Shadows Fall guitarist Jonathan Donais has confirmed that the band’s long-awaited new album is finished. He shared the news in a conversation on Mike Z’s YouTube channel.
Donais spoke about the current status of the record — a follow-up to the band’s 2012 album Fire From The Sky — and explained that the remaining steps before release are largely logistical.
“[The new album is] done, but [we’ve] just gotta go through everything and figure out the right times and people’s schedules and stuff [before we release it],” Donais said.
He also reflected on the creative mindset he brought to the writing process, describing how he looked back to his earliest influences to recapture the spirit of why he started the band.
“When I was writing it, I tried to only get influenced by the bands that I was listening to when I started Shadows Fall,” he said. “So I listened to a lot of thrash, a lot of ’90s death metal, and I was just trying to get that vibe again when I was 17. Like, why did I wanna start Shadows Fall? What was making me wanna do it? And then I’m listening with kind of new ears, ’cause that was a million years ago. So I was listening to these bands with a new perspective. I was, like, ‘Wow, shit, this stuff’s still really cool.’ And then I was just excited, because we hadn’t done anything in a while, so it was exciting again.”
Donais also revealed that new music wasn’t originally part of the plan. The songs emerged organically during rehearsals for the band’s reunion show.
“I didn’t think we were gonna do any new music,” he said. “I figured we were gonna get together for our reunion show, and that’d be it. Maybe down the line we’d do another show. But when we started rehearsing for it — I play guitar all day. I don’t have any kids. While my wife’s at work, I sit around and play guitar, so I have millions of riffs.”
“So while we’re rehearsing the old stuff, I just start throwing riffs out there, and of course the guys jump in and start jamming,” he continued. “Like, ‘What’s that?’ I’m, like, ‘Ah, something new.’ And then they’re, like, ‘Oh, that’s cool.’ And then before you know it, we’re just writing songs.”
The new Shadows Fall album is tentatively expected in 2027.
The confirmation marks a significant milestone for a band that has been steadily building momentum since returning to action after more than a decade away. The road to this point has been a gradual one, with the band documenting their progress in real time and offering fans a series of updates along the way.
Shadows Fall signed with MNRK Heavy upon their return and released new material without delay. The band dropped “In The Grey” in December 2024 — their first new single in twelve years — followed by “Souls Devoured” in May 2025. Both tracks signaled that the band was back in earnest and had no intention of coasting on nostalgia alone.
The album was recorded with producer Chris “Zeuss” Harris, a longtime collaborator well-versed in the heavier end of the metal spectrum. The band returned to the studio in August 2025 to begin tracking the back half of the record. Drummer Jason Bittner confirmed at the time that five songs had already been completed.
Progress continued steadily in the months that followed. Earlier this year, vocalist Brian Fair described the band as being in “the final stretch” of recording, with harmonies and backing vocals still being added. “We don’t have any idea of release dates yet,” Fair said, “but we’re still in studio mode.” The album being fully done now represents a clear leap forward from where things stood just a few months ago.
The band also celebrated a major milestone in July 2026, performing a 30th anniversary hometown concert that underscored the energy surrounding their comeback. With the album complete and a fanbase that has been waiting patiently since Fire From The Sky arrived in 2012, Shadows Fall appear poised to make a significant statement with their eighth studio record.
