*YAWN*
Oh, hey guys. Sorry, I must have fallen asleep while listening to the new All That Remains song. Man, remember when we thought this band was really cool and exciting? Good times.
-Dan
Jesse Leach Returns to Killswitch Engage!
It has been the dream of many people for nearly a decade, and with one glorious picture on Killswitch Engage‘s official website, dreams really can come true!
They look so happy! While no official official word has been given, you can safely assume by the pic that former Killswitch vocalist Jesse Leach has returned to the band. Great news!!! It was awesome watching videos of him and the few performances he did with the band in the last year or two, and with the whole Times of Grace project, there was a lot of speculation after Howard Jones left that he may return. In my mind that is the best choice the band could make. No Philswitch, no random dude trying to fit in with a group of guys who’ve been together for over a decade, but bringing back the guy who helped put them on the map. The band has already been writing for the new album, hopefully Jesse will get to put his spin on it and we can hear some new Killswitch in the near future!
-Chris
Howard Jones Officially Out of Killswitch Engage
Killswitch Engage just released a statement on their facebook page on the current status of the band and vocalist Howard Jones:
To our family, friends and fans: We have decided to continue on without Howard Jones as the singer of Killswitch Engage. We love Howard and are thankful for the nine years that we’ve had him in the band. Out of respect for everyone involved we will not be discussing the specific reasons behind this decision. Howard is a part of our family and always will be, and we wish him well. He has left big shoes to fill, so we certainly have our work cut out for us to find the next singer of Killswitch, something we plan on making priority #1 going forward. Most importantly, thanks to all of you for all the support throughout the years and for sticking by us for all this time. We really do appreciate it and we very much look forward to having a new record for all of you in the not too distant future that we can all be proud of.
Sincerely, Adam, Joel, Mike & Justin.
Bummer. There were all kinds of rumors with what was going on with Howard after his departure mid tour, now close to two years ago. Between issues with some porn star, to drug and alcohol related things, the internet was slinging out all kinds of crazy stories. At this point it doesn’t sound like we will ever really know what happened, but we wish Howard the best. He is an awesome vocalist both on albums AND live, which is one thing I really admired about the guy.
Like the statement said, the band have some big shoes to fill (literally) – I caught his boot to my face when he was crowd surfing at a show at The Fillmore….it sucked. There’s always that hope that the band would reunite with former singer Jesse Leach, which is basically what happened with Times of Grace – but with that not already happening before I doubt that will be the case. We can hope right!? Phil Labonte took Jones’ place on tour and wasn’t terrible, but it just wasn’t the same. Let’s hope the boys can find someone that can fill those boots!
-Chris
All That Remains – For We Are Many
While All That Remains have always flirted with a somewhat mainstream sound, their romance with cookie cutter song structures, full-on singing, and more melodic ballads seems stronger than ever on For We Are Many.
The album begins promisingly, with the punishing march of “Now Let Them Tremble” before tearing into the title track; an up-tempo song, packed full of Gothenburg-esque riffs and vocals consisting mostly of a screaming Phil Labonte. Add in a rippin’ guitar solo, and before you know it, the three-minute track is over. From this point on, the album becomes fairly predictable, beginning with the “The Last Time”, a track consisting of purely clean vocals, and a very simple structure. This framework is also noticable on tracks like “Faithless” and “Hold On”. Other tracks like “Some of the People, All of the Time” or “Aggressive Opposition” take a more aggressive approach, but ultimately fall victim to the simple structure or a “brootal” breakdown.
All That Remains strong suit has always been the guitar work from both Oli Herbert and Mike Martin. While the duo get their licks in, specifically on “From the Outside” and “Keepers of Fellow Man”, their solo’s often seem too short, and toned down compared to previous outings. Another downfall is that many of the track’s verses consist of more breakdowns than actual riffs. Yes, this is indeed metalcore, but it just seems too easy coming from two guys who have proven they can shred.
Breaking the predictability, one track really stands out as the high point on this album. Much like “The Weak Willed” on The Fall of Ideals, “Dead Wrong” is easily the heaviest track on For We Are Many and offers a “Where did that come from!?” kind of moment. Everything really seems to click on this track. Between more intricate guitar and drum work, a sludgy, memorable chorus, stronger vocals, and BASS (yes, BASS! You can actually hear Jeanne Sagan for about 2 seconds!) it all comes together on the track, providing a song that stands out from anything else the band has really done.
If I take anything away from this album, it’s that All That Remains have become one of the leaders of what I call a “Gateway” band. The band are great at what they do, and they have now perfected their formula for a radio-friendly metal song. Much like what Killswitch Engage have done, a once heavy band has moved into a more listener friendly format, but can still maintain a somewhat heavy “edge” over radio competition (although ATR seem to be giving in quite a bit). The band’s music now serves as an introduction to metal for many people, some of which could turn to heavier bands in the future. In the end, For We Are Many doesn’t really standout as anything particularly unique, but with the course All That Remains has taken over the last three albums, they seem just fine with that.
-Chris
“Make some noise for this kid, because he’s got my DNA inside of him.”
Every so often at a show I see something that can only be described by saying, “What the F*CK!?”. Each of these moments holds a dark, often recalled space in my head. Any and all of these moments were surpassed Saturday night when Killswitch…excuse me, PHILswitch Engage rolled into Denver on the U.S. Rage Tour.
Before I get to the exchange of bodily fluid, a couple other bands were definetely worth mentioning. Unfortunetely a local band and winner of our local rock radio’s “Best Band in Denver Contest” got a chance to open things up. The whole rap/rock scene is apparently alive and well in Denver because this band would have fit perfectly opening up for Hed PE or some other shitastic nu-metal outfit. Between the white guy rapping about pissing on cop cars, drinking, and slutty women, to the generic riffs, half-ass guitar solos, and Korn-like body movements, Dark Tranquillity couldn’t have come sooner….Fresh off the release of their latest album We Are The Void, they blistered through a seven-song set loaded with tracks from Fiction, We Are The Void, and throwing in two tracks from Damage Done. Mikael Stanne’s voice is a force of its own, and he sounded absolutely FIERCE. I love this band, and sometimes feel like I’m writing a Dark Tranquillity blog instead, but an opening slot doesn’t give this band any justice. Luckily, they announced they will be back very soon on a full U.S. headlining tour.
Next was The Devil Wears Prada. I have heard of this band many times, but never took the time to check them out. Maybe it’s their name, that movie with the creepy pale girl in it, or the fact that I expected them to be a screamo, high pitched singing, watered-down metalcore act. While I dont think I’ll be listening to the band often, the band exceeded my…..low expectations. Definetely metalcore, which you all probably know, since I’m the loser who never listened to them before. They were an incredibly energetic band and despite the fact I didn’t dig their music too much, they put on a decent show.
With all the drama and rumors concerning vocalist Howard Jones, Killswitch Engage have managed to keep this tour rolling while only cancelling one date with fill-in man Phil Labonte of All That Remains. Opening with “Rose of Sharyn” Phil’s presence was noticable, but didn’t deminish the quality of the song or performance. Phil didn’t necessarily mimic Howard’s voice, but rather altered his own in a way to better suit Killswitch’s sound. When in doubt, or on some parts when you wondered “Can he sing this?”, Phil opted to let the crowd help him out which worked out just fine. A few songs into the set, guitarist Adam D. was noticeably coughing near the microphone and spit out a self-proclaimed “Lung grape” onto the stage. Phil then came over, picked up the slimy substance and offered Adam D. five bucks to eat it. As I thought the joke was over a kid on the front rail got their attention and apparently agreed to eat it. Phil jumped off the stage and went over to the kid. I figured the kid didn’t think it would actually get this far and that he would decline the loogie draped over Phil’s finger. With a few screams and the jaws dropping of every band member on stage, it was apparent the kid actually downed the beast….a moment that I’m sure the band, and anyone witnessing will never forget. The band mixed it up really well playing a great mix of songs from each album, minus the ONE track they played from their newest self-titled album. The band sounded tight, and musically were as good as ever, and all of Adam D’s antics were on full display. They definetely got the crowd going and closed with the now expected “Holy Diver” cover, a song Phil was NOT meant to sing. While this wasn’t the Killswitch Engage I prefer to see, the band with Phil pulled it off very well, turning what could have easily been a cancelled tour into a great show.
Now for some mosh pit camera phone action!
-Chris
Philswitch Engage
Rumors are swirling around the metal world after it was announced that Killswitch Engage vocalist Howard Jones is leaving the current tour due to “unforseen circumstances”. All That Remains frontman Phil Labonte will fill in for Jones temporarily while the band comes to a decision for the remainder of the tour.
I was really pumped for this tour for these reasons; Dark Tranquillity is playing, Killswitch Engage are an awesome live band, and Dark Tranquillity is playing.
Although Phil has an incredible range and a great singing voice, its hard for me to imagine hearing him sing Killswitch songs and have it sound as good, but I did get over Jesse Leach’s departure and embraced Howard’s arrival, so maybe that will be the case once again.
Many people speculated earlier as to why Jones has left. Is he rejoining Blood Has Been Shed? Is there a rift in the Killswitch Engage camp? Will Phil join Killswitch Engage full-time? After all, he DID try-out and eventually lost the job to Jones……we now have an answer. Sort of.
Phil tweeted/twitted/twatted “Yep, I’m singing for KsE until Hojo gets better. Not sure how long it will be but I’m here till they don’t need me anymore.”
Sounds like it won’t be a permanent gig, and hopefully all goes well on Howard’s end and he will be back soon.
-Chris
DC Metal Review 