ALL THAT REMAINS Singer PHIL LABONTE: 'Without KORN, I Don't Think You'd Get Deathcore Bands That You Have Today'

During an appearance on the latest episode of the Joshua Toomey Interviews podcast, ALL THAT REMAINS frontman Phil Labonte discussed KORN's unmistakable influence on the metal scene, particularly how the latter band's 1994 debut album introduced important staples of the nu-metal subgenre that have remained relevant for the past three decades. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "One of the weird things was in the '90s, when KORN came out, they had a massive impact, clearly. I mean, that's obvious. But I don't know if people today understand exactly how impactful KORN was back then. When they hit, metal bands that were riff-heavy metal bands, they were, like, 'Well, that's a new kind of heavy.' And it was something that people wanted to emulate.

"Without KORN, I don't think you'd get deathcore bands that you have today," Phil continued. "I think that they had a really, really strong influence on what it meant to make heavy music and what was heavy. The breakdown and downbeat stuff, there was some of that stuff in death metal before KORN and in metal before KORN, but KORN really brought that kind of out. And I don't even know that you would have metalcore breakdowns that you do without bands like KORN. I'm not sure. Maybe you would, but I'm not sure."

Outlining how he personally was affected by KORN's rise, Phil said: "When KORN hit the scene and music really changed, for me, I was looking for the European stuff, I guess. And that's when I saw SHADOWS FALL and I was, like, 'That's the kind of stuff that I wanna do.'"

Back in 2015, KORN guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer told the Montreal, Quebec, Canada radio station CHOM 97 7 about his band's influence on the heavy music scene: "When we're doing festivals and I have other bands, or other musicians, come up to me and say, 'You had a big influence on me playing guitar,' or, 'You had an influence on our direction,' or whatever, then it starts to be, 'Wow, that's really cool.' Then you start to realize the impact that you made, and [you feel] the gratitude, because we still get to do it — we still get to create and reinvent ourselves on each album. But it's still a challenge, man. And then now, with the record industry changing, you're trying to find new avenues to discover new music from bands. Even [for] established bands, it's tough."

Four and a half years ago, Shaffer and fellow KORN guitarist Brian "Head" Welch were asked how the band was able to rise above being tagged "nu-metal" during the 1990s and early 2000s and remain such an influential act for so long. Head responded: "We have a darker edge than a lot of those bands did back in the day. Also, we were never a rap-metal band. We had some guests that rap. But Jonathan [Davis, vocals] never rapped. He was always darker. He was into THE CURE growing up, and he had a NINE INCH NAILS influence. I feel like he stood on his own."

Added Munky: "There's always those purists that say, 'That's not what metal is about.' But I felt, like, 'Well, hey, man, we're doing what we love to do. It sounds good, and it feels good to create something different.'

"Through the years, we kept our heads down and tried not to pay attention to what everybody else was saying and doing. It just continued to evolve and work. We just really care that our fans are loving it."

Asked why they think KORN's sound has resonated with so many people for so long, Munky replied: "I think as we all got older and started to write heavier music, then Jonathan started to dig deep and find his voice. It's very real, and it resonates with people. It helps them through hard, difficult times and makes them feel like they're not alone.

Added Head: "KORN is therapy to Jonathan, and I think it's therapy for a lot of our fans.

Continued Munky: "We didn't know we were doing this, and that's the beauty of it. I think that's why it's lasted so long. It's only now that we realized that we've helped so many people through music."

ALL THAT REMAINS recently released two singles from the band's upcoming studio album: "Divine" and "Let You Go". Both tracks were produced by Josh Wilbur (PARKWAY DRIVE, LAMB OF GOD, TRIVIUM, A DAY TO REMEMBER).

The "Let You Go" video was directed by Tom Flynn (I PREVAIL, AS I LAY DYING, LAMB OF GOD).

"Divine" marked ALL THAT REMAINS' first original new material since the passing of their longtime guitar player 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.

A year ago, 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."

ALL THAT REMAINS and MUDVAYNE will support MEGADETH on a 33-city, nationwide tour, "Destroy All Enemies", this summer. Produced by Live Nation, the trek will begin in Rogers, Arkansas on August 2 and run throughout the month before wrapping in Nashville, Tennessee on September 28.