ARTICLES & REVIEWS





From The Sun Chronicle, Attleboro, MA - 12/18/05
So Many Wants, So Little Compromise - Album Review
Review by William Brauneis
Downshallow is a local New Jersey hard/alternative rock band that recently released their first full length album. Downshallow consists of vocalist Alex Shaddix, guitarist Rob Ferreira, bassist Ant Salcedo, and drummer Justin Smith. They formed in December of 2000.

“The name of the band was meant as a reference to always remind us that no matter how deep the waters we venture off into, and how easy it could be to let relationships go sour and of course money always changes people… in essence if we ever get that deep that we begin to forget where we came from, always remember that we once started down at the shallow end of the pool. The principle of keeping yourself grounded and ego-less is very important to us,” said Ferreira. The music is written collaboratively, but there are occasions when just Shaddix and Ferreira write together alone.

“Alex tends to contribute the lyrical side to the songs, while Ant, Justin and I write the music. But there are exceptions in which he’s dabbled in our area and vice versa. But for certain, each member brings in his influence into the mix before a song is completed,” said Ferreira. The CD showcases the band at its best. Shaddix’s echoing vocals are heartfelt and cause the listener want more. Ferreira’s guitar solos are melodic and soar into the listeners ears. The rhythm is kept steady by Salcedo’s bass playing. To round things off is Smith’s drumming, which sets the mood on each song. Each track can be considered a masterpiece. There is not one song on this disc that sounds the same, and each will spark the listener’s interest. But unlike most musicians, Downshallow has also included a DVD with the CD. The DVD has studio footage of the band along with nine additional tracks of their previously released EPs from 2001 and 2002. The EPs were only released in a limited number, so this gives people the chance to hear the old as well as the new. Also included on the DVD is one of the band’s electrifying performances at the legendary club CBGB’s. This allows listeners the chance to see Downshallow’s awesome live show, if they have not already.

“That CBGB’s show was a great time. We’ve had many special shows, but we chose to video tape our set at CB’s because it was one of our favorite places to play in NYC,” said Ferreira.

The title of the album sums up how the band felt during the making of it. Like the making of any album, this one was a great learning experience. According to Ferreira there were different directions that each member wanted to take it, so they butted heads but were able to create collectively what became their first album. That explains the title So Many Wants, So Little Compromise. The CD only costs $10, but don’t let the price fool you, it is a tremendous album that people can listen to whenever.

“Many times you hear music fans spend so much money and end up with the short end of the stick. We wanted to give our fans a complete package with audio and visual without having to dish out a radical price,” said Ferreira. Lately Downshallow has been touring in support of the album, playing as much as they possibly can. This time they are playing more shows outside of New Jersey. Hopefully they will garner some attention and interest from a major label that believes in them. Until then, they remain grateful to the fans because they are truly their base and foundation. Downshallow has a wide variety of genres included in their music. According to Ferreira they are not heavy enough to be considered a metal band, but are not light enough to be considered a simple rock n roll band. So listeners of all genres will love the music of Downshallow.

“Well, our music is an extension of ourselves and we try to convey everyday feelings in our music. Feelings that everybody has and sometimes have difficulty coping with. It’s okay for rock music to be fun and happy. And sometimes it’s just great to turn up the volume and just let it loose,” said Ferreira. Downshallow songs cover a wide variety of things. All Downshallow asks is a fair and square chance to reach the listener.



From Jersey Beat Magazine - www.jerseybeat.com
DOWNSHALLOW – So Many Wants, So Little Compromise
Review by Jim Testa

Part of the new Hoboken metal scene that includes bands like scene vets High Speed Chase and newcomers Crewman #6, Downshallow mix a variety of hard rock styles into a professional package. Most tracks are designed to allow frontman Alex Shaddix to flex his impressive vocal chords, whether the tracks are classic soft verse/loud chorus grunge, full on headbangers, or – as on most of the second half of the album – power ballads. Fans of modern rock acts like Chevelle and Tool will appreciate the varied guitar textures and tempos, and the enhanced CD includes some video footage of the band, live and in the studio. A very impressive package from a local band doing it themselves.

From HoustonMusicReview.com - June '05
Rating: B+

From EarCandyMag.com - June '05
Downshallow,"So Many Wants, So Little Compromise" (Indie Release)
Review by Mike SOS

New Jersey’s Downshallow is at it again, offering up another round of visceral, rousing music that combines metal, alternative, and hard rock. This outfit’s latest 12-track endeavor exposes an impressive array of hard rock sensibilities, effortlessly shifting gears from the ethereal feel of Tool, the bluesy grit of Alice in Chains, the sinewy sonic blasts of Chevelle, the melancholic, metallic nuances of Staind, and a touch of Black Label Society’s six-stringed heroics. From the mellow reflection of “Feorah” to the piledriving rhythms of “Why?” and “Anonymous”, these guys cover all bases and emanate the kind of stand up and take notice sound that some bands take years to hone. Relying on the strength of a passionate vocal performance, not to be outdone by the precise bass and drums and the versatile guitar work that flows from sledgehammer-style riffagings to delicate interludes with refined grace, this quartet’s pulsating melding of metal and hard rock is the kind of provocative and cathartic music that rock fans everywhere should get an earful of. www.downshallow.com
Rating: 4 (out of 5)


From BlowupRadio.com - 12/16/04
Downshallow
Propaganda & Change to Fade (from their forthcoming album) -Lazlo

I've been a fan of Downshallow's live shows for several years now, but I felt like their previous demo release failed to capture their live sound. Well from the sound of these two tracks from their forthcoming CD (due in early 2005), they finally captured their sound. This is hard rock the way I like it, complex guitar sounds mixed with funky driving bass, drums that sound like they are being pounded and vocals that are angry and yet show emotion at the same time. "Propaganda" shows their harder side and makes you want to bang your head, while "Change To Fade" shows their softer side and makes you want to lie on your bed and feel the emotion conveyed by it. I can't wait to hear the rest of this album!
You can hear "change to fade" on BlowUpRadio.com


From Tipsy V Presents - 05/20/04
The ILL ADVISOR -Chris Van Brunt

Saturday night at McKeages was nothing short of a juggernaut of raw power and emotion. The Animit started out the night with one of the most unique dark rock sounds and put on a powerful set. Following them was Crewman Number Six with their groove-oriented, jam heavy sonic assault. Downshallow closed the night out in turn with their locally favored high volume output. There was even time in the end for an impromptu Cereal Dawg jam session with members of CN6 and Downshallow collaborating on a few tunes. Great shows! I highly advise you catch all of these bands over the summer in the area, if not at a TVP show itself.


From Steppin' Out Magazine
Live & Loud Vol. 1 - Alan Tecchio

Local original music has a champion in their corner. It's Tree Fort Records
and they've recently released a compilation cd that shines a spotlight on
eight of the area's busiest acts. It's called Live & Loud Vol. 1 and the
entire disc was recorded live at Hoboken, NJ's Whiskey Bar. Hearing a band
live for the first time can be tough, and eight of them in a row is well,
eight times as hard. However, a very good job was done with the mix and it
makes the aural swallowing of new sounds that much easier. Sure there are
some guitar glitches here and there and some not-quite-warmed-up vocals, but
it is live after all. The production work was handled by John Seymour who
normally works with small bands like U2. (John also earned an Album of the
Year Grammy for his work on Santana's Supernatural). There are two sonic
offerings from each band here and after just a few listens, the songs really
start to grow on you. Standout tracks to this guy's ears include the Tool
infused Restless by Waking, the ultra melodic yet at times hard-as-hell
Prison Hoops by Madjul and the Cureish Witheraway by Sovenskya. Having
remarkable individual identity to their own sounds despite my modern day Pop
comparisons, not every tune was solid through and through. An example would
be Truly by Downstage. I love the chorus to this song but I couldn't get
into the rest of the track. Fortunately the chorus is so good that I'll sit
through the whole thing just to hear it. Downshallow's Get Off has a great
buildup in the verses which culminates into a powerful chorus. Downpour
(yes, "down" was a real big theme on this disc) put in two solid
performances with Mommy's Home and Sideshow Freak, the latter of which is
just plain great. 2 Messages from Planeside is another kick ass tune. I
could go on but you should really just check it out for yourself and form
your own opinion. You're sure to dig more than a few bands/songs on here if
you are at all into rock. Open your ears up to some cool new sounds straight
from your own backyard. To learn more surf to Media51.com.


From East Coast Rocker -Tim Louie
DOWNSHALLOW

These guys are anything, but "shallow"! In fact, their music is pretty dark, moody, and lyrically very deep! I got a package from this band Downshallow last week, and I must say, "Very Impressive!" Their sound was very Staind-esque. It was very heavy at times, but also very moody at times.
Singer Alex Shaddix reminded me of Aaron Lewis from Staind in some songs and in other songs he reminded me of Thom Yorke of Radiohead. I guess what I’m trying to say is that Alex’s voice is one of the better voices that I’ve heard so far this year (and believe me, I’ve heard a lot of singers these past few months that just were not up to par).
Joining Alex in Downshallow is Justin Smith on drums, Ant Salcedo on bass, and Rob Ferreira tearing it up on guitar. The foursome has been together since December of 2000, and from the very moment they plugged in, they knew there was some strong chemistry present. Their sound comes from "the school of hard rock" with a mix of an alternative sound. Led by Alex’s emotionally melodic vocal style, Downshallow love to incorporate hints of atmospheric, almost ethereal, soundscapes, all the while breaking down into some good ol’ hard riffing rock-n-roll.
Downshallow spent the last two years gigging around the NY/NJ club circuit, occasionally throwing in an acoustic set here and there. From Upstate New York all the way down to the Jersey Shore, such NYC clubs as The Continental, CBGB’s, and NJ clubs like The Saint and The Birch Hill have all welcomed Downshallow’s brand of hard rock. They’ve also been the feature act at William Paterson University, and had a spot in Hoboken’s Art & Music Festival 2002.
Now armed with a boatload of new songs from their recently released self-titled EP, the band continues to reach out to fans young and old, with great hook-driven rock music. Songs like "Parasite," "Long After Venus," and "Strange" really showcased their musicianship and they were all very radio-friendly!
If you want to check out Downshallow’s music or find out where they are playing next (and you should!), go to www.downshallow.com or them out at www.mp3.com


From 316productions - 04/15/02 - Mike SOS

New Jersey is a weird place; where else can toxic waste, The Sopranos, the Atlantic City boardwalk and Jon Bon Jovi all peacefully coexist? Does this phenomenon explain the wealth of musical talent that continues to hail from The Garden State? That remains to be seen, but what is clear is that a quartet named Downshallow are here, and will take you by the balls and show you just what they can do. And what these guys succeed in doing is play no frills, straight up hard rock with a furrowed brow and a tinge of anguish in their lyrics to accentuate the feeling. They'll make you sweat, they'll have you empathize with them, and by God, they'll rock you ("Get Off"). But not in a nu metal, head bobbing kind of way. These guys are a lot more visceral than that, as their righteous guitar fills reminiscent of Hammett at his bluesy best and sullen melodies a la Staind ("Never You") will have you flicking your Bic and banging your head simultaneously. Hard rock is back, and thankfully, it's sans hairspray and spandex and chock full of emotion and groove. You can thank Downshallow next time you catch them live. 


From 2bDefinitelyDifferent.com - 04/04/02 -Scott Patterson

Monday, April 01, 2002: Downshallow rocked the Continental tonight. What an amazing kick-ass show. I started out in the back of the room and watched the group set up on stage; thought they were doing a sound check, but to my surprise they actually started the set. The sound guy did up the sound while Rob was starting the first son and the next thing I knew they where ripping up the stage!! By the first five or six bars into the first song I headed right to the front of the stage. They rocked the first three songs without a stop. The dynamics in their set are excellent. They have a totally pro stage appearance and they are definitely a band that should play at the Ozzfest!! Alex is an amazing vocalist and has a definite rock-n-roll stage presence. He holds the crowd with an intense hard rock drive and really keeps the crowd right in front of the stage. I was very impressed with Rob's guitar sounds. It was like a chainsaw cutting right into your spine and Ant's bass playing holds you right on! Justin is a solid drummer and keeps the beat right on the money. I definitely recommend these guys to anyone who loves hard rock!! They worked the club like pros; mailing lists being pushed and Free CD's for fans!! I will be doing an interview with them in the next week, so check back soon and get some more news on DOWNSHALLOW!!


From 2bDefinitelyDifferent.com - 03/16/02 -Scott Patterson

From the first note you can tell Downshallow fits their rock n roll name. They rip you up, grab you and take you for a rock n roll ride. The group has a great feel and projects the music very well. I would like to see how they perform live, if they play as well as the CD then the show would be great. Alex Shaddix has great vocal range and lots of heart felt emotion. Rob Ferreira’s guitars rip up the speakers and let you sore into the heavens. Ant Salcedo has the bass, he holds the bottom together really well, love to hear it a bit more. Justin Smith is on the drums and really can hold a beat. It is great to hear great solid and distinct drummers. My favorite is number three from this 4 song CD. Never You really shows the dynamics of the group. The lyrics are cool and the song is an anthem. The overall production is a great self produced CD and I think the next CD will be fantastic… Look forward hearing it !


From StephenBailey.com - 02/26/02-Stephen Bailey

There is mucho talent swimming around this CD from Downshallow. They've put together quite a tasty mixture of lyrical imagery, melodic hooks and solid grooves. At times delivered with a gentle subtly that grows to a hammer over the head intensity.
The harsh, in-your-face reality here was quite an eye-opener for me. Mainly because I had first experienced the band's music at an acoustic performance. At the time, it was something that they claimed to not do very often. However, it was (and is) something that they do very well.