All That Remains

All that remains is most definitely a remarkable band. The field of music they chose to place themselves in is metal, but it is more of a progressive style of metal. This CD is not as brutal as their others, but in reality, the others were not that brutal to begin with. The guitarist are pure finess, not power chord, riff chugging, no tallent musicians. If your looking for something truly heavy, this will not be your cup of tea. I loved this CD, personally. It sounds to me like they have stuck with their style and progressed upon it. Heavy, melodic choruses, catchy tunes you cant help but sing along with, solos that blow your mind, unique vocal styling, unique song writing, I could go on. I dont think they have changed much throughout their career. I recommend it to anyone who really likes the band. KSE as well.

It's so sad to see what happened to one of my favorite bands. All That Remains' previous offering, The Fall of Ideals, is my favorite melodic metalcore album to date. The combination of great riffs, amazing vocals (both brutally harsh growling and melodic clean singing), and technical guitar solos put All That Remains on the top of my metal list. Unfortunately, in trying to top The Fall of Ideals, they revamped their entire style and ended up moving backwards rather than forwards. With the almost complete abolishing of growls (instead resorting to primarily slightly distorted clean vox) and the abandonment of solos, All That Remains has followed in the sorry ways of Bullet for My Valentine (another fallen favorite of mine) and turned into a very heavy punk band, but no more. I guess my pick on this album would have to be Two Weeks, based solely on catchyness but hey, when you don't have much else to go on, what can you do? Overall a good album sure, but not what I expected, it's not ATR

Pathetic. Yet another band that has been around for years and trys to cash in and completly alter their sound. Metal band with heavy vocals finds one of the worst bands EVER, Trivium's producer and puts out trash. Music is pretty cool, singy chorus rock sucks. Piss off All That Remains, you will never get another dime from me.

I haven't been listening to these guys very long all, in fact I just dug em up recently. I'm giving it 4 stars because I think it's above average metal with great melody. The other reviewers on this page are long time fans who think this album stinks in comparison with their old stuff. Since I am not a long-time fan I don't really know, their old music may have been much better. But still-I rest my case-this is a sick album!

At first this didn't even sound like the same lead singer from the last album. I don't like their sound, it has no edge to it. The singing sounds especially sugar coated. This album doesn't flow like the last one. I don't really care for most of This Darkened Heart or this one.

I am new to all that remains and i love this album this is the best album of all that remains by far! Sure this Darkened Heart is an awsome album but this is incredable.

Formulas exist for a reason; when they work, they are extremely effective. And when it comes to the much-maligned genre known as "metalcore," ATR has the formula down. Take the thundering melodies and crunching riffs of heavy metal, mix them with the throat-ripping screams and crushing breakdowns of hardcore, add in plenty of double-bass drumming and a few guitar solos, blend it all at mosh-inducing speed, and the result is music that will take up space in your brain for awhile. It also helps to have the right musicians, and ATR has that covered as well. Former guitar teacher Oli Hebert and his onetime student Mike Martin are a solid guitar tandem, and Hebert is capable of some blazing lead work. Bassist Jeanne Sagan is serviceable enough to at least avoid the "girl bass player" stereotype; drummer Shannon Larkin is all about speed and precision. But the real star of this show is ATR's talented frontman, Phil Labonte, an incredibly versatile vocalist who screams, shouts, growls and shrieks his way through all ten songs...oh yeah, he can actually sing, too. As a lyricist, Labonte does best when he sticks to optimistic themes of motivation and determination on songs like "Not Alone," "The Air That I Breathe" and "This Calling;" his tales of broken romance ("Six," "Whispers," "Empty Inside") veer into Bullet For My Valentine territory. If there's such a thing as a "prototype" for a metalcore band, All That Remains might be it. But that's not really a bad thing if the music gives the genre a good name.

This may be the best album ive ever purchased as well as heard, which is a bold statement considering I spend a great deal of money on cds. This cd is revolutionary in the world of metal. Phil really shows his vocal capabilities in this album, in my opinion he has the best scream out there, ranging for a low growl to a high pitched punch in the face. Not only can he scream, but he also has a very surprising singing voice which is used to the fullest in almost every song. The guitar work and the drumming step up their game as well, including: much faster double bass, and much more complex guitar riffs and soloing. To make things short...you would be an absolute fool not to buy this album.

This album is simply awesome. All That Remains's 2006 masterpiece "The Fall of Ideals" is without question the best album that the band has to offer thus far, and it's also one of the best modern metal/metalcore albums that I've listened to as well. I enjoyed their 2004 release "This Darkened Heart" very much as well, but this album is much better, and not to mention that it also has more variety as well. These Massachusetts metalcore bruisers keep on getting better with each album, and believe me "The Fall of Ideals" is indeed full proof. In my honest opinion, I think ATR are just way too good to be even considered a metalcore band, because they have so much characteristics that separate them from other typical "core" bands including guitar solos, and believe me, this album is just chock full of them. "The Fall of Ideals" is also the first ATR album to feature female bassist Jeanne Sagan and drummer Shannon Lucas (who is currently doing time with The Black Dahlia Murder). Together these two make such a sick, monstrous, crushing rhythm section on this album. Jeanne's bass on here is pretty good, and Shannon's drumming is just fast, savage, insane, and complexed throughout. He even throws in some sickening blast beats as well, and he also does a fantastic job at slamming on the double bass too. Oli Herbert and Mike Martin's guitarwork on here is just absolutely brilliant. The riffs are just fast, heavy, crushing, and aggressive and the solos are amazing and perfectly executed. Like I said before, there's lots of great solos on this album. Philip Labonte's vocals are just simply amazing, and they're also varied throughout on this album as well. He can go from a nasty, frightening shriek, to a harsh, angry hardcore scream and shout, to wicked, gutteral, full-bodied death meatal growls, to splendid clean singing vocals. There's no doubt that Philip is one of the best vocalists in metal today.

Every song on here is just great plain and simple, but here's a look at some of the highlights on here anyway.

Opening blister "This Calling" immediately opens up the flood gates with a loud, throat ripping scream from Philip, along with fast, dominating double bass drumwork, and mad head-rushing guitars. There's also a great catchy melodic sung chorus and a great winding melodic guitar solo as well. Track three "It Dwells in Me" is another highlight that is highlighted by crushing machine gun-like riffing, awesome wailing solos, slamming double bass onslaughts, and nasty, aggressive screaming from Philip. The fifth song "Whispers (I Hear Your)" starts off with a nice, melodic accoustic intro and seconds later they give way to heavier, crushing riffs. There's also some great vocals from Philip including some great clean singing in the chorus which is also great, as well as another great solo. The sixth track "The Weak Willed" is highlighted by wicked death metal growls from Philip, as well as some more great, solid drumming from Shannon including some clobbering blast beats, while track seven "Six" is another favorite that is also highighted by more clobbering blast beats and wild speaker shredding riffs and leads and another nice solo. Track nine "The Air That I Breathe" is another highlight on here that features some catchy machine gun-like leads, more awesome soloing, and another great melodic chrous, and track ten "Empty Inside" features more busy double bass work, some more blast beats, nasty, angry shouts and shrieks, mad skull crushing riffs and another melodic careening solo to boot.
Jeremy's song ratings:
1. This Calling (3:38) - 5/5
2. Not Alone (3:30) - 5/5
3. It Dwells in Me (3:14) - 5/5
4. We Stand (3:47) - 5/5
5. Whispers (I Hear Your) (3:39) - 5/5
6. The Weak Willed (4:05) - 5/5
7. Six (3:22) - 5/5
8. Become the Catalyst (3:06) - 5/5
9. The Air That I Breathe (3:34) - 5/5
10. Empty Inside (3:22) - 5/5
11. Indictment (3:42) - 5/5

See, every song gets a 5 out of 5.

Bottom Line: "The Fall of Ideals" is the best album that All That Remains have to offer thus far in thier career, and it's also their most varied album as well. If you're a fan of All That Remains, metal, metalcore, hardcore, etc, then by all means you'll defintately love "The Fall of Ideals" Even some fans of melodic death metal will enjoy this album as well. Trust me, it's that good. Buy it now!!

Check out Skinlab folks.......everything else is trying to merge the Machinehead/Skinlab bay area sound with pretty vocals...it's just too predictable. For a sonic lesson wait and buy the new Skinlab live CD, SkinnedAlive.....4/29

This cd is an overall not very original piece, but very heavy and in-your-face. All That Remains is a metalcore band that takes your favorite elements of metal and puts them together. I might consider them to be more hardcore than metalcore, or just plain heavy metal. A reviewer here somehow thought they were an In Flames rip-off, but i find that kinda bizarre considering these are two different genres we are talking about here. In Flames is not metalcore or hardcore, they are melodic death metal. Listen to Colony, or Whoracle, and tell me how This Darkened Heart tries to duplicate it. You cannot, i repeat, cannot, compare bands that are of different genres. It just doesnt make sense. You don't compare Cradle of Filth to Meshuggah, you don't compare Metallica to Devildriver, or Disturbed to Nirvana. It's not the same type of music. So you should do your research before you look like an idiot. This album is great in its own genre but does nothing ground-breaking for long time rock fans. Still recommended.

This is the second installment by the metal band all that remains. It has outstanding solos and shows ATR in there true form. It is an absolute flawless cd and will cause you to headbang every second of every song. It is an amasing cd and everyone should have a copy of it.

In this review i am going to sum up 2 cd's they made.

this darkened heart- i love this cd. It isn't overly heavy but I really like the amount of time it seems they put into this album. good amount of tracks and just good song writing.only prob probably could have been recorded better

fall of ideals. much heavier which I like. but for some reason something is lacking on this record. i think to much double bass for there style of music i'm not sure. I also don't think they took enough time in writing the songs. anyway still a killer release with good recording.


all in all i like this darkened heart better but fall of ideals is still awesome..pick up both albums

I've had this album for about two years now, and I enjoy it every time I listen to it. Hailing from Springfield, Massachusetts, All That Remains are without question one of the best bands in the entire metalcore genre, and they're also one of the finest modern metal bands today. Their 2004 sophmore effort 2004 "This Darkened Heart" is just awesome, and in my book, it's also one of the finest metalcore albums you'll ever hear, I mean everything about this album is just mindblowing. I would definately say that ATR remind me of a mix between Killswitch Engage and Shadows Fall, and believe it or not, frontman Philip Labonte used to be in Shadows Fall too.

Like I said before everything about "This Darkened Heart" is just mindblowing, from the deep songwriting, to the nasty intense vocals, the frantic technical guitarwork blended with delicate accoustic guitar and piano passages which set the band apart from so many other monotonous metalcore bands, to fantastic drumming. Philip Labonte's vocals are just fantastic on here. His vocals range very well from low pitched growls, to violent, nasty high pitched screams that would make Randy Blythe and Phil Anselmo mighty proud, and nice melodic singing. Guitarists Oli Herbert and Mike Martin deliver great riffs with ferocious immediacy and perfectly executed solos that bring Iron Maiden to my mind. And there's also some fantastic drumming from Michael Bartlett as well.

Here are some of the highlights on my favorite tracks:

The opening track "And Death in My Arms" is a great opener which starts off with some nice accoustic strings which sound like a piano, but they are soon eliminated by fast ferocious riffs, and fast pounding drums, and there's also a pair of killer guitar solos as well as a crushing breakdown near the end. "The Deepest Grey" is another great cut which features a catchy chorus, more crushing riffs, nice solos, and nice pounding drums. Track three "Vicious Betrayal" kicks off immediately with some fast thrashing riffs and wild pounding drums. There's also some vicious vocals from Philip, and another great pair of solos to boot. "I Die in Degrees" is a personal favorite of mine which features some killer Iron Maiden like guitar harmonies as well as another nice solo, and we also have some accoustic strings at the end. Track five "Focus Shall Not Fail" kicks off with some slow heavy riffs, but at the 1:24 mark, the tempo shifts from slow to lightning fast with frantic riffing, and heart throbbing drumwork. Philip's vocals are at their nastiest on this song. Then at the 4:24 mark, the song shifts back to a slow tempo where there's a another nice guitar solo included as well as some pounding breakdowns and a haunting piano interlude near the end. Track six "Regret Not" is a fantastic instrumental which included some beautiful accoustic breakdowns, then around the 1:30 mark the songs breaks in with some heavy riffs, and there's another fantastic solo, and at the 3:12 mark the accoustic breakdowns reappear again. The closing track "This Darkened Heart" immediately starts off with a bloodcurling scream from Philip backed up by frantic ferocious guitar riffing, and lightning fast drumming. Philip's vocals on this song are just absolutely nasty and vicious especially in the chrous. There's also some punishing breakdowns on this song too.

Here's the entire song list and the ratings:

1. And Death in My Arms (4:45) - 5/5
2. The Deepest Grey (3:09) - 5/5
3. Vicious Betrayal (4:19) - 5/5
4. I Die in Degrees (3:30) - 5/5
5. Focus Shall Not Fail (6:18) - 5/5
6. Regret Not (4:26) - 5/5
7. Passion (3:42) - 5/5
8. For Salvation (3:50) - 5/5
9. Tattered on My Sleeve (4:21) - 5/5
10. This Darkened Heart (3:13) - 5/5

If you're a fan of Shadows Fall, Killswitch Engage, Lamb Of God, metal, metalcore, or just good music in general, you must give All That Remains a shot. This my friends is metalcore at it's finest. Buy this album now.

I dont get it. I just dont get it. This album should have been the one to break All That Remains out from the underground, but it doesnt. They still remained one of the metalcore scene's lesser known bands, and Phil Labonte's old band, Shadows Fall, outsold them, 10 to 1.
Whoever slept on this album has no idea what they missed. The Riffs are heavy, the vocals pissed and nasty, the lyrics angry and sorrrowfull at the same time, every thing that has come to characterize the metalcore scene, but still, this band went unnoticed. OPEN YOUR EARS PEOPLE!!! Stop listening to second rate bands, and pick up this album, and Their new one, "The Fall Of IDEALs" and be prepared to be blown away!

This is the rerelease of the debut album by ATR. It presents them in there raw form. It doesnt necessarily sound like ATR but it is still an awesome cd to complete your collection. There are mind blowing riffs and growls that are sure to bring a smile to anyones face.

All that remains is one of the best Metal bands of America because Its sound dosents seem to be trying to show-of, and has a European Style

The reason this band sounds like Shadows Fall is because the lead singer, Phil Labonte, happens to be the former lead singer of Shadows Fall. The reason this band reminds you of Killswitch Engage is because they have the same producer,Adam Dutkiewicz. Now, as for insulting the musical content of All That Remains, you underestimate very heavily the skills of Ollie Herbert as a guitarist, who is on par, in comparison of musical knowledge and skill repertoire, with people like Buckethead and Paul Gilbert. Before you decide to vent your own frustrations with what you ineptly dub nu metal, get your facts straight. Nu metal was the crunch bands who were allowed only to be puppets of corporations, no solos, no real guitar work, just lots of chugging rhythms, dumb, violent lyrics and a saleable image. Of those bands, only Slipknot stepped out of the shadow of their record label, finally, on the Subliminal Verses, which is still very polished and mainstream. And you're right, Killswitch Engage may have existed before All That Remains, but I have a feeling Ollie Herbert has been trying to make a name for himself with his guitar skills for quite some years, and finally found a band to do it with, when All That Remains formed in 1998, with Phil Labonte still singing with Shadows Fall, as well. For reference, I suggest you listen to Ollie's Betcha' Can't Play This from Guitar World (someone help me with the month. '04), and take note of what he says about the riff's construction. He is much more musically grounded than people who go on stage knowing what it sounds like only after they play it. Also, before you make vociferous, snap judgments about bands, only hearing what Amazon offers you through their fish-tanked sound clips, which make almost every metal band indistinguishable from another, I suggest you go out and buy a record other than Killswitch Engage, who you seem to be enamored with, worshipping them as the gods of all things metal. You may want to start with Frank Zappa's "Them or Us," Steve Vai's "Passion and Warfare," or Death's "Human." As for legitimacy, All That Remains is a gem of a find in a minefield of metal that can be zombifying in its similarity. The only thing that justifies their label as a hardcore band is Phil Labonte's singing and reputation.

Speeding on in harmonic minor and diminished fury,
Anonymetal

All that remains is one of the best in metal/hardcore scene today. They may not be as big as some other bands but they definitly have the talent and drive to back it up. Ive seen them live about 4 times now and they sound just as good live as they do on their albums. This album is brutally mind blowing from start to finish. If you liked "This Darkened Heart" Then your going to want to pick this one up beacuse its just as great.

Favorite Tracks 1 & 3

This is a very good album. I almost wish I had heard this before "This Darkened Heart". This album has a more raw feel to it. Less production trying to clean up the sound, which I like. I think both albums are great, but TDH sounds almost like they blended with Killswitch Engage (makes sense, seeing as how TDH was recorded and produced by Killswitch's guitarist, who also produces KE's stuff). This album definately has a more old school metal/grindcore feel to it. Either way I feel ATR is one of the best newer metal bands out there.

All that remains is most definitely a remarkable band. The field of music they chose to place themselves in is metal, but it is more of a progressive style of metal. This CD is not as brutal as their others, but in reality, the others were not that brutal to begin with. The guitarist are pure finess, not power chord, riff chugging, no tallent musicians. If your looking for something truly heavy, this will not be your cup of tea. I loved this CD, personally. It sounds to me like they have stuck with their style and progressed upon it. Heavy, melodic choruses, catchy tunes you cant help but sing along with, solos that blow your mind, unique vocal styling, unique song writing, I could go on. I dont think they have changed much throughout their career. I recommend it to anyone who really likes the band. KSE as well.

It's so sad to see what happened to one of my favorite bands. All That Remains' previous offering, The Fall of Ideals, is my favorite melodic metalcore album to date. The combination of great riffs, amazing vocals (both brutally harsh growling and melodic clean singing), and technical guitar solos put All That Remains on the top of my metal list. Unfortunately, in trying to top The Fall of Ideals, they revamped their entire style and ended up moving backwards rather than forwards. With the almost complete abolishing of growls (instead resorting to primarily slightly distorted clean vox) and the abandonment of solos, All That Remains has followed in the sorry ways of Bullet for My Valentine (another fallen favorite of mine) and turned into a very heavy punk band, but no more. I guess my pick on this album would have to be Two Weeks, based solely on catchyness but hey, when you don't have much else to go on, what can you do? Overall a good album sure, but not what I expected, it's not ATR

Pathetic. Yet another band that has been around for years and trys to cash in and completly alter their sound. Metal band with heavy vocals finds one of the worst bands EVER, Trivium's producer and puts out trash. Music is pretty cool, singy chorus rock sucks. Piss off All That Remains, you will never get another dime from me.

I haven't been listening to these guys very long all, in fact I just dug em up recently. I'm giving it 4 stars because I think it's above average metal with great melody. The other reviewers on this page are long time fans who think this album stinks in comparison with their old stuff. Since I am not a long-time fan I don't really know, their old music may have been much better. But still-I rest my case-this is a sick album!

At first this didn't even sound like the same lead singer from the last album. I don't like their sound, it has no edge to it. The singing sounds especially sugar coated. This album doesn't flow like the last one. I don't really care for most of This Darkened Heart or this one.

This is the rerelease of the debut album by ATR. It presents them in there raw form. It doesnt necessarily sound like ATR but it is still an awesome cd to complete your collection. There are mind blowing riffs and growls that are sure to bring a smile to anyones face.

All that remains is one of the best Metal bands of America because Its sound dosents seem to be trying to show-of, and has a European Style

The reason this band sounds like Shadows Fall is because the lead singer, Phil Labonte, happens to be the former lead singer of Shadows Fall. The reason this band reminds you of Killswitch Engage is because they have the same producer,Adam Dutkiewicz. Now, as for insulting the musical content of All That Remains, you underestimate very heavily the skills of Ollie Herbert as a guitarist, who is on par, in comparison of musical knowledge and skill repertoire, with people like Buckethead and Paul Gilbert. Before you decide to vent your own frustrations with what you ineptly dub nu metal, get your facts straight. Nu metal was the crunch bands who were allowed only to be puppets of corporations, no solos, no real guitar work, just lots of chugging rhythms, dumb, violent lyrics and a saleable image. Of those bands, only Slipknot stepped out of the shadow of their record label, finally, on the Subliminal Verses, which is still very polished and mainstream. And you're right, Killswitch Engage may have existed before All That Remains, but I have a feeling Ollie Herbert has been trying to make a name for himself with his guitar skills for quite some years, and finally found a band to do it with, when All That Remains formed in 1998, with Phil Labonte still singing with Shadows Fall, as well. For reference, I suggest you listen to Ollie's Betcha' Can't Play This from Guitar World (someone help me with the month. '04), and take note of what he says about the riff's construction. He is much more musically grounded than people who go on stage knowing what it sounds like only after they play it. Also, before you make vociferous, snap judgments about bands, only hearing what Amazon offers you through their fish-tanked sound clips, which make almost every metal band indistinguishable from another, I suggest you go out and buy a record other than Killswitch Engage, who you seem to be enamored with, worshipping them as the gods of all things metal. You may want to start with Frank Zappa's "Them or Us," Steve Vai's "Passion and Warfare," or Death's "Human." As for legitimacy, All That Remains is a gem of a find in a minefield of metal that can be zombifying in its similarity. The only thing that justifies their label as a hardcore band is Phil Labonte's singing and reputation.

Speeding on in harmonic minor and diminished fury,
Anonymetal

All that remains is one of the best in metal/hardcore scene today. They may not be as big as some other bands but they definitly have the talent and drive to back it up. Ive seen them live about 4 times now and they sound just as good live as they do on their albums. This album is brutally mind blowing from start to finish. If you liked "This Darkened Heart" Then your going to want to pick this one up beacuse its just as great.

Favorite Tracks 1 & 3

This is a very good album. I almost wish I had heard this before "This Darkened Heart". This album has a more raw feel to it. Less production trying to clean up the sound, which I like. I think both albums are great, but TDH sounds almost like they blended with Killswitch Engage (makes sense, seeing as how TDH was recorded and produced by Killswitch's guitarist, who also produces KE's stuff). This album definately has a more old school metal/grindcore feel to it. Either way I feel ATR is one of the best newer metal bands out there.

I am new to all that remains and i love this album this is the best album of all that remains by far! Sure this Darkened Heart is an awsome album but this is incredable.

Formulas exist for a reason; when they work, they are extremely effective. And when it comes to the much-maligned genre known as "metalcore," ATR has the formula down. Take the thundering melodies and crunching riffs of heavy metal, mix them with the throat-ripping screams and crushing breakdowns of hardcore, add in plenty of double-bass drumming and a few guitar solos, blend it all at mosh-inducing speed, and the result is music that will take up space in your brain for awhile. It also helps to have the right musicians, and ATR has that covered as well. Former guitar teacher Oli Hebert and his onetime student Mike Martin are a solid guitar tandem, and Hebert is capable of some blazing lead work. Bassist Jeanne Sagan is serviceable enough to at least avoid the "girl bass player" stereotype; drummer Shannon Larkin is all about speed and precision. But the real star of this show is ATR's talented frontman, Phil Labonte, an incredibly versatile vocalist who screams, shouts, growls and shrieks his way through all ten songs...oh yeah, he can actually sing, too. As a lyricist, Labonte does best when he sticks to optimistic themes of motivation and determination on songs like "Not Alone," "The Air That I Breathe" and "This Calling;" his tales of broken romance ("Six," "Whispers," "Empty Inside") veer into Bullet For My Valentine territory. If there's such a thing as a "prototype" for a metalcore band, All That Remains might be it. But that's not really a bad thing if the music gives the genre a good name.

This may be the best album ive ever purchased as well as heard, which is a bold statement considering I spend a great deal of money on cds. This cd is revolutionary in the world of metal. Phil really shows his vocal capabilities in this album, in my opinion he has the best scream out there, ranging for a low growl to a high pitched punch in the face. Not only can he scream, but he also has a very surprising singing voice which is used to the fullest in almost every song. The guitar work and the drumming step up their game as well, including: much faster double bass, and much more complex guitar riffs and soloing. To make things short...you would be an absolute fool not to buy this album.

This album is simply awesome. All That Remains's 2006 masterpiece "The Fall of Ideals" is without question the best album that the band has to offer thus far, and it's also one of the best modern metal/metalcore albums that I've listened to as well. I enjoyed their 2004 release "This Darkened Heart" very much as well, but this album is much better, and not to mention that it also has more variety as well. These Massachusetts metalcore bruisers keep on getting better with each album, and believe me "The Fall of Ideals" is indeed full proof. In my honest opinion, I think ATR are just way too good to be even considered a metalcore band, because they have so much characteristics that separate them from other typical "core" bands including guitar solos, and believe me, this album is just chock full of them. "The Fall of Ideals" is also the first ATR album to feature female bassist Jeanne Sagan and drummer Shannon Lucas (who is currently doing time with The Black Dahlia Murder). Together these two make such a sick, monstrous, crushing rhythm section on this album. Jeanne's bass on here is pretty good, and Shannon's drumming is just fast, savage, insane, and complexed throughout. He even throws in some sickening blast beats as well, and he also does a fantastic job at slamming on the double bass too. Oli Herbert and Mike Martin's guitarwork on here is just absolutely brilliant. The riffs are just fast, heavy, crushing, and aggressive and the solos are amazing and perfectly executed. Like I said before, there's lots of great solos on this album. Philip Labonte's vocals are just simply amazing, and they're also varied throughout on this album as well. He can go from a nasty, frightening shriek, to a harsh, angry hardcore scream and shout, to wicked, gutteral, full-bodied death meatal growls, to splendid clean singing vocals. There's no doubt that Philip is one of the best vocalists in metal today.

Every song on here is just great plain and simple, but here's a look at some of the highlights on here anyway.

Opening blister "This Calling" immediately opens up the flood gates with a loud, throat ripping scream from Philip, along with fast, dominating double bass drumwork, and mad head-rushing guitars. There's also a great catchy melodic sung chorus and a great winding melodic guitar solo as well. Track three "It Dwells in Me" is another highlight that is highlighted by crushing machine gun-like riffing, awesome wailing solos, slamming double bass onslaughts, and nasty, aggressive screaming from Philip. The fifth song "Whispers (I Hear Your)" starts off with a nice, melodic accoustic intro and seconds later they give way to heavier, crushing riffs. There's also some great vocals from Philip including some great clean singing in the chorus which is also great, as well as another great solo. The sixth track "The Weak Willed" is highlighted by wicked death metal growls from Philip, as well as some more great, solid drumming from Shannon including some clobbering blast beats, while track seven "Six" is another favorite that is also highighted by more clobbering blast beats and wild speaker shredding riffs and leads and another nice solo. Track nine "The Air That I Breathe" is another highlight on here that features some catchy machine gun-like leads, more awesome soloing, and another great melodic chrous, and track ten "Empty Inside" features more busy double bass work, some more blast beats, nasty, angry shouts and shrieks, mad skull crushing riffs and another melodic careening solo to boot.
Jeremy's song ratings:
1. This Calling (3:38) - 5/5
2. Not Alone (3:30) - 5/5
3. It Dwells in Me (3:14) - 5/5
4. We Stand (3:47) - 5/5
5. Whispers (I Hear Your) (3:39) - 5/5
6. The Weak Willed (4:05) - 5/5
7. Six (3:22) - 5/5
8. Become the Catalyst (3:06) - 5/5
9. The Air That I Breathe (3:34) - 5/5
10. Empty Inside (3:22) - 5/5
11. Indictment (3:42) - 5/5

See, every song gets a 5 out of 5.

Bottom Line: "The Fall of Ideals" is the best album that All That Remains have to offer thus far in thier career, and it's also their most varied album as well. If you're a fan of All That Remains, metal, metalcore, hardcore, etc, then by all means you'll defintately love "The Fall of Ideals" Even some fans of melodic death metal will enjoy this album as well. Trust me, it's that good. Buy it now!!

Check out Skinlab folks.......everything else is trying to merge the Machinehead/Skinlab bay area sound with pretty vocals...it's just too predictable. For a sonic lesson wait and buy the new Skinlab live CD, SkinnedAlive.....4/29