All That Remains Tears Into Its Innate Madness

To any of you out there who know what a piledriver move is in pro wrestling you know, choreographed or not, it's pretty mind blowing. That's how Massachusetts metal band All That Remains starts off its current cut "Madness". Drummer Jason Costa hits you like a battering ram, as does guitarist Oli Herbert. Check out the latter's solo at the bridge if you need some clue about how serious he is. Every note is calibrated to achieve maximum effect, that effect being total metal bliss. Bass player Aaron Patrick lays his instrument on real thick, kind of like the sensation you get when the sound of a locomotive gets cranking into fourth gear. Nowhere you can hide. Nowhere you can run. You have to steer away from the direction of the skid and hope the damage to your cranium turns out to be minimal. Of course "Madness" would be merely slightly unsettling without the stunning vocal octane shooting from Philip Labonte's obviously beefy throat. The choral refrain shows Phil has more than enough rope with which to hang himself and takes great pleasure in getting the noose ready for action. Basically the lyrics explain that history is going to repeat itself whether any of us are prepared to accept that grim picture or not. We're fallible beings who can't get out of our own way long enough to make any sort of long term social progress. Philip demonstrates how over the stretch of time friends become enemies. We spin around the carousel of time knowing full well how it ends. So much love lost becomes water under the dam because where else is it supposed to wind up anyway. "Madness" is only a three minute ten second track but boy does All That Remains know how to pack optimum punch into that short span of time. Nestle doesn't have nearly this much crunch on bone jarring display. If I were to compare "Madness" to a side of meat I'd have to go with the succulent T-bone steak. The song rolls around in its ample red juices unapologetic about rubbing your nose in it. The tempo isn't in the exceeding the speed limit range but revs up its combustion engine enough to remind you not to take your eyes off this band. All That Remains knows what a good head of steam looks like. The drumming energizes, the guitar cuts straight to your heart and rips out chamber by chamber. Phil's ability to project to the back of the room where the cheap seats are located makes him a consistent force to be reckoned with in metal circles. The overall sound combining Phil's voice and Oli's lethal guitar sends the right kind of shivers down my spine and no doubt possesses the ability to have that impact on countless other fans of both the band and the metal genre itself. Bluntly stated "Madness" gives craziness a very good name indeed.