ALL THAT REMAINS Singer On Touring With MEGADETH: DAVE MUSTAINE 'Has Been The Most Accommodating, Most Friendly Dude'

In a new interview with the "JJO Morning Show" with Johnny Danger and Dee, which airs on the Madison, Wisconsin radio station 94.1 WJJO FM, ALL THAT REMAINS frontman Phil Labonte spoke about what it has been like for him and his bandmates to support MEGADETH on the ongoing "Destroy All Enemies" U.S. tour. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It is amazing. So, Dave Mustaine [MEGADETH leader] has a reputation of being kind of prickly or whatever. He has been the most accommodating, most friendly dude. Literally, there were people on the tour that were, like, 'Hey, look, make sure you go say hi to Dave,' the first couple of days. And they're, like, 'Make sure you go say hi to Dave, 'cause he wants to hang out.' He wants to know everyone. And the whole MEGADETH team has been great — the whole band is great and the crew's been great. But one of the things that's really struck me the most is how accommodating they are."

He continued: "Sometimes you'll get on tour where the headliner's, like, 'We're doing our thing. You're here. Stay out of our way. This is how much space you got. We don't wanna hear anything. This is your catering. We don't wanna hear anything. This is what you signed up for. That's it.' And if they're like that, you're, like, 'Okay. That's a hundred percent true.' You don't take offense to it. You're, like, 'Thank you for the opportunity.' MEGADETH has been absolutely accommodating. They're, like, 'Do you guys need anything? If you want anything, let us know. Get in touch with our security guy.' … I can't say enough good things about how incredibly great they've been. The MUDVAYNE [fellow support act] guys have been all great too. I've known Chad [Gray, MUDVAYNE singer] for years and years. We did a bunch of stuff with HELLYEAH and stuff like that, so I've been friends with Chad for ages. But this is the first time that I actually got to hang out around the MEGADETH guys. I got to interview Dave years ago one time, and it was really cool. He was nice. And I got the fanboy a little bit when I met him. I was, like, 'Man, the first time I saw MEGADETH was in 1991, and I was a kid, and it's so sick to be here, man.' … And he was totally cool. And again, I can't say enough good things. The tour's been amazing. This is exactly what you hope a tour would be. Like I said, if they were, like, 'This is the time that you get. Deal with it,' it would be, like, 'Thanks for the opportunity. Cool. Awesome.' I'm a grown-up. I'm an adult. I'm not gonna take offense. It's totally fine. But, again, they have gone above and beyond for us. They have been absolutely wonderful."

Produced by Live Nation, "Destroy All Enemies" kicked off in Rogers, Arkansas on August 2 and will wrap in Nashville, Tennessee on September 28.

Last month, ALL THAT REMAINS released the official Tom Flynn-directed music video for the song "No Tomorrow". The track marked the third new single from the Massachusetts-based metal outfit, following the arrival of "Divine" in May and "Let You Go" in June.

"Divine" marked ALL THAT REMAINS' first original new material since the passing of guitarist Oli Herbert. "Divine" also ushered in a period of rebirth for ALL THAT REMAINS, which is, for the first in its career, 100 percent independent and will be releasing future material on its own label — All That Remains Records.

In July 2023, longtime ALL THAT REMAINS drummer Jason Costa announced his departure from the group, citing "deeply personal" reasons that "have nothing to do with any drama or anything within the band."

Jason was the featured drummer on the last six ALL THAT REMAINS albums: "Overcome" (2008),"For We Are Many" (2010),"A War You Cannot Win" (2012),"The Order Of Things" (2015),"Madness" (2017) and "Victim Of The New Disease" (2018). He is notable for being one of the few heavy metal drummers to play solely with the "traditional grip."

Back in March 2022, Costa left ALL THAT REMAINS' U.S. tour in order to "deal with some personal matters." He was temporarily replaced by Anthony Barone, who had previously played with BENEATH THE MASSACRE and SHADOW OF INTENT.

Earlier last year, ALL THAT REMAINS's breakthrough album "The Fall Of Ideals", was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association Of America (RIAA) for sales in excess of 500,000 copies in the United States.

In 2022, ALL THAT REMAINS embarked on "The Fall Of Ideals" 15th-anniversary tour.

"The Fall Of Ideals" was reissued in November 2021. The best-selling title features such fan favorites as "This Calling", "Six" and "The Air That I Breathe".

Oli was found dead on October 16, 2018 at the edge of the pond on his Stafford Springs, Connecticut property. He was reported missing by his wife about 3 p.m., and his body was found by police face down at the edge of the pond where the water was only a few inches deep. The medical examiner's office conducted an autopsy showing that Oli had three prescription drugs in his system — the antipsychotic olanzapine, the antidepressant citalopram, and Ambien. It also said: "Mr. Herbert's past medical history is reportedly significant for marijuana use."

Dave Mustaine photo credit: Ryan Chang