Customer Reviews

This Darkened Heart

5 star:		(46)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I dont get it. I just dont get it. This album should have been the one to break All That Remains out from the underground, but it doesnt. They still remained one of the metalcore scene's lesser known bands, and Phil Labonte's old band, Shadows Fall, outsold them, 10 to 1.
Whoever slept on this album has no idea what they missed. The Riffs are heavy, the vocals pissed and nasty, the lyrics angry and sorrrowfull at the same time, every thing that has come to characterize the metalcore scene, but still, this band went unnoticed. OPEN YOUR EARS PEOPLE!!! Stop listening to second rate bands, and pick up this album, and Their new one, "The Fall Of IDEALs" and be prepared to be blown away!

This CD is amazing. It is the best CD I have ever bought. The riffs are awesome and the solos are great. I love every song on this album. The solo in "For Salvation" is awesome. I Die in Degrees is probably my favorite song on the CD. Some other bands that I like are God Forbid, Shadows Fall, In Flames, Dark Tranquillity, and Nightrage. If you like these bands you're gonna love this album.

I wish people would stop using the term metalcore to describe this band. I don't care what anybody say's be it fans or the band itself. This is METAL in all of it's glory. metalcore is what I use to describe bands that couldn't hold these guys guitar picks. They use all of the great metal atmosphere from bands before them, early Slayer, and Max lead Sepultura! just to name acouple. A friend of mine who lived in Washington D.C. was raving about these guys and when he came back he let me listen to this album and instantly I became a huge fan!!!

first off, i'd like to say this is a good album. The vocalists voice... or "scream" is really good... he has a great range and, thankfully, doesn't have the whole "monotone" boring kinda feel to it. The guiters are awesome also. But, i do have a slight problem... The guitar solos get somewhat boring after a while and seem kinda dragged out. Don't get me wrong, they are very good, but would be better (in my opinion) if they were a little shorter. Secondly, some of the songs sound the same. They are all different, but all have the whole "verse,chorus,verse,chorus,ending" thing...but still, a very good CD... and oh yeah, these guys don't sound ANYTHING like Shadows Fall... your crazy if you think they're similiar

Ah, the immortal words of Mr. Strickland from the "Back to the Future" movies. In this case, the "slackers" I am referring to are all the punks who think that metal is becoming some sort of sissified affair where melodic clean vocals are more important than kicking butt. Sure, this album has clean vocals too, but they are not emphasized to the point where they take away from the heaviness of the songs, and they provide good contrast and counterpoint to Phillip Labonte's harrowing growls and snarls (Shadows Fall definitely should have held on to him). The first track, "And Death in My Arms", starts off innocently enough, but quickly erupts into a bone-crunching assault that is pretty much sustained until the album ends. "The Deepest Gray" alternates between full-speed frenzies and slower parts, and ends with an all-out assault. There are plenty of smashingly-good riffs throughout this whole album, and the drums hit hard and never get too monotonous. This is extreme metal for real metalheads only; casual listeners need not apply. I am grateful to these guys and groups like Heaven Shall Burn for providing a darker, more brutal counter-movement to the melodic death movement that is being led by groups like In Flames and Killswitch Engage. Don't get me wrong, I also listen to to IF and KE, but sometimes you just need to be able to pop in a disc, crank of the volume full blast, and let it it shake your shoes off without worrying about what sort of subtelties and softness have been added to dilute it.

"This Darkened Heart" is definitely one of my favorite metal albums right now. I was pleasantly surprized by the outcome of this cd. I first heard of the band on Uranium and fell in love with "The deepest gray", their recent single. That guitar solo is so badass! Anyway, a few weeks later, i purchased the cd. at fye, having no clue whether it would be any good or not. But i took my chances and popped the cd in on the drive home.
I was completely blown away!! The guitar work was absolutely amazing in every single song. Being a fan of hadcore and metal, i enjoyed both the throaty screams/growls, and vocals.
Overall the album has a very melodic feel to it. Kind of melodic death metal, but not quite as heavy. They sound kind of like a mix between KSE and Shadows Fall, but just not as many clean vocals as KSE. If you are a fan of any type of metal and heartwrenching guitar patterns and solos, you will NOT be disappointed by this cd. Just listen to the guitars in track 4. They really set deep with my emotions.
Please, do your self a favor and go buy this album TODAY!!

I've had this album for about two years now, and I enjoy it every time I listen to it. Hailing from Springfield, Massachusetts, All That Remains are without question one of the best bands in the entire metalcore genre, and they're also one of the finest modern metal bands today. Their 2004 sophmore effort 2004 "This Darkened Heart" is just awesome, and in my book, it's also one of the finest metalcore albums you'll ever hear, I mean everything about this album is just mindblowing. I would definately say that ATR remind me of a mix between Killswitch Engage and Shadows Fall, and believe it or not, frontman Philip Labonte used to be in Shadows Fall too.

Like I said before everything about "This Darkened Heart" is just mindblowing, from the deep songwriting, to the nasty intense vocals, the frantic technical guitarwork blended with delicate accoustic guitar and piano passages which set the band apart from so many other monotonous metalcore bands, to fantastic drumming. Philip Labonte's vocals are just fantastic on here. His vocals range very well from low pitched growls, to violent, nasty high pitched screams that would make Randy Blythe and Phil Anselmo mighty proud, and nice melodic singing. Guitarists Oli Herbert and Mike Martin deliver great riffs with ferocious immediacy and perfectly executed solos that bring Iron Maiden to my mind. And there's also some fantastic drumming from Michael Bartlett as well.

Here are some of the highlights on my favorite tracks:

The opening track "And Death in My Arms" is a great opener which starts off with some nice accoustic strings which sound like a piano, but they are soon eliminated by fast ferocious riffs, and fast pounding drums, and there's also a pair of killer guitar solos as well as a crushing breakdown near the end. "The Deepest Grey" is another great cut which features a catchy chorus, more crushing riffs, nice solos, and nice pounding drums. Track three "Vicious Betrayal" kicks off immediately with some fast thrashing riffs and wild pounding drums. There's also some vicious vocals from Philip, and another great pair of solos to boot. "I Die in Degrees" is a personal favorite of mine which features some killer Iron Maiden like guitar harmonies as well as another nice solo, and we also have some accoustic strings at the end. Track five "Focus Shall Not Fail" kicks off with some slow heavy riffs, but at the 1:24 mark, the tempo shifts from slow to lightning fast with frantic riffing, and heart throbbing drumwork. Philip's vocals are at their nastiest on this song. Then at the 4:24 mark, the song shifts back to a slow tempo where there's a another nice guitar solo included as well as some pounding breakdowns and a haunting piano interlude near the end. Track six "Regret Not" is a fantastic instrumental which included some beautiful accoustic breakdowns, then around the 1:30 mark the songs breaks in with some heavy riffs, and there's another fantastic solo, and at the 3:12 mark the accoustic breakdowns reappear again. The closing track "This Darkened Heart" immediately starts off with a bloodcurling scream from Philip backed up by frantic ferocious guitar riffing, and lightning fast drumming. Philip's vocals on this song are just absolutely nasty and vicious especially in the chrous. There's also some punishing breakdowns on this song too.

Here's the entire song list and the ratings:

1. And Death in My Arms (4:45) - 5/5
2. The Deepest Grey (3:09) - 5/5
3. Vicious Betrayal (4:19) - 5/5
4. I Die in Degrees (3:30) - 5/5
5. Focus Shall Not Fail (6:18) - 5/5
6. Regret Not (4:26) - 5/5
7. Passion (3:42) - 5/5
8. For Salvation (3:50) - 5/5
9. Tattered on My Sleeve (4:21) - 5/5
10. This Darkened Heart (3:13) - 5/5

If you're a fan of Shadows Fall, Killswitch Engage, Lamb Of God, metal, metalcore, or just good music in general, you must give All That Remains a shot. This my friends is metalcore at it's finest. Buy this album now.

As most of you probably know by now, Philip Labonte was once the vocalist for Shadows Fall. He left the group (before they hit it big) to front another metal band, All that Remains. Even though this band is one of the lesser known American metalcore bands, it appears that Philip's leap of faith was well founded, and he landed on solid ground.

The popularity boom of American metalcore both helped and hurt All That Remains' chances of being known worldwide. On one hand, since this genre was more popular, a lot of metalcore bands cropped up, so there were a lot of other bands for ATR to compete with; but, conversely, if some other genre (i.e. punk) was the most popular genre, then nobody would be interested in heavier music.

Shadows Fall and All that Remains have a lot in common (Philip Labonte, hailing from Massachusetts, and being apart of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal), so it's only natural to say Philip's current band sounds a lot like his old one. And even though those two bands' overall sound is similar, there are differences. Shadows Fall's guitar solos are more scorching and all around better than what you'll find on "This Darkened Heart," but the main distinguishing factor is that All that Remains use anger a lot more. Philip's vocals here are more violent and a lot less clean sounding than Shadows Fall's current throat, Brian Fair. Philip even almost sounds like Atreyu's singer, at times. And ATR's guitarists Mike Martin and Oli Herbert help to add some innovation by playing rigid riffs throughout this album.

"And Death in My Arms" begins the album with some acoustic strumming and what sounds like a piano (!), but then abruptly changes gears and rockets into propulsive guitar riffage. Philip retches a couple of Mudvayne-esque yells, and part of this song is a bobbing beat with stop-start, machine gun riffs. Two solos are also included, but these solos are slow and not that great.
"Deepest Gray" has lurching riffs and another guitar solo (this one is longer and better; it makes a wah-wah sound in places).
"I Die in Degrees" opens with a long, screeching pick slide, then the crunchy guitars chug fast. The last two-thirds of this song is an instrumental, the guitars eventually become slower, and the mid-section is acoustic.
"Focus Shall Not Fail" has a much slower tempo. One guitarist plays a slow riff, then the other axeman comes on and, even though he plays a faster riff, the song's pace doesn't increase. A pick slide ensues and the song finally picks up and becomes its usual fast self. Philip lets loose a Lamb of God like shriek, but the singing on this track is mainly limpid (clean/melodic) backing vocals.
"Regret Not" is a good centerpiece of the album. It begins with a guitarist strumming on acoustic again, but he is joined by the second guitarist, and this part of the song briefly sounds like Opeth's "Damnation" album. There's a nice breakdown about a minute and a half into this song, when the power chords kick in and play churning, stutter-stepping riffs. But then, at around the 3:10 mark, it's back to the acoustics. (Even though I don't mind Philip's vocals), I'm glad this song is an instrumental; it make this song unique and a surprise.
The final track, "This Darkened Heart," bursts the gates open as soon as it begins, with sprinting riffs and a long, extended yell. This song has a small growl, but most of the vocals here are throaty yells. And there is also a thumping, driving, double bass.

So, Philip Labonte landed on his feet when he took the leap of faith from band to band. Shadows Fall probably make more money than he, but All That Remains show a lot of promise. Even for a relatively young band, ATR are, in my book, one of the best and most overlooked bands of the new millennium. They definitely need a lot more attention, because if you like metalcore, there's nothing to dislike on "This Darkened Heart."

I bought this CD the day it came out, but decided to wait to review it. Now that I have bought other CDs since then, I can tell you that "This Darkened Heart" is my favorite purchase.

First off, there have been a lot of comparisons to Killswitch Engage and at times criticisms for sounding too much like them. I am from Massachusetts and I can tell you that the majority of the members of both bands live in the same area. And, both bands started at about the same time. If anything, they influenced each other because they have known and played shows together for quite a while.

If there is any comparison between KsE and ATR to be made, it is that Phil's clean singing, at times, does sound a bit like ex-KsE singer Jesse Leach. But that is the only thing that sounds similar.

Now, the musicianship on this record is mind-blowing. Not only are a lot of riffs played at very fast speeds, but the music is very technical. The playing may be complex, but you will not be turned away by it. All of the instruments work well together. Also, there are some great guitar solos as well. Phil sings in low, mid-range, and high pitched growls. The clean vocals are not used too much, but they are excellent.

If I had to pick a favorite track it would be "Vicious Betrayal". The song is really heavy and has outstanding riffs and solos. I can't wait for the next album.

Every review posted is dead on. This cd is amazing. If you like this type of music then it's a must buy! Shadows Fall are good, All that remains are great.