The ABC's of Reviewing Week 19: All That Remains Part 3

Are y'all ready for one of the greatest metalcore albums of all time? Of course, you are!

But before we start listening; this week's installment of Where Were They Then?: All That Remains 2006 Edition -

Between this album and the last, founding drummer Michael Bartlett took his leave and was replaced by drumming legend Shannon Lucas (of The Black Dahlia Murder and Battlecross fame.) Apparently, bassist Matt Deis from the last record was fired for being too drunk during live performances. He was replaced by Jeanne Sagan, who I'm pretty sure we all collectively refer to as "That Chick from All That Remains."

She gives off Auntie vibes.

Alrighty, kids. Strap the fuck in. I'm not responsible for any broken necks or whiplash you get from violently headbanging on this journey.

This Calling

© Prosthetic Records

Yup, this is the moment we've all been waiting for. From that inhale that kicks off this song you know that you're in for a wild ride. This isn't just peak All That Remains. Oh, no. It's the kickoff off of metalcore as a genre in general. 

What the fuck do I have to say here? If you're reading this, you've most certainly already heard this song tons of times. This song has an amazing outro. The harmonious screaming, riffing and singing are perfection.

However, I will say something that may be unpopular.

I fucking hate the video for this song. Yes, I'm happy that a lot of folks discovered the band from the credits of Saw III.  Nice tie in. Saw III is still a fucking disgusting movie I wouldn't wish my worse enemies to sit through and the song has nothing to do with anything violent.

Not Alone

And the album glides along smoothly. The tone and the speed of the guitar playing here makes you feel like you can play this yourself. If everything else about this song was terrible, I'd still love it because if the guitar work on display here. Once again, I have to say hats off to Oli. 

It Dwells In Me

This track is pretty good. I'm not afraid to admit that I don't like it as much as the last two tracks. The solo is pretty decent. It honestly feels a little silly to call this song filler when it could easily be the best track in any other metalcore band's entire discography. 

We Stand

This one is the percent blend of melody and aggression with Phil's singing and the heavy breakdowns. The main riff is a perfect example of keeping it simple but still rocking. It has like three notes to it. Any one of us could play the chorus to this song. 

Whispers (I Hear You)

This is probably the softest track so far. And what does that say about this album given that Phil kicks it off by shrieking? You know how I always talk about that scream that sounds both monstrous and helpless simultaneously. Phil does it multiple times on this track. Phil has become big homie. Phil had achieved great vocalist status. And he just rubs that shit in with this next track.

The Weak Willed

This is the closest All That Remains has come to making outright death metal. Oli is shredding at ten miles per hour. There's goddamn blast beats. Blast beats on All That Remains album. Phil is growling deep enough to give Corpsegrinder a run for his money. And then he pulls out the scream I was just complimenting last track again. Most of this track sounds like a Disney Villain song (if Disney had balls). It just sounds fucking evil. And then it breaks down into Phil singing and a clean riff from Oli. This is a very unique track. 

I never knew where to mention this but Phil used to be part of a grindcore group called Impending Doom. Their first EP is the shit (https://youtu.be/pQMmiQfQhRQ) and they just reunited this year.

Become the Catalyst

This track is pretty heavy too. It starts off with Phil screaming. The chorus riff sounds a lot like the intro from Trivium's "A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation" (You'll recognize Trivium's Ascendancy as another influential metalcore album.) Probably just a coincidence. The chorus is some clean singing about courage. This is probably the most Killswitch Engage-sounding song on the record.

The Air That I Breathe

Once again I ask, what should I say, here? This is a track that comes to mind whenever you mention metalcore. It's one of ATR's flagship songs.

The lyrics are some awesome shit about prosperity and carving your own path in life. I used to sing this song every morning (amongst other things) to get amped up. 

The guitar solo is amazing. I struggle to call it a solo because the drummer is going HAM the whole time. And goddamn those last thirty seconds are perfect. The way Phil' screams "No" is amazing.

Empty Inside

Phil had a nasty scream on this record. There's a very good reason this record is cited as one of the best metal albums of the 2000s. Phil's screaming is up there with Dani Filth in terms of how nasty it can sound. This track really showcases that.

Six

Once again Oli blesses us with the silky smooth guitar tone. This whole track feels a little smoother than the rest of the record. The vocal effect that Phil uses on some of the verses would become really prominent. Remember how I said 'For Salvation' off This Darkened Heart sounded more like this record than anything else on that record? This song sounds more like a track off of For We Are Many. Apart from the guitar solo.

Which was amazing by the way.

Indictment

Jesus Christ. I can't hold my tongue here. They dropped the ball with that breakdown. Phil came in with vocoder sounding like a badass radio host about to fuck some shit up. And they didn't even really do anything. That would have been the time for a heavy ass beatdown style blast beats and screaming breakdown to end the track with. That's my indictment.

This is still a fucking badass song. Oli grooved it up with that solo. Everyone went hard during that last minute.

My Favorite Song /  Final Verdict 

Hands down my favorite song off of this one is "The Air That I Breathe." It has one of the best solos on the record. The video is hella memorable. And the lyrics are very inspiring.

I do appreciate the fact that Phil introduced some different vocal styles and that Oli's guitar playing is completely cleaned up. Although I will admit this was their hardest record to sit through. Compared to the last two it felt a bit lacking in personality. It's their first record that felt a little formulaic and predictable. Even with Phil using only one vocal style on Behind Silence and Solitude, it had some songs that you could call straight melodeath and some songs that were something entirely different. The same goes for This Darkened Heart. This record had two songs that were almost death metal. But everything else was metalcore. 

This has honestly always been my least favorite of their records. Funny, given that it's the album that put them on most people's radar.



Jeanne Sagan Picture © 2015 Razor & Tie
The Fall of Ideals Album Cover © 2006 Prosthetic Records