Of all the New England metalcore bands from the last decade, Shadows Fall is one of the most deserving bands that almost broke huge. Granted, they did have an album (The War Within) that’s sold about 400,000 copies to date, but haven’t gone on to the level of success that Killswitch Engage, Hatebreed and All That Remains have. Their guitarist, Jon Donais, is now in Anthrax, so he’s doing ok for himself, but things have been relatively quiet with the band for the past few years. And while they’re not breaking up (yet), they have announced that they’ll be taking a “hiatus from future extensive touring” after touring for the next year or so. Their final European tour will begin this Friday, along with Unearth, The Acacia Strain and War of Ages. Here’s the full press release:
Massachusetts metal band Shadows Fall will embark on their final European tour in less than a week. The “Hell on Earth” tour will begin in Frankfurt, Germany on Aug. 29 and runs until Sept. 14. The tour also features Unearth, The Acacia Strain and War of Ages. The band has been touring non-stop for over a decade and has decided that it’s time to “take a hiatus” from future extensive touring. In addition to this upcoming European run, Shadows Fall are planning a final North American tour and will possibly visit a few other territories some time over the next year. We will post details once everything is locked in. There are many factors that are behind this difficult decision that the band has been dealing with for some time now. In a nutshell it comes down to families, member availability, and finances. Further impacting our decision is the fact that we have two members with young children. Plain and simple, they want to be with their families to watch their kids grow. Touring full time in a band these days has never been more difficult financially. When you have to ensure the future comfort of your family, difficult decisions have to be made. Another reason is the fact that our lead guitarist (Jon Donais) is now in Anthrax, which makes it hard for us to do any extensive touring with our full lineup. Due to his obligations with Anthrax, he will not be able to join us on this European tour. Felipe Roa will once again fill Jon’s position and we are thankful to him for joining us on this run. Also returning for this tour is original bassist Paul Romanko who has sat out from touring for the last two years to raise his son. This has been a real hard decision for all of us to make but we feel at this time this is the right thing to do. We don’t hate each other, we’re not bitter, we in fact still have a really great time together, but the ride has slowed down and it’s time for the next chapters in our lives, whatever that may be. We can’t thank the fans that have supported Shadows Fall since the beginning enough. Without you, none of this would have been possible. For the past decade and a half, we have been able to create the music we have always wanted to hear and share it with music fans everywhere. That being said, you still may see us at a festival or two over the next few years…if they ask, we will come! In the meantime please check out the dates for the last European go around and we will see you out there!
Sadly, we can’t say it comes as too big of a surprise. Donais will have his hands full for the foreseeable future, other Shadows Fall members have kids, and it’s not financially worth it for them to continue to tour. It doesn’t state that they’re done making music either, just slowing down touring. It also leaves the door open not just for festival appearances, but also for a reunion tour somewhere down the line. So basically, look for them to headline the New England Metalfest in 2016 or 2017 (you read it here first!). Good luck to the band, and if you’re in Europe, you can see them here:
08/29 – Frankfurt, GER – Beachrock Helenesee
08/30 – Munster, GER – Sputnikhalle
08/31 – Rotterdam, NET – Da Baroeg
09/01 – Koln, GER – Underground
09/03 – Derby, UK – Hairy Dog
09/04 – London, UK – Underworld
09/05 – Liege, BEL – CCC
09/06 – Oberbach, GER – Pell Mell Festival
09/07 – Paris, FRA – Trabeno
09/08 – Winterthur, SWI – Salzhaus
09/09 – Ingolstadt, Weststadthalle
09/10 – Prague, CZE – Futurum
09/11 – Graz, AUT – Explosiv
09/12 – Brixen, ITA – Club Max
09/13 – Linz, AUT – Posthof
09/14 – Aschaffenburg, GER – Colos-Saal
