Shadows Fall 'Fleshold' - Song Review

This song is the sixth off of the band's 1999 debut 'Somber Eyes to the Sky.' The album is unique in that it doesn't feature our favorite hippie Brian Fair on vocals. Phil Labonte of All That Remains and MSNBC fame is the vocalist for this album.

The production on this track is a breath of fresh air. Every instrument is perfectly audible. There are a few times when Phil's screaming gets buried under the rest of the instrument, but they only last a few seconds. Speaking of Phil's screaming, it's amazing. If you're an All That Remains fan, you know that Phil seldom screams anymore, in favor of auto-tuned singing, but he screams throughout the entire track. The chorus is layered over Phil's screaming and it melds in nicely with Jonathan Donais' guitar playing. The guitars here chug relentlessly, and then the breakdown leads into an amazing solo.

The lyrics here are really bad. They sound like something the emo kid would come up with in a creative writing class. The narrator (That's what you call that, right?) cuts himself because his girlfriend is sleeping with someone else. The song sounds badass, but the lyrics would be at home in a Black Veil Brides or My Chemical Romance song. I'd blame the songwriter for this mishap.

I rate this track three out of five guitar picks. The crybaby lyrics distract from the song.