All That Remains - Overcome (2008)Release ID: 5438
I know I said that I love The Fall of Ideals as much as other metalheads in my last review, but that isn't my absolute favorite All That Remains album. It's this one, Overcome! That's my #1! For me, The Fall of Ideals is #3 and For We Are Many is #2. I know a lot of All That Remains fans don't like this album as much as The Fall of Ideals, but you remember my older brother that I mentioned in my first forum thread? Yeah, he also listens to metalcore that is close to his alt-rock/metal taste, so he's more into the more recent All That Remains material, and that's how I became interested in that band. Both Overcome and For We Are Many are my favorites because they sit right between the band's earlier metalcore albums and their recent alt-metal/metalcore albums. So there!
This is the band's fourth album, and here they start to showcase a more mature and commercially better sound. While the band has moved almost completely away from their old melodeath sound, they still keep the metalcore but with a melodic heavy metal twist. The band moved away from producer Adam Dutkiewicz (from Killswitch Engage) and hired Jason Suecof (who produced albums by bands like Trivium, God Forbid, and August Burns Red) to produce this album, and I believe it was Suecof who convinced the band to go for this at the time never before heard sound. Also, this is the band's first album in D-flat tuning.
The album opens with "Before the Damned", a perfect blend of metalcore and melodic heavy metal. Their transition from intense to melodic has been made so easy. Guitarist Oli Herbert unleashes some killer riffs and new dude on the drums Jason Costa begins showcasing his drumming skills that make the band remind the band why he is the right guy for this job. Vocalist Phil Labonte would keep his range for the rest of the album. "Two Weeks" is one of the band's first songs to discard most of their metalcore sound, but I still love it anyway! This is the band's best track on the album, probably the band's best one in general. Dueling guitars, deep bass, relentless drumming, this song has it all. Next up is "Undone" where Labonte continues his deep screams and guttural grunts while still singing cleanly. Guitarists Oli Herbert and Mike Martin have a guitar face-off in the background (Iron Maiden would be proud). Then Herbert let rips a shining solo along with Costa having his double bass drum kicks.
"Forever in Your Hands" may be too mainstream for some heavier metalcore fans but it has a sweet solo toward the end. In "Chiron", the song starts off with a classic intro, then Labonte delivers some of his hardest vocals to date transiting back and forth from death metal gutturals/screams to melodic metal clean vocals at ease. Bassist Jeanne Sagan sets a heavy undertone here. "Days Without" continues the balance between heaviness and melody. "A Song for the Hopeless" is a unique song, opening with acoustic guitar and clean singing, then suddenly, aggressive bass and screaming. Then it keeps switching back and forth.
"Do Not Obey" is another song that gives the band some pride. Labonte continues using his trademark vocals, together with a harmonic catchy chorus that is worth a sing along. Returning to the band's signature sound of their previous album, "Relinquish" is heavier with sick solos and lack of clean vocals. The title track is another heavy and technical song but also melodic and catchy. Then the album ends with a song that should've worked as a radio single, a cover of "Believe in Nothing" by Nevermore, another awesome band, in which the two bands would later, recently have another thing in common, one of the members sadly leaving this world (RIP All That Remains guitarist Oli Herbert 1973-2018 and Nevermore vocalist Warrel Dane 1961-2017, two fallen heroes). Anyway, Labonte shows a lot of depth and range in his clean singing in this song.
All That Remains has proved that they can make music that is more melodic while still keeping the heaviness. There's some progress and maturity right there! The band has made some catchy riffs and irresistible hooks while still keeping their trademark metalcore sound. Seriously, I suggest that some of you All That Remains fans just cut the criticism and enjoy and appreciate the perfection of this album, an album with the band's ability to go where no metalcore band has gone before!
Favorites (all of them, but for real...): "Before the Damned", "Too Weeks", "Chiron", "Do Not Obey", "Relinquish"
