This Darkened Heart

All That Remains

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 23, 2004)
• Original Release Date: March 23, 2004
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Razor & Tie
• ASIN: B0001FBT86
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (68 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #11,284 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Philip lands on his feet, July 8, 2005

By	A. Stutheit "Teyad" (Denver, CO USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

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."

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What the hell happened?, August 7, 2006

By	hellrun "dustin" (wisconsin) - See all my reviews

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!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Darkened Heart, June 10, 2005

By	Blazers - See all my reviews

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.