Over the past few years, All That Remains has been a virtual who's who of metal bands; picking up new members from the Black Dahlia Murder, CKY, and, most recently, Diecast. That much change in a lineup can make it hard for a band to really mesh together as a cohesive, tight unit, but All That Remains has pulled it off, once again, with Overcome. This can be attributed to the real heart of the band remaining intact throughout two previous releases (This Darkened Heart and The Fall of Ideals). Those people are former Shadows Fall frontman, Phil Labonte, and the incredible guitar team of Oli Herbert and Mike Martin.
Labonte sets himself and the band apart from the rest of the herd with his incredible vocal talent. He has one of the best growls in the industry, but at the same time, he has a range unlike any other frontman, and he doesn't bore you with the same monotonous, guttural scream over and over.
On the flip side, he also can belt out clean vocals that would put any regular "radio rock" band to shame. He utilizes those clean vocals a little heavier on this album than he has on previous albums, but that's just a natural progression all bands make when they gain recognition.
What's important is that the band hasn't lost the power and energy that it showed on The Fall of Ideals. This, of course, is because of Herbert and Martin, quite possibly one of the most underrated guitar duos ever. They know how to construct expertly fast-paced, heavy riffs, but still retain a melodic side without losing any of that raw power. They don't fall victim to what kills most modern metal bands, the monotonous chugging on guitar and recycling of old riffs that Metallica and Pantera created over 10 years ago. Their sound is fresh and exciting.
On top of all that, the album serves as a lesson on how to play a guitar solo. The way the two can play off each other, especially in songs like "Undone," is unlike any other duo out right now. They manage to keep the solos cohesive and don't just wildly play forever like Dragonforce, for example.
All That Remains has a formula that it uses over and over, which can wear thin as the album goes on, but it is a formula the band members have perfected and can execute with such skill that it's really hard to knock them for it. In the end, Overcome is yet another reminder that All That Remains is one of the best metal bands around. B+
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