The Fall of Ideals

Background

The Fall of Ideals was produced by Killswitch Engage guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz and engineered by Soilwork guitarist Peter Wichers. The release marked a turning point for band, as they shifted away from the heavier death metal sound of their first two records. With The Fall of Ideals, the group embraced a more melodic metalcore approach that would come to shape much of their future work. This album also featured the debut of bassist Jeanne Sagan, who would go on to become a longtime member of the lineup. The album was the band's first to enter the Billboard 200 charts, at number 75, with just under 13,000 copies sold. On May 23, 2008, it was announced that the album had sold in excess of 175,000 copies worldwide. As of 2021, it has since sold over 450,00 copies.

Labonte described the recording process as the most relaxing session they ever had with Adam Dutkiewicz, stating “we showed up with our ideas and were kinda expecting Adam to be like, ‘Well change this and change that.’ [But] there was very little that he thought should change. He was like, ‘Yeah, this is all good.'”

The album cover was created by Travis Smith.

The song "Six" is featured in Guitar Hero II. "This Calling" is available as downloadable content for Rock Band and is also used as the lead track for the Saw III soundtrack and on the Masters of Horror II soundtrack.

Music and lyrics

The music on The Fall of Ideals has been characterized as "speedy metalcore that takes obvious cues from melodeath." According to Revolver, "The Fall of Ideals represents the pinnacle of [All That Remains'] focused headbanging metalcore era." Phillip Labonte's screams on the album have been described as "deep," and Oli Herbert's guitar riffs are described as "intense". Labonte’s vocals also range from grindcore growls and howls to metal screams and yells to smooth melodies. The album's instrumentation makes use of harmonized guitar work, as well as what Greg Prato of AllMusic describes as "chug-a-lug riffs," drawing comparison to Iron Maiden and Metallica.

Lambgoat described the album as “more melodic. For example, while most songs use the formula of having metal verses, and melodic singing choruses, the sixth track (entitled "Six") is very close to a melodic death metal songs, ala Vehemence. On the flip side there are tracks that utilize more melody, whether in the riffs or singing, than an aggressive, metal style." Having Shannon Lucas’ drumming also permitted them to explore more aggressive double-bass and fast parts. This resulted in the song "This Calling", which came together after Labonte tested out how fast Shannon could play double bass.

As for the composition of the album lead singer Phil Labonte stated in a 2007 interview:

Lyrics

Labonte has stated that the album's lyrics were more uplifting/optimistic compared to the band's previous two records due to him being in a positive spot in his life while writing them, stating “I felt like I had a lot of things to say and a lot of stuff I wanted to get across to people and I was in a really really good spot in my life. And I felt things were so optimistic and we were very excited.” “So that’s why there’s so many songs, like ‘The Air That I Breathe,’ that are just about overcoming challenges … ‘It Dwells in Me’ ... those songs really kind of speak to making the most out of your situation. And that was kinda where I was … things felt good and it felt really natural … It was a special time.” Despite this, some tracks with negative connotations such as "Six", which is lyrically themed around heartbreak, exist on the record. The song “We Stand” was originally ment to be an instrumental track is about self-reliance and fortitude.” In a review by Ultimate guitar they stated “the lyrics seem to follow a certain trend Like a guy struggling with various problems but still prevails, never giving up and pulling through.”

When asked about the albums title and lyrical themes of the album Labonte responded:

Reception

Legacy

The album has been described as a metalcore classic, genre defining, and having "set the template" for future metalcore bands that would follow. Loudwire stated “It’s an album that helped more people take metalcore seriously as a genre, and bridge the worlds between metal’s more extreme and accessible ends of the spectrum.” In 2019, the album was voted #3 in Revolver Magazine’s top 5 greatest metalcore albums of all time. In 2020 it was voted the 5th greatest metalcore album of all time on Ultimate Guitar.

In 2022 All That Remains embarked on a 15th anniversary tour for the album, playing it in its entirety. That same year the band released a 15 minute documentary looking back on the albums creation and impact.

Track listing

Personnel

;All That Remains

• Phil Labonte – vocals
• Oli Herbert – guitar, acoustic guitar
• Mike Martin – guitar
• Jeanne Sagan – bass
• Shannon Lucas – drums Credits adapted from the official release of this LP ;Production
• Produced and mixed by Adam Dutkiewicz
• Engineered by Peter Wichers
• Mastered by Alan Douches
• A&R by EJ Johantgen and Dan Fitzgerald

Charts

References

References

1. "All That Remains This Calling (Single)".
2. "All That Remains The Air That I Breathe (Single)".
3. "All That Remains Not Alone (Single)".
4. Staff, Revolver. "All That Remains 'The Fall of Ideals': 7 Things You Didn't Know About Metalcore Hit".
5. [http://www.metalmartyr.com/all-that-remains-upcoming-cd-title-overcome-for-late-summer-release/ "All That Remains Upcoming CD Title ‘Overcome’ For Late Summer Release"] {{Webarchive. link. (October 15, 2008, Posted May 23, 2008.)
6. Blabbermouth. (2021-08-25). "ALL THAT REMAINS To Celebrate 15th Anniversary Of 'The Fall Of Ideals'".
7. (2010-08-16). "All That Remains' 'For We Are Many' Album Artwork Revealed".
8. Crane, Matt. "13 metalcore songs any death-metal fan can like".
9. Staff, Revolver. "Fan Poll: 5 Greatest Metalcore Albums".
10. "All That Remains: The Fall Of Ideals Review".
11. "The Fall of Ideals - All That Remains {{!}} Album {{!}} AllMusic".
12. "ALL THAT REMAINS 'The Fall of Ideals' Album Review".
13. Wright, James. (2007-06-13). "Interview with All That Remains lead singer Phil Labonte".
14. [http://heavymetal.about.com/od/cdreviews/gr/allthatremains.htm ''The Fall of Ideals'' overview.] [[About.com. About: Heavy Metal]]
15. [{{AllMusic
16. link. (September 30, 2007 [[Blabbermouth]])
17. Perri, David. (September 2006). "Hardwares: Brave Picks".
18. [http://www.popmatters.com/pm/music/reviews/all-that-remains-the-fall-of-ideals/ ''The Fall of Ideals'' review.] [[PopMatters]]
19. https://es.ultimate-guitar.com/reviews/compact_discs/all_that_remains/the_fall_of_ideals/12454
20. https://lambgoat.com/albums/2083/all-that-remains-the-fall-of-ideals/
21. https://www.seaoftranquility.org/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=4118
22. "The Fall of Ideals - All That Remains {{!}} Album {{!}} AllMusic".
23. "BLABBERMOUTH.NET".
24. "All That Remains: The Fall of Ideals - PopMatters Music Review".
25. "Review: "All That Remains: The Fall of Ideals" - Sea of Tranquility - The Web Destination for Progressive Music!".
26. Arneson, Sven. (2021-10-27). "All That Remains to Celebrate 15 Years of 'The Fall of Ideals' in Bozeman".
27. Blabbermouth. (2021-08-25). "ALL THAT REMAINS To Celebrate 15th Anniversary Of 'The Fall Of Ideals'".
28. Staff, Revolver. "Fan Poll: 5 Greatest Metalcore Albums".
29. Hill, John HillJohn. (2017-10-05). "All That Remains Albums Ranked".
30. "Friday Top: 20 Best Metalcore Albums of All Time".
31. Blabbermouth. (2023-05-30). "ALL THAT REMAINS's 'The Fall Of Ideals' Certified Gold In U.S.".
32. Rizwan, Rabia. (2022-04-12). "All That Remains Drop "The Fall of Ideals" Documentary".
33. (2006-07-11). "All That Remains - The Fall Of Ideals".
34. (2025-02-13). "ALL THAT REMAINS".