If you’re sensing a more aggressive style to Shadows Fall’s upcoming release, it’s not your imagination. Guitarist Jon Donais, who writes the majority of the music in Shadows Fall, revealed that "everybody was feeling angry" going into the making of the new record. While much of that anger was due to personal issues, the band also had to deal with its departure from Atlantic Records. With Atlantic not sure how to market its one metal act, the company and the musicians in Shadows Fall decided to mutually split. Of course, the eventual move to an independent label turned out to be a liberating decision that allowed the band more creative freedom than ever before.
The follow-up to 2007’s
Threads Of Life is not scheduled to hit store shelves until September, but in a recent UG interview
Donais gave a detailed description of what fans can expect. It will be a few months before we can hear the fruits of their labor, but
Shadows Fall doesn’t plan on taking an extended rest. They are already racking up a number of lives dates and just returned from playing Pulp Summer Slam in the Philippines. Sadly, a mishap that occurred while performing overseas will forever be etched in
Donais’ memory: His prized ESP was stolen. When he chatted with UG writer
Amy Kelly, he was eagerly awaiting the arrival of its replacement.
UG: I understand that you just returned from a festival in the Philippines. That must have been an amazing experience.
Jon: Yeah. We headlined the festival out there. I think there were like 25,000 people there, but my two guitars got stolen! It was my favorite guitar out of the whole collection! I wasn’t going to fly, but we shot a DVD there. I was like, “Uh, I kind of want to have my favorite guitar there for the DVD.” Then it got stolen!
That’s horrible! Which guitar was it?
It was my natural maple top ESP.
Did it get stolen before the show or had you already completed filming for the DVD?
We already did the DVD. So it will be in the DVD at least – the last time I ever got to hold it!
Have you been in touch with the ESP reps to obtain a replacement?
Their computers are down this week, so I haven’t had a lot of time. Hopefully I’ll have it replaced in the next couple weeks. We have some shows coming up with Korn, so I need some guitars.
An experience like that must have made it extremely hard to enjoy anything else about the trip. Did everything else go smoothly?
Yeah. Everything else was fine.
I wanted to touch briefly upon your recent record label change. I see that you are no longer signed with Atlantic and currently on an independent label.
We realized that we both took a chance. Atlantic took a chance with us, and we took a chance with them. We realized that it wasn’t right for either of us. We’re a metal band, and they are not a metal label. We signed directly to ILG, which is an area of Warner Music. They’re going to just act as a label and do the marking stuff for us. So we’re basically teamed with Ferret, and ILG will distribute it. It’s cool because we get to be in full control of everything.
"I don’t want to get stuck in a rut where it seems like I keep doing the same thing on every record."
At the end, that’s how it was. Some of the key people who were behind the band got let go from Atlantic. I don’t think anybody really got what we were doing. We were by far the heaviest band on Atlantic. We’re not going to write Kid Rock records!
You spend a good deal of time touring throughout the year. Are you able to begin the songwriting process during a tour, or do you prefer to work in a separate environment?
I constantly play guitar. That’s all I really love doing. Even when I’m home, I’ll be doing it. I have guitars all over my house, like in every room and hanging on walls. I’ll write and play a lot, and I’ll record riffs. A lot of them are completely horrible. Usually one will stick out in a discernable way, and I’ll keep it. I’ll go back and listen to the riffs, and then I’ll see if anything can fit together. I’ll usually go to Matt with a blueprint of how the song should go, and then Matt will help out with a variety of arrangements. Matt and I will record them at his place and then bring it to the rest of the band. Then everybody puts in their input. That’s how it all gets put together.
Is there ever an instance when you and Matt will write a song together from start to finish?
Yeah. That definitely happens. I do start a lot of the stuff, but you never know. A lot of times Matt will come up with stuff. On this record, I was really driven. I was really pissed writing this record! I had a lot of stuff just coming out. This record seemed to come out easier for me than a lot of other ones.
In several interviews Brian (Fair, vocals) has mentioned that the new record definitely has a heavier feel to it. I can only imagine that the anger you felt while writing the record certainly had an influence on that.
Yeah. I think everybody was feeling angry. There were just situations. People were going through different things in the band. I was going through some personal stuff. It was just picking up a guitar every day and messing around with that.
Both you and Matt earned a spot on Guitar World’s list of the 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists of All Time. Do you feel a certain amount of pressure to live up to that title when you begin the songwriting process?
Yeah. I’m constantly trying to get better. I don’t really practice too much on the road, but I’ll still get instructional DVDs and jam with other guys. I’ll try to pick up whatever I can. I don’t want to get stuck in a rut where it seems like I keep doing the same thing on every record. I’m always trying different styles and picking up new things and trying new techniques and just trying to get better.
I think that it’s very cool that you continue to improve your skills with instructional DVDs. I’m sure there a lot of players who – for ego purposes or other reasons – don’t feel they can learn too much from their peers. What DVDs have you picked up recently?
I would say that Paul Gilbert has some of the best DVDs. I think he seems like a great teacher. I would love to have him as a personal teacher. The DVDs are great. He explains everything really well. I’ve learned a lot from him. I was taking lessons during the recording of Threads of Life with this guy Jimi Bell. He really helped me out a lot. Him and Zakk Wylde were out at the Ozzy gig. He helped me step up my game a lot and really kicked my ass. I haven’t been able to get a guitar teacher for this record, but I have the summer free. I’ll be able to get back with Jimi and take more lessons in the summer.
You have mentioned in the past that you were heavily influenced by a lot of the bands that received regular airplay on Headbanger’s Ball back in the 1980’s. Do you still look to any of those groups for inspiration or do you gravitate toward more contemporary music?
That’s always going to be part of me. That’s what made me want to do it. Those are still my favorite guitar players. So yeah, I find myself – especially when we’re on tour – I’ll crack open a cold beer and throw on arena rock on the tour bus. I listen to Skid Row every day.
Which specific guitarists did you want to emulate?
Skid Row was definitely my band when I was kid. As far as guitarists go, I was huge into Zakk Wylde, Randy Rhoads, James Hetfield, Dimebag, and all those guys. I loved the L.A. shredders like Warren DeMartini and that kind of style.
Have you met any of those guys?
I think I’ve met most of them, so it’s been pretty cool. I haven’t had any bad experiences yet! Especially, I got to tour with Dimebag and Zakk. They were both great. They were so nice. I got to hang with them. It was just crazy to be sitting on a tour bus, hanging out with Zakk Wylde. I used to watch him on MTV when I was kid or see him on live Ozzy videos and think, “How does that guy play like that?” Then you sit a foot from him and trade off licks.
Did Zakk ever pass along any advice about life in the music business or playing the guitar in general?
No. He was more of just a hang-type guy. It was just about trying to have a good time. We did drink some beers and stuff! There was never really any music business talk.
How far along are you in the making of the new record?
It’s all done. Yeah, it’s getting mastered as we speak. There are going to be nine tracks. We recorded three covers, and then we might have one song left over for a bonus. I’m not really sure what’s going on with that, but I definitely know there are going to be nine songs on the record.
How would you describe the latest material?
I would say it’s a mix of all our records. It’s got some of the longer, more epic-type stuff, but it also has a lot of the rock influences that we started to bring in on Threads of Life. I think it’s pretty much the whole span of what we’ve been doing. This one just seemed really easy to do. It came together pretty fast. We really didn’t know what was going on with the label situation or anything. We were just like, “All right, fuck it. Let’s get studio time and see what happens.” It just all came together.
"This record seemed to come out easier for me than a lot of other ones."
No, we went back and did the music with Zeuss, who did all of our other records. It was a studio close to home. None of us wanted to leave. Last time we went to L.A. to record it, and it was a great experience. We tour so much being a metal band that we just really wanted to be home. Being able to just get away from it if you have a bad day, it’s just a few minutes of a drive to get home and relax. You’re close to your friends and family. I don’t know. It can get to you. Some people like that. I wouldn’t trade that because it was a fun experience going to a big L.A. studio and everything, but it’s nice to keep it local and be with no pressures. Nobody was around to bother us. We ended up doing the vocals in Virginia with Michael Baskette, and he was amazing. It was our first time working with him. We went out there for a couple weeks – me, Brian, and Matt. We did all the vocals at his studio, and I’m proud of it.
How involved were you with the vocals this time around?
Matt, Brian, and I do a lot of melodies together. I’m pretty involved in the vocals.
There are some musicians who want to get heavily involved with the production process as much as the actual musical performance. Would you say that you have a hands-on approach in the studio?
I know what I want it to sound like. Matt and I, we definitely stay on top of our game with what we want the guitar to sound like. At first we weren’t happy with it. Some of the other guys were like, “Nah, it sounds good.” But we were like, “No, it needs something else.” It took us a little bit, but we finally got there. I’m really more into the music than anything else. I can be a stickler with the music until it’s where I want it!
Did you try out any new equipment? Do you prefer to stick with the same setup in the studio?
Yeah. It’s actually all new because I signed with ESP guitars so I’m using my signature ESP the whole record, and also my Rivera K-Tre heads. It’s an amazing amp that just makes it crush.
Did Zeuss have much input as far as the guitar tones?
We’ve known Zeuss forever, so we were both kind of going for the same thing. There wasn’t too much butting heads.
I know that you’ve attended the NAMM convention for the past few years. Are you there as someone who is on the hunt for the latest equipment?
I’m not too much of a gear junkie myself. Matt is a real gear junkie. I’m simple with my whole rig. I’m an idiot when it comes to gear or when something breaks. I’m lucky enough if I can plug in my guitar right! I keep my gear as simple as possible. I pretty much just go the booth with my sponsors, hang out there, enjoy it, and have a good time. What I like about NAMM is you run into a lot of the bands that you go on tour with, so it’s almost like a high school reunion for all these bands. Sometimes you only tour with bands once, so it’s fun to get everybody together again.
You introduced your signature ESP series last year at NAMM. How closely did you work with the company to create your ideal guitar?
It was so easy! I basically told them what I wanted. I basically took the specs of my favorite guitar and a couple other ones. It took them nine months to build, and I just couldn’t wait to get it. I took it out of the box and it was perfect. The only thing we needed to do is move the volume knob. Yeah, they nailed it. I’m psyched to get with them.
So you can probably rest assured knowing they’ll recreate a close-to-the-original version of the guitar stolen in the Philippines.
Yeah. The one that got stolen, that was the first one they ever gave to me. It still had the mark where the volume knob was moved and stuff. There will never be another guitar like that. It was the modded one that had to have a couple things changed on it. The cool thing is that it’s a natural guitar, so it will change colors because I don’t paint it at all. I like the look of beat-up guitars that have been on the road and stuff. It was just starting to get some sweat marks on it and stuff.
What are some of the specs that you absolutely need to be present on a guitar? Do you prefer a certain wood or neck size?
It’s pretty much everything you said. For the wood, I love maple tops. Maple gives this brightness. The neck, I like it unfinished in the back. When you have paint on the neck, it can smudgy and doesn’t feel nice on the back. So I have all my heads unfinished. The volume knob, like I said, I had to have it moved on my original one. My picking hand, I pick with my fingers out kind of like George Lynch or Warren DeMartini style. When the volume knob is in the wrong place, I tend to turn it down. So I had to have the volume knob in a certain place. There’s a fixed bridge because it’s very level with the guitar. On a Les Paul, on that kind of bridge, your head is a little bit higher and not level. It’s weird because whenever I pick up another guitar, it’s almost like I can’t play it at all because I’m so used to mine!
"Atlantic took a chance with us, and we took a chance with them."
I’m not one of those guys. I see guys who can play different guitars all night. Once I find something, that’s what I’ve got to stick to. I get so used to where everything is.
You’re currently also playing in a 1980’s metal cover band called Kobra Kai. How long has that been in the works?
I think we first talked about it about a year ago. I’m friends with Fates Warning’s guitarist Frank Aresti. We were at a bar one night and we were just like, “You know what? Shadows Fall has been off for awhile. We should start an 80’s metal cover band for the fun of it. We’re at bars every weekend drinking anyway. Why don’t we just do it and have fun?” Frank is the other guitar player. Matt from Shadows Fall plays bass in that band. Mike, who used to play drums in All That Remains, is the drummer. We have this guy Mark Lopes who is the singer. We go out every weekend, have some drinks, and play 80’s metal!
Will you be taking Kobra Kai on a national tour?
Man, if that was possible that would be awesome! It’s my favorite stuff from when I was a kid. You can’t beat it!
Earlier you talked about how you still sought out instructional DVDs to improve your own playing style. Would you ever want to release your own DVD in the future?
Yeah. I would definitely be into that. It helped me out so much when I started to learn. If there is a kid who is into Shadows Fall, a lot of times the tab books are completely wrong. If you can just get it directly from the guy, I would be into doing that. There are so many times where I was trying to learn people’s songs, and I’d get the wrong technique down and have to relearn how to do it. So yeah, I would be into that.
Are you still planning on releasing the new Shadows Fall record in the fall?
Yeah. I think it will be coming out the first or second week of September.
Until you’re able to release an instructional DVD of your own, can you offer some helpful techniques or methods that you found useful to your own playing?
I would say getting a metronome was the biggest help. It’s easier to just rush into something. A lot of times if you play fast, you don’t realize that you’re not playing completely right. When you play fast, sometimes it’s really easy to cover up things. It’s really important to build up on the metronome and build up the muscles right. You’ve got to get muscle memory so that you don’t have to think about it. For me, the metronome was a big thing. You’ve got to walk before you run.
Interview by Amy Kelly
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