AntiFragile - All That Remains
Being a fan of All That Remains is like being in an abusive relationship; They have moments where they impress you, then disappoint you, then you swear they can change, only for them to fail you again. It’s a vicious cycle that I’m too familiar with when it comes to this band. All That Remains over the years has become one of the most inconsistent bands in Metalcore, releasing what I consider a masterpiece one second (The Fall of Ideals), incredible records like Overcome and For We Are Many, and then mediocre albums like The Order of Things, Madness, and now AntiFragile. I expected to be disappointed based on the band’s history and the singles they put out, but I at least hoped the record would be better than the one we got. At least the album is heavy though, right? I for one was getting sick of the band pumping out Hard Rock forget-me-nots.
AntiFragile suffers on several fronts, resulting in a cocktail of cringe lyrics, weak vocals, mismatched guitar parts, and a headache-inducing listening experience. Jason Richardson is a highly talented guitarist and songwriter, but he overshadows the band and feels far from a match. He plays too flashy and hardly serves the music, which ex-guitarist Oli Herbert excelled at prior to his death in 2018. Most of the record feels like the Jason Richardson Show featuring Phil Labonte and the All That Remains Band. Jason needs to learn when to pull back the reigns and not rely on over-the-top playing and play riffs that fit the direction of the song better, which sometimes means writing simpler parts that still sound good. Phil’s vocals also weigh the record down, sounding strained and uninspired, like he’s stuck on the toilet trying to pass a Magic 8 Ball. There are glimpses of his classic vocal sound, but the majority of the record does not have that. I had just seen them in 2022 and Phil sounded great vocally, so it was a nasty surprise to hear his vocals sound so poor on this record. Finally, the recording and mixing sound almost amateur, which causes the lead guitar to sound harsh during high notes. Josh Wilbur failed when it came to the production value and mixing for this album. The rhythm section holds most of the record together, as Matt Deis (returning to bass for the first time in 20 years with the band after being present on This Darkened Heart), Mike Martin (rhythm guitar), and Anthony Barone (drums) do a perfectly fine job with their respective roles on the recording. They play the music and keep the over-the-top playing to a minimum, despite it further highlighting Jason’s playing and Phil’s vocals.
There aren’t many songs on AntiFragile that I’d listen to in the future, but there are a few that stand out from the noise. “Kerosene” is fast-paced and brutal with a great guitar riff and a decent chorus. I enjoyed hearing some old-school high screams shine through occasionally but I especially enjoyed the slow wind-up Jason did on the guitar leading into the breakdown, which transitions to a sweeping guitar solo that is not as flashy as the rest of the guitar playing on the record (thankfully). “AntiFragile” is a heavy track that reminds me of something from For We Are Many. The main guitar riff is tight and fun and the breakdown has glimpses of my favorite All That Remains breakdown from “Some of the People, All of the Time”, leaning into more of a Deathcore sound. Finally, “Poison It” runs at a break-neck speed at times that gives you whiplash. It’s the closest thing to a bone-crushing track you’ll get on this record. Anthony’s blast beats are a killer addition, and Jason sounds a little more subdued here, which is a relief.
The rest of the album isn’t memorable and the more melodic songs are a waste of time. “No Tomorrow” is a boring Hard Rock song that tries to recapture the glory of a song like “What If I Was Nothing” and fails. Most of “The Piper” also tries to be a more Hard Rock-leaning track that bored me the entire time, mostly due to Phil’s flat and forced vocal performance. AntiFragile is not what I was looking for from the band after going 7 years without new music. Maybe Phil needs to focus less on his MAGA beliefs masked by a Libertarian persona, his anger toward the “wokeness” in the world, and remember his own lyrics “I will not give in to fascist beliefs”. Phil has begun to support the very things he wrote against almost 20 years ago and is letting it infect his music. He could also benefit from a meeting with a vocal coach and laying off the cigarettes. We haven’t been just witnessing the fall of ideals in the United States but also the fall of All That Remains.