Interview: All That Remains

bst interviews all that remains by rob tatum Recently, bst had the chance to interview Phil Labonte, the vocalist of Massachusetts outfit All That Remains. We spent some time asking Phil about the band's touring, the resurgance of heavy music, and more. The following is a recap of the interview. If you are interested in learning more about and listening to All That Remains, visit the band's official website, and Prosthetic Records. bst: Please state your names and instruments. Phil: My name is Phil and I am the vocalist. bst: What is it that you think separates All That Remains from other bands? Music? Lyrics? Vocals? All of the above? Phil: I would say music mostly, vocals and lyrics just a bit. We try not to get into a mold with our stuff but still write songs that are songs. Above all we write what we want to hear. bst: What do you expect listeners to take from This Darkened Heart? What were the main inspirations behind the album? Phil: I don't expect people to take anything from the record, if they do find it personal and that it relates to them. That's great, if not I just hope they listen and think it's a good record with good songs. bst: As heavy music continues to gain in popularity, where do you see the band going as a result of this? Do you see any potential problems that may result from this popularity? Phil: I think we may be able to pay the bills someday. That's really all we hope to do, just be able to play music for a living. At the end of the day that's all that matters. bst: What are you thoughts about the bigger tours (Warped Tour, Ozzfest, Sounds of the Underground)? Do you enjoy playing for bigger, diverse crowds? Or do you feel at home with a smaller, more intimate setting? Phil: I like the idea of bigger tours, the summer festivals have done great things for heavy music. I like the idea of getting our music to as many people as possible. That's why we tour in the first place. At the same time intimate is probably a more fun show for us to play. I like to have crowd participation. bst: Speaking of touring and shows, what would be your dream show/tour? Why? Phil: Right now it would be either Carcass, us, and I don't give a fuck who else, just because I want to see Carcass. Or Shadows Fall, Killswitch Engage, Unearth, us, and The Acacia Strain. We could call it Massholes Across America. bst: You guys hail from Massachusetts, which seems to be the Mecca of metalcore lately; do you think that makes things easier or harder on the band? Does the success of bands like Unearth and Diecast make you guys strive to push yourselves harder? Phil: I will say that I think we don't get a fair shot with some people on the one hand and it draws more attention to us at the same time. I guess it kind of evens out in the end. As for pushing us harder, no. We have never looked at making music a competition. bst: What has been the biggest obstacle that you have overcome as a band? What would you consider the band’s greatest achievement to this point? What goals do you have for the future? Phil: Surviving the summer after Behind Silence and Solitude came out. We kicked out our guitar player, our bass player quit, and our drummer broke his arm. As for goals like I just said earlier just to pay the bills and write good heavy metal. bst: What are your plans at the conclusion of this tour? More touring? Recording? R&R? Phil: Touring, touring, a month off then more touring. We'll probably have a month off between now and Christmas. We go into the studio in January. So we have to write. bst: How do you guys feel about the internet and mp3’s? Do you feel that it is an asset to bands (specifically up-and-coming ones), or do you see it as a problem? Phil: I don't know, it's a double edged sword. We want to get our music out to as many people as we can. So I guess it's a good thing at the end of the day. bst: Thanks a ton for taking the time to answer the questions. We really appreciate it. See you guys in Denver. all that remains official site