The Fall of Ideals - All That Remains
When you talk about Metalcore Masterpieces, it’s impossible to overlook The Fall of Ideals and its lasting impact on not only Metalcore music but metal as a whole. This record comes up every time I talk metal with my buddies, where we reflect on what it did for us personally and the genre. The album is packed with memorable riffs, lyrics, vocals, and drums that showcase each member at their finest, which is impressive when you consider that this album was only their third. Shannon Lucas and Oli Herbert work through track after track, designing what would go on to be one of the greatest collections of metal tracks of all time, with Phil Labonte providing an incredible dichotomy between deathcore-level growls and melodic singing. It should come as no surprise that this record sounds as good as it does when you realize that “Metalcore Royalty” Adam Dutkiewicz (Killswitch Engage guitarist and producer, as well as producer of some of the best records from The Devil Wears Prada, Parkway Drive, As I Lay Dying, etc) produced it.
The Fall of Ideals is one of those albums where there are no skips. Every song must be played, no matter how many times you have heard the song (‘This Calling’ and “Six’ come to mind). It’s difficult to spotlight specific songs considering this fact, but I’ll do my best to narrow down my favorites. The riff, tempo, and deathcore sound of “The Weak Willed” is an all-timer for me. It’s a song that is relentless and brutal, but still maintains the identity All That Remains has crafted thus far. The track has this eerie, almost horror sound to it in a couple of verses, with a beautiful music break that blends those sounds with some melody as part of the outro. “Six” is another fantastic track that is almost as popular as “This Calling” thanks to Guitar Hero. That popularity however does not hamper the quality of the song, rather it proves itself worthy of the attention. From a memorable Oli-Original riff to a clean melodic break in the middle serving as the bridge between chaos, with the song kicking back into a fantastic solo, it reminds you across 3.5 minutes that this is a band making something built to stand the test of time. Finally, “Become the Catalyst” is another track that is top of my list, with inspiration drawn from Hardcore music before it, but with that Metalcore flair that All That Remains helped establish. The track effortlessly bounces between heavy and melodic, while giving Oli a moment to kick things up a notch with his solo before sliding back into the yo-yo of heavy and melodic.
The Fall of Ideals remains on the Mount Rushmore of Metalcore and has since its release in 2006. I was lucky enough to catch the band on their tour celebrating 15 years of the record, and the full album performance was a further reminder of why and how this record has stood the test of time and remained a seminal record that helped shape modern Metalcore and Metal in general.