Philip Labonte was the second frontman for Shadows Fall in the unexpectedly fertile Metal scene of Springfield, Massachusetts, providing lead vocals for the band’s seminal Melodic Death Metal debut, 1997’s Somber Eyes to the Sky. But within a year he was shown the door due to oft-cited “musical differences.” Labonte had already been exploring a side project he was calling All That Remains so, with his release from Shadows Fall, he began devoting his full attention to it. ATR’s 2002 debut, Behind Silence and Solitude, was an extension of the Melodic Death Metal direction of Shadows Fall, as was its follow-up, 2004’s Little Darkened Heart, albeit with superior production values.
ATR’s acclaimed third album was their next-level breakthrough; 2006’s The Fall of Ideals caused big buzz and earned them a spot on that year’s Ozzfest tour. Late in 2007, ATR released their debut live CD/DVD, which was followed in 2008 by several major tours, including slots on the Warped Tour and the Rockstar Mayhem Festival.
The band’s seventh album, 2015’s The Order of Things, generated a fair amount of negative press, with many reviews noting that ATR had moved away from their patented sound in favor of a more mainstream direction. Longtime fans of pure Pop music, ATR folded in programming and Electronic influences while maintaining their trademark density and volume on 2017’s Madness.
Although All That Remains had endured a number of lineup shifts, the band’s membership was solid for nine years, until the departure of bassist Jeanne Sagan in 2015. The most recent roll call change was sadly shocking; founding member Oli Herbert drowned just two weeks before the release of ATR’s newest album, Victim of the New Disease. Herbert’s death was ruled “suspicious” due to toxicology reports indicating non-prescribed antidepressants and sleeping pills in his system and the investigation is ongoing.
Earlier this year, ATR announced that interim guitarist Jason Richardson (Chelsea Grin, Born of Osiris) had been promoted to full member. Given the band’s recent evolution and tragic lineup change, a corresponding sonic shift would seem to be imminent, and the band’s current tour could be a preview of things to come.
All That Remains plays Tuesday, Oct. 15 at Riverfront Live. Tickets/more info: riverfrontlivecincy.com.
