All That Remains

There's no doubt that Massachusetts band All That Remains have definitely progressed since their 1998 debut, Behind Silence and Solitude, but while this album is destined to be coveted by the post-nu metal suburban set, one wishes for the hunger and brittleness of their earlier albums. Vocalist Phil Labonte's clean vocals are quite prominent, even impressive on the title track, but while he can deftly switch between the more "traditional" death growl to clean singing, the variance on vocal techniques, like on "Aggressive Opposition," sounds more for show than substance, at times. The same can be said for other death metal norms, such as wind milled double-bass and breakdowns, which sound almost forced for legitimacy's sake instead of actually adding an aggressive edge to tracks like "For the Last Time," which is essentially a B-grade Slipknot track. There's nothing wrong with wanting to sell albums, but For We Are Many, while technically solid, sounds like the band are tired of being hungry, yet still want to keep what little underground metal street cred they have left.