Metal Underground.com

In the world of music, bands come and go more frequently then you can imagine. The metal-core genre is no exception to this. Bands such as: Still Remains, The Agony Scene and many more have come and gone. However, there is one band that seems to get better and stronger with each album they release. From "Behind Silence and Solitude" (2002), "This Darkened Hear" (2004), "The Fall of Ideals" (2006), and finally this year’s "Overcome," you can clearly hear the band maturing as musicians. Whether it’s Philip Labonte’s voice or the musicianship behind him, you can sense this band has what it takes to stick around for a while.

If you haven’t heard of All That Remains before this is the album to listen to. It is their strongest album to date and far surpasses its predecessors. The lyrics are just as strong as ever, the guitar work is still very intricate and challenging, and the rhythm section is very tight. The band is fronted by the aforementioned Philip Labonte alongside Michael Martin and Oli Herbert on guitars, Jeanne Sagan on bass and Jason Costa on drums.

The second song on the album is entitled “Two Weeks” and is one of the best on the album. The song seems to be a very personal story of love and pain. However, despite its topic, it’s not your typical love song. The most powerful lyric of this song is:

”I wanted nothing but for that trust again,
and brick by brick you would take it,
You feared of phantoms and none exist but you,
you still saw fit to destroy it”

This seems to be a personal account of vocalist Phil having a bad break-up with someone in his past. It’s something many people can relate to; you make a mistake and the other person claims they’ll stick around and try to work through it. Then, they give a half-assed effort and give up before truly giving you one more chance.

“Relinquish” is the fastest, and definitely heaviest, song on this album. It holds true to what helped make this band create an image for itself: blazing riffs and solo’s mixed with brutal breakdowns and angry growls. It’s the perfect song to lead into the title track, “Overcome.” Both tracks are heavy and fast, however, “Overcome” gives you this feeling that the band has nailed the sound that defines them.

The final track on the CD is a song entitled “Believe In Nothing.” It’s a cover song, originally done by Nevermore. It's the first song where, vocalist, Phil actually sings the entire time. It's heavy, gritty and if you're a fan of the original it will not disappoint. It's a very suiting end to an, overall, amazing album.

I would highly recommend that everyone go pick up this album. If you’ve never heard of All That Remains or you’ve been behind them their entire career, you will not be disappointed.