9 of 15

in BOSTON

Back before Springfield’s All That Remains were headlining their own tours, they were little more than Mass-metal afterthoughts to the likes of Shadows Fall and Killswitch Engage. That changed with All That Remains singer Philip Labonte’s failed Killswitch tryout. The story goes that Labonte was runner-up to current Killswitch vocalist Howard Jones, but after the tryout, Labonte and Killswitch guitarist/producer Adam Dutkiewicz hooked up to record the two albums that morphed All That Remains into today’s best metal/hardcore act in the Bay State: their sophomore breakout This Darkened Heart and the successful follow-up The Fall of Ideals (both Razor & Tie). Both albums weave a mosaic of metalcore perfection — tremolo-picked death-metal-tinged guitar wails intertwine beautifully with acoustic vamps and Labonte’s soaring vocals. Winning this poll without the aid of a hot new album — Ideals peaked at number 75 on the Billboard 200 in 2006 — is quite an accomplishment for a band that was one Howard Jones tryout from no longer existing. And their future is bright: they are currently in the studio recording their latest album with another well-known Mass-metal producer, Jason Suecof (Bury Your Dead) before heading out for this summer’s Warped Tour.

— David Boffa

Runners-up
1. Death Before Dishonor
2. Have Heart
3. Shipwreck A.D.

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