Shadows Fall formed in 1996 in Springfield, Massachusetts and rose up as a prominent member of the bustling Massachusetts metal and hardcore scene that has recently produced bands such as Killswitch Engage, All That Remains, and Unearth. Guitar duo Jonathan Donais and Matt Bachand got together in '96 and had the original lineup complete within a year. These members were vocalist Philip Labonte, now with All That Remains, bass player Paul Romanko, and drummer David Germain. 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. ...show more

Shadows Fall formed in 1996 in Springfield, Massachusetts and rose up as a prominent member of the bustling Massachusetts metal and hardcore scene that has recently produced bands such as Killswitch Engage, All That Remains, and Unearth. Guitar duo Jonathan Donais and Matt Bachand got together in '96 and had the original lineup complete within a year. These members were vocalist Philip Labonte, now with All That Remains, bass player Paul Romanko, and drummer David Germain. 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. ...show less