Certainly one of the hardest hitting yet technical metal bands to hail from the U.S. during the early 21st century was
Shadows Fall. On the strength of such releases as
The War Within and a pair of appearances on Ozzfest,
Shadows Fall have certainly left their mark, and their best tracks are showcased on the 2007 compilation,
Seeking the Way: The Greatest Hits. However, while most of their standouts are included here, it's not an entirely definitive career overview, as no tracks from their first album are included (1998's
Somber Eyes to the Sky, which is best known as the lone
Shadows Fall album not to feature singer Brian Fair), nor obviously anything from the albums that came after this set. But still,
Seeking the Way serves as a fine introduction to the group, especially on such
Shadows Fall classics as "Crushing Belial," "What Drives the Weak," and "Inspiration on Demand," among others. Quite a few metal bands from this era had to rely on gimmicks to grab the attention of the metal masses. As evidenced by the mighty metal throughout
Seeking the Way,
Shadows Fall succeeded entirely in letting the music do the talking. ~ Greg Prato