Kingcrimsonprog
As you may know, this is not a full fledged studio album by Shadows Fall but rather it is a compilation album released to round out a record contract. Many such albums are usually poor quality full of annoying remixes, sub par live tracks, undesirable b sides or the band's earliest worst sounding material slapped onto a disc without much effort.
What makes the Fallout From The War different from the poorer contractual obligation albums is simply that it is very good. Academically you can argue that this album is unnecessary sure, but listening to this album feels like listening to a real album, and sounds like listening to a real album.
The production is as good as on The War Within, if a little heavier. The songwriting is high quality indeed, these are no throw away B sides but top quality Shadows Fall songs in their own right and the whole album flows perfectly so if you didn't know otherwise, you'd think you were just listening to an excellent new Shadows Fall record.
The three cover songs which round out the album, especially the phenomenal 'December,' by little known band Only Living Witness are excellent and do not feel out of place whatsoever, with the same production and firey performance as the rest of the album they in no way feel like the filler you may assume they are when seeing that they album is rounded out by three cover tunes.
Album highlights include 'Will to Rebuild,' which is one of the heaviest Shadows Fall songs available and so good that had it have been on The War Within it would probably be the best song on the album, along with the rerecording of 'Deadworld,'which sounds phenomenal with the new studio recording and performance and also 'This Is My Own,' which is a real gem, with a huge guitar sound, excellent riffs and catchy breakdowns.
All in all this is a fine compilation and I would encourage Shadows Fall fans to try it, even if cash in compilations have burned you in the past; this is just sheer high quality music, eleven studio recordings with superb production and excellent song writing.