For We Are Many (Bonus Track Version)

Album Review

With their combination of metalcore chugging and soaring Gothenburg metal, All That Remains bring both aggressive fury and harmony on their fifth studio album, For We Are Many. Once again working with producer Adam Dutkiewicz (who also plays guitar for Killswitch Engage), the band finds a nice balance between heaviness and harmony, shifting back and forth before between the two rather than pummeling the listener into a corner with the usual riff/breakdown/riff/breakdown formula that’s so common within the genre. What makes the album really interesting are the occasional old-school flourishes that pop up here and there. “For We Are Many” feels like a throwback to the guitar harmonies and d-beat gallop of the NWOBHM, at times evoking hints of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. On “Dead Wrong” and “The Last Time,” All That Remains drop in Pantera-esque groove metal choruses, giving the songs a dash of that old Southern heaviness while giving the listener a break from the rapid-fire double-bass drum onslaught of the other songs. Musical breaks like these not only make For We Are Many a fresh listening experience, but they also prove that the band isn’t restricted to a formulaic good cop/bad cop style of metalcore songwriting, allowing the band to engage listeners who are looking for more than the same old thing.