To the casual observer Shadows Fall’s first four albums have been solid mid paced Thrash styled / Metalcore, aimed at the breed of ‘new’ metal fan who has a penchant for the Slipknot’s and Coalesce’s of this world. Which in part is true but the Massachusetts outfit have been reluctant to remain pigeon-holed into one sphere of metal and have album to album attempted to develop their sound and looked to progress from that of their previous offering. Progressively allowing more and more of their influences to shine through, culminating in album number five, ‘Retribution’, which is perhaps Shadows Fall’s darkest album to date.

The first notable change from the bands previous offerings is in Brian Fair’s vocals. Content before to offer up the standard throaty roar, ‘Retribution’ offers Brian an opportunity to demonstrate a wider spectrum of vocal styling’s; from the Death Metal growling on ‘My Demise’ to the almost clear outright singing on ‘Still I Rise’. It really does appear that Brian has invested a great deal of time and effort between records to advance his range. ‘Retribution’ has a pronounced urgency, almost the feeling of a band really challenging themselves to break free from the Metalcore mould and experiment with in new directions.

A more outright Thrash vibe has found its way onto the album, more by intent than by luck I feel, and goes some way to silencing those who claim Shadows Fall were unable to write an out and out Thrash song. 'War' and 'A Public Execution' being the best examples of this fledgling Thrash sound. The mixture and fusion of the various influences along with then bands desire to continually evolve has been the spring board for what is a texturally complex yet still hugely enjoyable release.

The Shadows Fall purist’s need not worry however as the band has not morphed into a shadow of their former selves and ‘Retribution’ is surely not going to alienate of core fan base. The back breaking guitar harmonies and blistering solos of Donais and Bittner are still the cornerstone from which the album is built. The subtle mix of power, aggression and a modicum of melody along the way have made the Shadows Fall what they are and to move away from this winning formula would be folly; and the band have resisted the temptation to turn their tinkering into a wholesale revolution of their sound.