Album Review: All That Remains - 'For We Are Many'

When it comes to All That Remains, there are seemingly two distinct and equally prevailing sides of the fence. One common opinion frames the band as solid and capable musicians while the opposing viewpoint sees the group as lacklustre, to the point that some casual observers have labelled them the Nickelback of the metalcore scene.

Perhaps in part this split alignment has something to do with front man Phil Labonte’s previous ties to Shadows Fall and to a lesser extent Killswitch Engage. Alternatively, it may be attributed to the band’s melodic style, which at times border on commercial rock. Although, this is merely nitpicking. All That Remains have, it is fair to say, stood their ground quite solidly over their career.

In a quest for musical acceptance, a sense of identity is paramount. However, identity is something that is earned. Something that is formed through the music itself. Thankfully, All That Remains now have an individual and dependable style of their own.

Fifth studio album, ‘For We Are Many’ is much of the same from the Massachusetts crew. Do not expect a great deal of progression but the album does benefit from a sound that is much stronger. Yes, the structure is a standard composite, which converges many of today’s prominent metal sounds into one – with the modern day thrash approach of a Bleeding Through mixed with the harmonic riffs of Unearth not an unfair comparison in this instance.

The predicament for fans when deciding how enjoyable this album is lies in the opposing styles found within the twelve-track offering. There are some very frantic and heavy periods (see: ‘Aggressive Opposition’, ‘Dead Wrong’ and title track ‘For We Are Many’), yet there are also some very pleasant sounding moments that focus on the melodic.

Towards the tail end, the release seemingly hones in on the contrast between the growling screams and the clean vocals with obvious attempts made at penning some memorable choruses. ‘From the Outside’ a clear example.

There is definitely a place for this sound in the current metal landscape. It is hard to gauge just how well ‘For We Are Many’ will be embraced though. There is a bit of everything thrown in for good measure.

All That Remains continue to strengthen their sound. Brief periods of repetition should not detract from what is otherwise a decent release. At the end of the day, it is another step forward and that ultimately should be the only prerequisite come every studio album.

1. Now Let Them Tremble

2. For We Are Many

3. The Last Time

4. Some of the People, All of the Time

5. Won't Go Quietly

6. Aggressive Opposition

7. From the Outside

8. Dead Wrong

9. Faithless

10. Hold On

11. Keepers of Fellow Man

12. The Waiting One