ALL THAT REMAINS

After the extremely well-written "The Fall Of Ideals" blew up and ALL THAT REMAINS (deservedly) became one of the most-hyped bands not signed to one of "the bigs," expectations for the follow-up were obviously going to be high. Would the band be able to capitalize on that momentum and duplicate the combination of musicianship, songwriting and energy that made the 2006 release so powerful, or would they fall flat on their faces in an over-exasperated effort to do so? Well, you can't rightfully call an album "Overcome" if the music within finds you in the proverbial prostrate position now can you? In other words, these Massachusetts metallers have, once again, done alright for themselves.

"Overcome" kicks off the monstrous "Before The Damned", which actually had fooled into thinking I was listening to TESTAMENT for a second or two. The tune's ominous intro breaks into a solid thrash groove before giving way to singer Phil Labonte's trademark clean vocal hook. This formula has become a staple of sorts for ALL THAT REMAINS, but they still manage to make it work and avoid too much overuse; although repeated listens can tend to wear on the ears. It doesn't hurt that Labonte delivers his best vocal performance to date on "Overcome". His growls have become more guttural while his clean voice has taken on more character and less polish. The RAUNCHY-like pop-metal aesthetic of "Two Weeks" and layered approach taken with "Chiron" are both great examples of the frontman's progression. Incidentally, both tunes are standouts from a guitarist's viewpoint as well as Oli Herbert and Mike Martin tear any generic metalcore comparisons to shreds by laying down plenty of electric riffage that holds true to the often misused term's original intention. Other grand moment of guitardom come from Herbert's lead work on the dramatic (perhaps too dramatic) "A Song For The Hopeless" and the über-metal "Relinquish". Ex-DIECAST drummer Jason Costa makes sure everyone notices there's a new guy behind the kit by making as much noise back there as humanly possible. In the process of beating the living hell out of his drums, he pushes the likes of "Days Without" and the heavier moments of "A Song For The Hopeless" into overdrive with his precision double bass work. Costa is a solid addition to this band, but the guitar and vocal friendly mix which leaves Jeanne Sagan's bass a little too low in the mix makes it hard to define a solid rhythm section. If there were one song on this album that defined ALL THAT REMAINS as a band, that tune would be the title track. ATR crams more melody, metallic riffage, vocal hooks and collective energy into these two-and-a-half minutes than many of their peers could in twice that amount of time. This would be a great way to close the album, but a slightly questionable cover of NEVERMORE's "Believe In Nothing" takes the closing track honors. The song is well played, but it lacks the power and aura of the original. Given that most covers share this stigma; ALL THAT REMAINS really can't be criticized too heavily for this one.

It seems as if ALL THAT REMAINS approached "Overcome" as songwriters first and metalheads second, but did so in a manner that sacrificed little of the album's inherent metallic rage. From start to finish, "Overcome" shows that the group has the ability to evolve and expand without losing sight of the sound that worked for them in the first place.