melts into sound
(unfolding... ever growing)
Torn from my rest
Though I still fight to stay.
The images dissolve
As the day invades
A second to react
The mind too slow to act
(unfolding... ever growing)
Drown the voices of restraint
Make them choke to silence
Incinerate the ropes
And embrace the hope
(unfolding... ever growing)
Splintering the doors
Free the mind to soar
(unfolding... ever growing)
Turn it all around
It melts into sound
07 The Power of I and I (03:34)
We are given the gift of creation!
We are given
All of the light
And purity of the universe
We are the ones
Who will create
The snarling beasts of human nature
The world within myself
ALL IS ONE!
The power of I and I
True piece of mind
Is not bestowed
Upon us by the heavens.
The evils of man
Are spawned within
The confusion of our own mind.
The world within myself
ALL IS ONE!
The power of I and I
The world within myself
ALL IS ONE!
The power of I and I
Hiding the purity that flows
From the root of which we rose
We are given
All of the light
And purity of the universe
We are the ones
Who will create
The snarling beasts of human nature
The world within myself
ALL IS ONE!
The power of I and I
The world within myself
ALL IS ONE!
The power of I and I
ALL!
ALL IS ONE!
ALL!
ALL IS ONE!
Loading comments slowly
