Album Review: All That Remains - The Fall Of Ideals (2006) B+

Sounds Like: Killswitch Engage, A Perfect Murder

Metalcore act All That Remains should really think about changing their name to Killswitch Remains, because their latest record, The Fall Of Ideals, could nearly pass as a release from the multiracial quintet. And that's actually a giant compliment considering All That Remains' last album, This Darkened Heart, was generic metalcore of the worst kind.

But by adding clean, melodic vocals, All That Remains has taken itself out of the realm of screamo (such as As I Lay Dying) and into Killswitch's arena. They even up the ante on KSE with some nifty lead guitar work throughout the album. But this all makes sense once you read the liner notes and find that Killswitch's very own Adam Dutkiewicz (guitars) produced this record. Go figure.

There are some tracks which feature very gutteral, near death metal style vocals, and I'm not too crazy about those despite their technical competence. Still, I was very surprised to like this record as much as I did. It's a strong, if somewhat derivative effort in a crowded field.