Shadows Descending

For the group's official debut album released a year after this release, check out A Number Of My Lifes.

For the film, see Shadows Descending (film).

Shadows Descending is a studio album/LP record released through Interscope on June 9th, 1994 by the British-American band The Infection. Although some people have considered this to be the band's debut album, this album was mostly a LP record according to Sandy Cheeks.

The group had released their first EP Mockingbird, a couple of months before the album's release, and were getting mainstream attention for the first time since the Wince era.

The album mostly features elements of gothic metal mixed with grunge and alternative rock, their primarily sound that they would choose over the course of the next decade. The singles "Thunder Kiss", "Sway" and "Hurt" were both played extensively on MTV.

Upon the album's release, it received mostly positive reviews from music critics and was a commercial success. On July 5th, 2021, Reprise released the 25th anniversary edition of Shadows Descending which includes additional bonus content including three DVDs, art prints, an 80-page book which includes never before seen pictures, unreleased B-sides and demos.

Track-listing (Original release)

 * 1) Sway
 * 2) Like Another Dope
 * 3) Alpha 5
 * 4) Who's Your God
 * 5) Thunder Kiss
 * 6) Hurt
 * 7) The Ninth Spirit
 * 8) Paul Rosenberg (skit)
 * 9) Last Exorcism
 * 10) Unspoiled
 * 11) His Savior
 * 12) Wait And Bleed
 * 13) Judgment Day
 * 14) My Frustration
 * 15) Find Me

Singles (original release)

 * 1) Sway (Released - June 13th, 1994)
 * 2) Like Another Dope (Released - August 7th, 1994)
 * 3) Hurt (Released - September 16th, 1994)
 * 4) Wait And Bleed (Released - October 10th, 1994)
 * 5) Thunder Kiss (Released - October 31st, 1994)

Disc 1 - Original Track-List (with B-Sides and Outtakes)

 * 1) Sway
 * 2) Like Another Dope
 * 3) Alpha 5
 * 4) Who's Your God
 * 5) Thunder Kiss
 * 6) Hurt
 * 7) The Ninth Spirit
 * 8) Paul Rosenberg (skit)
 * 9) Last Exorcism
 * 10) Unspoiled
 * 11) His Savior
 * 12) Wait And Bleed
 * 13) Judgment Day
 * 14) My Frustration
 * 15) Find Me
 * 16) Save Yourself (B-Side)
 * 17) Tomorrow (B-Side)
 * 18) Chamber Of Reflection (Outtake)
 * 19) Dreamtime (B-Side)
 * 20) Sinner (Outtake)
 * 21) Thunder Kiss (live at Lollapalooza '94 - August 19th, 1994, Houston Raceway Park in Houston, TX)
 * 22) Hurt (live at Lollapalooza '94 - August 19th, 1994, Houston Raceway Park in Houston, TX)

Disc 2 - Demos

 * 1) Magnified (February 1993 unreleased demo)

Release and reception
Shadows Descending debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200, selling nearly 119,000 copies in its first week. By the second week, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the album quadruple platinum.

Many music critics and audiences praised the album for its abrasive, eclectic nature and dark themes and commented on the concept of Satanism, goth subculture and witchcraft.

The band received several honors, including Grammy Award nominations for Best Alternative Performance for the album and Best Rock Song for "Sway", and was regarded as one of the most important albums of the 1990s.

Personnel

 * SpongeBob SquarePants - lead vocals, lead guitar, programming, sampling
 * Sandy Cheeks - bass guitar, backing vocals, ARP 2600 synthesizer
 * Victoria Jackson - rhythm guitar
 * Patrick Star - drums, percussion, mixing