March 26, 2002 - All That Remains and Behind Silence And Solitude

A week after my last release a new band joins my library when All That Remains released their debut album "Behind Silence And Solitude" on March 26, 2002. But who is All That Remains? They are a five-piece metalcore band from Springfield, Massachusetts consisting of lead singer Philip Labonte, lead guitarist Oli Herbert, bassist Dan Egan, drummer Michael Bartlett and his brother Chris Bartlett on rhythm guitar. All That Remains join the budding metalcore scene with Labonte doing mostly screaming vocals, but the band is still very raw at this point. Let's check out their debut! 

The album begins with the title track "Behind Silence And Solitude" and they dive right into a solid main riff that is pretty fast and pretty heavy. Labonte screams overtop in a low voice that sounds pretty good, but also very raw with not much emotion. Things sound good, but very scrappy and not very well produced which is holding things back just a little bit. Herbert plays some cool lead guitar between each verse and chorus and Bartlett sets the stage nicely for solo time as Herbert delivers a pretty cool guitar solo with some nice shredding parts. It's a good example of what these guys are all about at this early point in their career: good, but still figuring a few things out. Up next is "From These Wounds" and they kick right into another cool metalcore main riff and Labonte screams overtop in the same decent, but pretty monotone voice. When he goes higher on a few screams it's a welcome change, and the guitars are pretty fast and cool the whole way through. There's a long guitar solo that starts off a little cheesy, but it keeps getting better as it goes on and it ends with some more nice shredding by Herbert, who then goes on to lead a cool new riff to close things out. Track 3 is "Follow" and it's got another heavy and solid main riff, but it sounds very similar to the other songs and there's not a ton of differentiation between the main riffs. They're all solid, but also pretty similar so far and Labonte's screams follow the same mantra: solid, but because they are all so monotone they all sound pretty similar. This song does stand out with a nice slow breakdown midway through that nicely sets the stage for another long solo. Herbert plays another fast and pretty cool solo and this variety definitely makes this the best song so far. The next track is titled "Clarity" and Herbert leads the way with a fast and pretty cool guitar riff, but once the rest of the band joins in it once again becomes a very similar and typical main riff (albeit with a catchy main guitar riff). They slow things down after a couple rounds with a simple but epic new riff and this sets the stage for another typical long guitar solo with some nice shredding parts to it. Then they change speeds drastically with Herbert still soloing, but overtop a very might and melodic rhythm riff by Bartlett. This is a cool and welcome shift and somehow it leads pretty nicely back into the more simple main riff to finish us off. Track 5 is "Erase" and it starts very slowly with a super slow, chugging riff and after almost a minute and a half they shift into a more typical main riff with some cool faster guitars leading the way. It's over two minutes before Labonte shows up with some more monotone screaming overtop. There are two guitar solos in this six-plus minute song: the first is a harmonized solo between Herbert and Bartlett and it sounds pretty cool, then Herbert gets a longer solo by himself that takes us right to the end of the track. Up next is "Shading" and words aren't doing proper justice when I say it's another typical main riff. It's not untrue, but the guitars are fast and cool on every song and my words don't so enough for the variety of riffs. It's another fast-paced and pretty standard main metal riff, but that's alright. Herbert spices things up with a pretty sweet solo and Labonte holds a couple nice long screams as well. Midway through they shift on a dime to a cool new riff led by skme catchy guitar by Herbert and this sets the stage nicely for another guitar solo, although this one is much more basic. Yet another solid tune, but also another one that keeps you happily headbanging in your seat, but not making you get out of it. Track 7 is "Home To Me" and it's the longest on the album at almost seven minutes. They start quiet and ramp up to another decent but not awe-inspiring main riff and Labonte's voice still sounds decently heavy, but all his screaming vocals sound the same: if one of the sings in this album were to come on shuffle, I would be able to instantly know it was from this album by the sound, but which song? They all blend together and sound a little too much alike. They quiet things down after several minutes for a little bit, but then it's onto a decent but not amazing solo followed by a predictable ending. The last song on the album is "One Belief" and they dive right into Slayer-level speeds with some super fast guitars on this one. Herbert's lead guitar is pretty catchy when he (slightly) slows it down, and they nicely return to the blistering fast riff which has some pretty sweet drums as well. It's a solid way to wrap things up, I was headbanging the whole time!

That is the end of "Behind Silence And Solitude" and I thought it was a decent album, but definitely not a great one. Oli Herbert seems to be a pretty good guitarist and Philip Labonte is an okay vocalist right now but not a great one. Well, there's room for improvement next time, it's only their debut!