Review: All That Remains - The Order of Things
By Eric Perzanowski, Staff Writer
[Razor & Tie; 2015]
Rating: 2.5/5
Key Tracks: “Pernicious,” “The Greatest Generation”
If ever there were a surefire way for a band to alienate its fanbase, it would be to deviate from the sound that made the band popular. Although its change in style hasn’t been as drastic as that of some other groups, All That Remains has received some criticism for shifting towards a more mainstream hard rock sound since The Fall of Ideals in 2006.
This evolution hasn’t gone hand-in-hand with a decline in quality, as 2008’s Overcome was a good album, and For We Are Many was decent two years later. However, A War You Cannot Win was probably my least favorite album of all 2012. While still somewhat flawed, All That Remains’ newest offering, The Order of Things, is a large step up from A War You Cannot Win.
In an interview with Blabbermouth, drummer Jason Costa said, “It definitely still sounds like us. But the heavy stuff is heavier, and the faster stuff is faster.” This is definitely true, especially in comparison to the album’s predecessor. Songs like “No Knock” and “Pernicious” have vintage All That Remains “heavy” qualities like growling and screaming vocal approaches, as well as a powerful use of double bass drums.
Even though recent releases have been more rock-oriented with less emphasis on metallic riffing and patterns, guitarist Oli Herbert always seems to stand out, and his work on The Order of Things improves upon his efforts on recent LPs. He has a knack for highly energetic and shamelessly catchy riffs, as well as impressive solos. The solo on “A Reason for Me to Fight” immediately warranted several replays.
As catchy and melodic as some of the verses are, tracks like “This Probably Won’t End Well” and “Tru-Kvlt-Metal” are hindered by underwhelming hooks and choruses. “This Probably Won’t End Well” is a prime example; it begins with a jumpy, rocking vibe and it seems like the chorus should top the energy and melody but it just flounders.
Another flaw is the formulaic and clichéd material that appears throughout the album. “Divide” is an example of this. Despite its catchiness, it sounds all too familiar, as though it was made by several other bands that sound like All That Remains.
Because A War You Cannot Win turned out to be such a disappointment, it would have been easy to expect The Order of Things to follow suit. Fortunately, this is not the case. Even though there is room for improvement, and I’m still not sold on the mainstream leanings, it’s good to see this band is able to write some decent tunes.
