All That Remains

This Darkened Heart
Prosthetic Records

10 tracks, 41:35; Metalcore

You've probably heard this band before, or at least heard of them. They've gotten lots of good press over the past few years and done tons of touring. This Darkened Heart is actually kind of an oldie by now. It's the second album by ALL THAT REMAINS. I picked it up about a year and a half ago (haven't played it too much over the past year though).

I only refer to them as Metalcore because that's what their founder / vocalist (the ex singer for Shadows Fall) labels it. He probably made that reference at a time when the scene elitists hadn't yet begun to thumb their noses at the genre - when Metalcore was still "cool"! I figure the Swedish, Melodeath and Classic influences on their sound put them way more on the metal side of the tracks though. This is especially true when listening to the technically challenging guitar work (dual guitars with plenty of complicated picking, palm muting, killer leads and acoustic stuff). There's lots of it and it's probably the feather in the hat of this release. The tempos, melodies and often clean vocals are all way more metal than core too. I suppose their frequent breakdowns do give them a metalcore edge though. (Sidebar: Theoretically, however, this is nonsensical as breakdowns have never been a Hardcore trademark; how that relationship came into being is a mystery to me).

The songs are pretty good. There are a few of them that really stand out from the rest. I guess my biggest problem with the disk as a whole is the fact that the rest of those tunes really bleed into each other; they all sound alike even after having listened to them for a long time.

This is a likable act, for sure. If you like Shadows Fall, you'll almost certainly enjoy ALL THAT REMAINS - they're like a better and more aggressive version of Shadows Fall. Also recommended for fans of God Forbid, At the Gates, In Flames and early Killswitch Engage.

Regan Perlett