All That Remains: Behind Silence and Solitude

Spearheaded by stellar Century Media bands such as Shadows Fall and Haste, there's been quite a momentum building in the so-called "metal/hardcore crossover" subgenre—metal riffs and textures fused with hardcore vocals. A lot of these bands are loathe to call themselves "metal." Shadows Fall and Haste embrace the metal label, which is why they've succeeded. The Massachusetts-based All That Remains are cut from the same cloth as the two previously mentioned bands, and being on Metal Blade, it's clear that they have no qualms with being called "metal."

Behind Silence and Solitude is full of some killer dual guitar work in the vein of classic Judas Priest and Iron Maiden—heavy riffs and mellifluous solos courtesy of guitarists Chris Bartlett and Oliver Hebert, particularly noticeable 3:40 into the fourth track, "Clarity," one of the record's highlights. Vocalist Philip Labonte will definitely appeal to the death/hardcore crowd, his vocals decipherable yet very brutal. All told, a nice job, though the production sounds a bit shoddy in spots, the songs tend to be overlong and Labonte could mix up the styles a bit, a la Brian Fair in Shadows Fall, or the two-vocalist attack in Haste, but these are little kinks that don't detract from the fact that this is a band that has much promise. Though certainly flawed, there is more than enough on here to warrant a recommendation for fans of this style. You gotta give props to any group of young musicians who aren't afraid to deny their influences, however out of fashion said influences may be.

Added: December 27th 2007
Reviewer: Mark Tinta
Score:
Related Link: Prosthetic Records
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Language: english

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