All That Remains

Keeping tuned in to the fashionable premise of strident harmonies and floor punching chugs, All That Remains combine aspects of metal that everyone trying to hop on the bandwagon reference. They insist that they have a lot more to achieve, which is believable when the 40 minutes is up and one is left feeling unlearned. The finger work all melts into the same endless, hammer-on mania that undermines any sort of ingenuity. There is a definitive ’80s rock presence, summoning the guitar solos that made metal ballads the stuff of cynicism and mockery. It is not poorly written, nor without its merits, but the steadfast allegiance to their thriving genre becomes exhausting. The album was engineered, produced and mixed by Adam Dutkiewicz of Killswitch Engage who gives it the same crisp metalcore sound that is currently bestowing his band with immense popularity. Fans of KSE, Darkest Hour, and even more mosh-oriented bands like Most Precious Blood may enjoy this habitually mediocre record.