All That Remains - Antifragile (2025)Release ID: 57438
All That Remains are one of those mid 2000s metalcore bands that is either loved or hated. If you love this band, it's probably because they were just a heavier Killswitch Engage. If you didn't like All That Remains, it's probably because they were just a heavier Killswitch Engage.
Albums like The Fall of Ideals and Overcome were pretty solid albums back in the day; a good blend of melodic hardcore with some visceral heavy portions, complete with some really good guitar shredding. Now it's been seven years since the ATR (All That Remains) album and it kicks off with a bang. The double kick drum and Phil Labonte's scream on "Divine" are reminiscent to "This Calling" on The Fall of Ideals. And that intensity stays pretty consistent throughout the record. There is a nice blend of huge down tuned, almost death metal riffage, combined with some of the more mainstream accessible power chords, soaring melodies and guitar solos. Labonte's harsh vocals are just as impactful as they were the first time I heard "This Calling" and they do not change throughout the record. His singing though is much more restrained and held back like it has been on the last couple of albums. When paired with the harsh screams, the singing comes across as neutered. It's almost as if ATR is trying to stay true to their past, even though they cannot physically be that band anymore.
AntiFragile leaves me with a feeling of confusion. On one hand, I appreciate the album for its generally longer runtime since it feels like a complete project. Too many modern metalcore acts cut corners and release albums that are so safe and unchallenging; riff, harsh verse, sung chorus and done. This album has all of this, but not always in the same order. This album has connecting bridges giving them more character. From thrash and death metal, every song has a guitar solo break where a lot of metalcore has ditched this practice entirely. This should all be in ATR's favour, but then I remember what band I'm talking about. These are all tropes and trends that ATR have already largely employed during their golden run. Sure, they might be trends that metalcore has abandoned, but they aren't trends that can be easily forgotten. And as someone who lived through the hayday of melodic metalcore, I can hear this nostalgia farming from miles away. As a result, most of this album just...happens. It has a few standout moments, but they are few and far between.
I will not deny that you can have a pretty good time with AntiFragile if you just turn your brain off and reminisce on a previous era of metalcore. And newcomers might even like this album more because they never experienced the mid 2000s. But by ATR standards, you have heard this record before and would break under the pressure of previous ATR albums.
Best Songs: The Piper, Poison It, Let You Go
The brand-new All That Remains album Antifragile can be kind of considered their own Linkin Park From Zero. They've tragically lost a longtime member and it took around 7 years for a new album to be finished and released with a new member who can shine in the spotlight while respectfully maintaining the fallen member's legacy. Something different about that is, All That Remains stayed active and recruited the new member almost right away.
The long silence before this album was for several reasons. Not just the passing of guitarist Oli Herbert, but also COVID and a tough search for a new record label before deciding to go independent. I'm not kidding about new guy Jason Richardson shining well, his unique technicality from All Shall Perish, Born of Osiris, and Chelsea Grin, fits perfectly well with All That Remains' melodic sound. We also have the return of bassist Matt Deis (who performed in This Darkened Heart) and the relentless drumming of Anthony Barone (A Night in Texas, Beneath the Massacre, Shadow of Intent). With that, Antifragile is a path to a new era, one of perfect glory last achieved in the late 2000s!
As the first track "Divine" blasts open the gates, f*** yeah, All That Remains are back! This perfect comeback single is basically This Darkened Heart (especially with Matt Deis rejoining) gone Killswitch Engage. This surely does justice to the legacy of Oli Herbert. "Kerosene" lights things up with relentless bass/drum machinery rolling right through. It is a fire that can never be put out. Anyone who is up for All That Remains' less metalcore but still heavy tracks should check out "No Tomorrow". Again, Jason Richardson has done his job well in paying tribute to the late great Oli Herbert. "The Piper" is a more technical highlight, displaying his talents that help take the band to the next level. There's a lot more complexity than before while balancing it out with the usual hooks. Wonderful!
The title track hits hard, like "face-punch-bleeding" hard. It's quite strong and relatable for battling through life's struggles and rising against it all. "Forever Cold" is the single that has gotten me the most pumped up. I'll tell you ONE MORE TIME, Jason Richardson has done well in maintaining the legacy of the late Oli Herbert. "Poison It" pushes forward the technical boundaries yet again, throwing back to the heavier tracks from what I consider the band's heavier era (The Fall of Ideals, Overcome, For We Are Many, maybe more towards the latter two for the D-flat tuning).
Another superb comeback single is "Let You Go". Then we have "Cut Their Tongues Out", full of unbreakable roof-tearing thrashy metalcore chaos. Finally, "Blood & Stone" is the epic emotional closing track. The piano intro and outro are performed by none other than Jordan Rudess of Dream Theater. And in between is a metalcore extravaganza of heavy riffs and whimsical DragonForce-like leads. Philip Labonte lets out perhaps his most dynamic vocals to date. The perfect way to close this masterpiece!
I can't ever deny that Antifragile is the strongest and most passionate All That Remains album in 15 years. The legacy is staying solid with grand defiance in every move each member makes. Oli Herbert would be so proud. And thus an exciting new chapter for the band begins!
Favorites: "Divine", "The Piper", "Forever Cold", "Let You Go", "Blood & Stone"
