Interview with Matthew Bachand of Shadows Fall

Interviewed 6/25/2003 by Michael Mitchell
Loud Rock/Metal Director for KRSC FM 91.3 RSU Radio

Shadows Fall is:
Brian Fair-Vocals
Jonathan Donais-Lead Guitar/Vocals
Matthew Bachand-Guitars/Vocals
Paul Romanko-Bass
Jason Bittner-Drums

Shadows Fall is a band that requires no lengthy introduction. If one has not heard of Shadows Fall, he or she must have been living under a rock for the last three years. However, Shadows Fall actually formed six years ago and released their debut on Matthew Bachand’s own label, Lifeless Records. Shortly after that release, The Shads changed vocalists and recruited vocalist Brian Fair from the band Outcast. With Fair on vocals, they released the Century Media Records sophomore release “Of One Blood,” which inspired a huge underground following and reigned #1on numerous metal charts for months. Their latest release “The Art of Balance” has given the band some much-deserved critical acclaim, and the video for “Destroyer of Senses” can be seen on MTV and Much Music USA. When I sat down to speak with Matt once again, my objective was to follow up on previously asked questions, and to also discover if the bands recent success and critical acclaim had changed their mindset in any way. To my surprise, Matt remained humble as ever.

Mike Mitchell: Well Matt, thanks for taking time out once again to answer a few questions.

Mathew Bachand: No problem man. It’s not very often that someone asks to do a follow up interview, that’s cool. [Laughs].

MM: When we spoke last about the repercussions of relentless touring, while you were on tour with Kittie, you stated that it was somewhat of a drag because you were broke all of the time and didn’t get to do much of the family thing. Have any of these aspects changed since then?

MB: No, not at all. In fact, we haven’t stopped touring since then. So it’s even crazier really. For example, we just spent like six or seven weeks in Europe and we have been back and forth to Japan twice since then and have been to England five times. Also, we have been on a full European tour and we are now on this American tour. This thing will go for about ten weeks so it’s been awhile since we have had some chill time.

MM: Wow, so you have been quite busy.

MB: Yeah, for sure.

MM: So, how was the European tour with Children of Bodom and Soilwork?

MB: It was awesome. It was really cool. You know, they had a very metal crowd. It was just very, very cool.

MM: Well, now that you have toured extensively outside of the United States, do you still feel that Shadows Fall’s fan base is more loyal here in the states than overseas?

MB: Absolutely, I mean, doing a couple tours overseas does not mean that you are going to pick up all those people, fans, or whatever. [Laughs]. Just because they see you doesn’t mean that they like you. We are defiantly doing better in the states.

MM: Are you looking forward to the forthcoming Ozzfest Tour?

MB: Oh yeah, absolutely. It should be awesome.

MM: The video for “Destroyer of Senses,” has been all over MTV and Much Music USA. Do you feel that the airing of this video has contributed to a larger fan base, or do you feel that the success of Shadows Fall still greatly depends on word of mouth and touring?

MB: Well, it’s a little bit of everything I think. The videos defiantly help. We get people that come up to us and say “Hey I saw you on MTV” or this or that. That really does help but then again, so does everything. So does touring as well as press and things like that. It’s never really one thing.

MM: Congratulations on the Metal Hammer “Metal Gods Award.”

MB: Thanks man. That was really cool to receive.

MM: However, Shadows Fall won the award for “Best Metal Underground Act,” which seems to me somewhat of a paradox. Do you feel that Shadows Fall is still an underground band despite the recent success and critical acclaim the band has received?

MB: Oh, absolutely dude because were not getting any commercial airplay and we are still slowly digging our way out, but that’s cool. It means more when you work hard for it. Besides, we’re still broke. [Laughs].

MM: Last time we spoke I asked you about Shadows Fall being sited by many critics as the Slayer of the new millennium, and you were quite humble with you response. Have you changed your point of view with regards to the bands recent success? Do you think it is plausible that you are the Slayer of the new millennium?

MB: If people want to think that then I guess that’s cool, if people like the band that’s cool also, but I just don’t think that way. We do what we do and if people dig it cool and if they don’t that’s cool too.

MM: What happened to bassist Paul Romanko?

MB: He had some weird illness and ended up in the hospital the morning that we were leaving for this tour. So, we had to do this whole week without him. We are actually meeting him in Texas tomorrow at the airport, and he is out back in action.

MM: So has he fully recovered?

MB: Yeah, he was in the hospital all weekend getting all kinds of tests run on him.

MM: Do they have a diagnosis or anything?

MB: Ah, we really don’t know what’s wrong with him. It is really weird, but he seems to be better now.

MM: So will you be performing without a bass player tonight or do you have a replacement?

MB: No, we don’t have a replacement. We have been performing all week without him because we knew that it would only be a matter of time before he was back in action. We have managed without him all week and we will manage to perform some how with out him tonight.We are defiantly looking forward to his return tomorrow though.

Note: It is important to note here that manage they did. In fact, this was the fourth time I had seen them perform, and personally, I thought that it was their best performance. Of course, the absence of Paul Romanko also meant the absence of a bass player. As a result, their sound did lack bottom end. Nonetheless, vocalist Brian Fair invited the crowd to participate in some stage diving and other conscious insanity, which resulted in the most crowd participation that I had witnessed since Hatebreed. Vocalist Brian Fair stated numerous times throughout their set that the crowd was fucking crazy. Obviously, they were enjoying the insanity as much as the crowd. Despite the absence of Paul, it was one of the best metal shows I had seen in years.

MM: Shadows Fall does seem to be a nonstop touring machine right now. How has this affected the members lately both emotionally and physically?

MB: Well, we’re tired but it’s cool. The tours have been good, the people have been good, and now that we are touring on a bus now instead of a van we actually get to sleep, which was one big problem otherwise. So it is not to bad. We are going along with it and having a good time.

MM: Shadows Fall have never relied on some gimmick or elaborate stage set to sell records or gain notoriety. You guys have always just come out in t-shirts and jeans and rocked out. Do you feel that the band will ever compromise this for any reason in the future?

MB: No, absolutely not. There is no reason to because that is too much work. You know, what’s the point and it would just be like torturing yourself. Bands that wear costumes or whatever—it’s like torturing yourself dude because it is so hot up there as it is on stage and this and that you know, so what’s the point.

MM: Personally, what do you think the reason is that Shadows Fall has such a diverse fan base?

MB: I think that most of it has to do with the touring because with being out with different bands like Kittie and like the death metal tours that we have done in the past, and bands like Glassjaw and exposure to the emo kids. So we have been hopping around so much that you pick up a little bit of each crowd as you go.

MM: Well, I suppose I should let you go do you thing. Thanks a lot for allowing me to interview once again. Is there anything that you would like to add before we conclude this interview?

MB: No, just thanks a lot. A follow up interview—that’s cool. [Laughs]. That’s a first. No one ever does that. Oh, and thanks to everyone for supporting us. They are the ones who have helped get us to where we are now.

For more information on Shadows Fall check out their web site at http://shadowsfall.com/