Phillipines to NJ: Shadows Fall Will Soon Be Back On Your iTunes

Shadows Fall at Starland Ballroom in NJ

About a month ago, Shadows Fall played a one-off show with Korn in the armpit of NJ. I had the great opportunity of chatting with vocalist Brian Fair about Music Festivals and the new Shadows Fall album.

After playing the Philippines a year ago, Shadows Fall was invited back to the country. "To come back and headline a festival was insane," said Fair. Crazier than that, the festival included pyrotechnics, which according to Fair "were never tested before the actual set." Imagine a 30-foot skull that shot fire out of the eyes.

“I can’t believe heavy metal took me to the Philippines.” It was one of the most interesting cities the band has ever got to visit, he explained. “Just living in Boston, anywhere its warm all year long its like, ‘this is awesome.’”

Being a Boston resident does have it’s metalhead perks though, at least when it comes to the annual New England Metal Fest. "I was just [at New England Metal Fest] to see Lamb Of God. It was a great metal fest because the Dead was playing at Centrum next door.” Fair really felt at home. “[It’s like] finally good drugs at a metal show."

More after the jump

For being in an internationally touring metal band, Fair has had his share of hippie experiences, too. “I used to go to Dead shows all the time while I was going to metal shows on the weekends." Back then is when he realized, "straight edge kids aren't bringing the dank."

"I love festivals whether its a metal festival or a more eclectic kind of music festival because you get that many bands into one place at one time and people are just there to party and have a good time." From countless appearances at New England Metal Fest to this year’s performance at Bonnaroo, the band has become pretty acquainted with playing music festivals. "We've been lucky enough to play download festival in the UK and that is amazing. I grew up seeing the Iron Maiden Live at Castle Donington videos AND ITS CASTLE DONINGTON, you know. It's crazy."

Aside from getting to leave the Northwest, the best part of festivals for Fair is the gathering of friends. "You know everyone who you've seen throughout the year on tour, they're all going to be on the same place for a weekend … it's like a high school reunion for a bunch of assholes. The first night [at Rock Em Park] we drank all the booze out for the rest of the festival between us and Mastodon and a few other bands [we] ruined it. There was no more free booze for bands for the next two days because we completely abused their hospitality."

After only seeing dressing rooms in new cities each day, Fair says it’s nice to be home, even with a new record firmly planted and ready to be pumped out for the masses.

"We just got the master for reference today. [I’m] really stoked on it … we're always going to have the bedrock Shadow's Fall sound but we definitely took the aggressive stuff more aggressive and we took the melodic stuff even further. If it’s going to be a brutal song, it’s going to be brutal from beginning to end. Or if we're going to make the chorus melodic we're going to go all the way to Def Leopard-ville.”

Fair said the biggest difference is the lack of a ballad this time around. Yet, there are a few acoustic moments in the album.

“I listened to it on the drive down to New York, and that's when you know when the record's done: when you can crank it in the car. If it passes the car test, that's when I sign off the master. I'll go listen to it on the i-pod and then put it in the shitty stereo too, just to make sure. But, the car test—that’s the test. You know your car stereo better than any other stereo system there is.”

-Justina Villanueva