Album Review: All That Remains - 'Overcome'

I’m not going to lie; I had massive expectations for the latest All That Remains album after being blown away by The Fall of Ideals two years ago.  While it’s not disappointing, there’s just something about Overcome that doesn’t push the envelope quite as far as the previous release.  All the same elements are incorporated but most of the time it just seems like there’s little to no improvement to be marked upon. On the plus side however, at least the fancy tech riffs and powerful choruses have not packed up shop and left thus far.

Overcome is the first release that was not produced with the eccentric Adam D and It’s not surprising when a band with two critically acclaimed releases under their belt decide to get stuck in with a high caliber producer. What is surprising is that the sound on Overcome sounds nowhere near as polished and lacks the drive that made The Fall of Ideals sound so fantastic.     

With that all being said it’s actually quite a decent release and it’s easy to see how they outshine some of their now average peers.  The album flows well from start to finish and appears to follow a formula yet doesn’t become excessively boring half way through.  The clean vocals are not done to death which is enjoyable considering many bands allying themselves to this style of music can go a bit overboard with old mate auto tune when trying to get a good sounding melody.   

The solos are crafted well yet don’t seemed forced and run well with the songs they are incorporated in, such as in the opening track “Before the Damned” and later in the album and personal favourite track “Do not Obey”.  The first video to be released is a track titled “Chirion” and features one of the most enjoyable riffs on the album with some tight drumming to produce a nice full sound and will no doubt be a future crowd favourite.  

The clean vocals are a lot more prominent than any previous releases from All That Remains with most songs featuring a clear chorus.  The closing track “Believe in Nothing” is a slightly slower ballad than the rest of Overcome and any nasty vox from vocalist Phil Labonte are absent.

It sounds like I’ve just thrashed the shit out Overcome in the first two paragraphs of the review but it’s a solid release and there are several moments that will put you back in your chair in amazement.  The clean singing isn’t overdone and at least the guitar players know have to write a decent tune which sets All That Remains a good pace ahead of a lot of the other bands plaguing this genre.

1) Before The Damned  

2) Two Weeks  

3) Undone  

4) Forever In Your Hands  

5) Chiron  

6) Days Without  

7) A Song For The Hopeless  

8) Do Not Obey  

9) Relinquish  

10) Overcome  

11) Believe In Nothing