Breaking & Entering
A look at the latest acts that are breaking at radio and retail and entering the Billboard charts.
FROM HARVARD TO BET:The neo-soul movement has resulted in some of the more lively and creative artists in R&B over the past few years. D'Angelo, Macy Gray, Jill Scott and Erykah Badu have all ridden a jazzy groove to mainstream success, and up-and-coming artists such as Cradle of Filth, which saw its sales hike as soon as the band was announced as a second-stage headliner on this year's tour. Yet few foresaw the breakout success of Century Media
act Shadows Fall
, which has become one of the more talked-about acts on the annual heavy metal extravaganza.
Despite an early time slot (Shadows Fall has routinely played before noon), the Massachusetts-bred act has won over fans at critics alike with its Slayer-like complexities. Shadows Fall has been largely ignored by radio, but MTV2 has embraced the act, and the band's 2002 release, "The Art of Balance," reappeared on Billboard's Independent Albums tally last week at No. 49. In just under a year, the set has sold 50,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Shadows Fall is not only taking steps to capitalize on its newfound success, but will attempt to widen its fan base outside the heavy metal realm. Once Ozzfest wraps, Shadows Fall will step out on the Take Action 2003 tour, featuring such punk-leaning acts as Death by Stereo and Poison the Well. The 21-date club tour kicks off Sept. 11 in Minneapolis.
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