ALL THAT REMAINS Albums Ranked from Worst to Best [OutRanked]

To celebrate the release of All That Remains’ newest record, Madness, I thought it was about time somebody ranked the metalcore masters’ albums. The band has had their fair share of ups and downs over the years and even dabbled in the odd bit of controversy. Album after album, from the band split and a divided opinion among fans, the group have forged onward. And, while many were concerned about the band moving away from their roots and, at times, veering away from metal and into radio-friendly rock, they remain a metallic mainstay.

Despite my differences with the band’s more recent efforts, I too have stuck with them–I’ve been a fan of their material for around 13 years. While I’d argue that the quality of their material has dropped fairly alarmingly since A War You Cannot Win, there have always been kernels of quality in each of their records. Enough of my babbling though, here’s how I rate the All That Remains catalogue.

Check out the band’s music video for the new song “Madness”

08. Madness (2017)
– I really disliked All That Remains’ newest record. It takes all the worst elements of A War You Cannot Win and The Order of Things, and turns them up to eleven. Phil Labonte will hate me for saying this, but there is just nothing to this record. It’s not heavy in the slightest. This is the first All That Remains album that isn’t metal and it really, really suffers because of it.

07. The Order of Things (2015)
– Still a metal record, but only just. “No Knock” is a great track but it sticks out like a sore thumb in an album obsessed with mediocrity. Tracks like “No Knock”, “A Reason For Me to Fight” and even the divisive “Tru-Kvlt-Metal” are like glitter on a turd. Good tracks, but not good enough to recommend the album.

06. A War You Cannot Win (2012)
– The band’s 2012 effort isn’t too bad. “A Call to All Non-Believers”, “You Can’t Fill My Shadow” and “Down Through the Ages” all feel like classic ATR tracks to me. Overall, the tone is more akin to the All That Remains we know and love, despite the terrible, over-produced pop garbage “What If I Was Nothing”.

05. Overcome (2008)
– Following The Fall of Ideals would have been a difficult ask for any band, and, surprise surprise, All That Remains struggled. Overcome doesn’t deserve the negative reputation it has gathered over the years, however. It’s heavy, fast and rather enjoyable – a shame that the mix was awful.

04. Behind Silence and Solitude (2002)
– The band’s first record is their most different. It’s heavier, muddier and features no clean singing. I’ve always had a bit of soft spot for this black sheep in All That Remains’ discography despite its repetitive nature. It’s nice and raw.

03. For We Are Many (2010)
– All That Remains’ 2010 release is very, very good. It’s heavy, catchy and well produced. After the slight misfire of Overcome, it showed that the band was still able to write really heavy material. It’s such a shame that they haven’t returned to this style of writing since. It’s a million times better than anything they’ve released since.

02. The Fall of Ideals (2006)
– Whoa now. I didn’t put The Fall of Ideals in first place? This is about as controversial as the band itself. For years now, this record has been a mainstay and one of the pinnacles of metalcore, and for very good reason. It’s an excellent album, and one I still listen to a lot, 11 years after release. People talk a lot about “This Calling”, but the dark, brutal “The Weak Willed” is the best on the record. The Fall of Ideals is a true metal classic.

01. This Darkened Heart (2004)
– In my opinion This Darkened Heart did for All that Remains what Alive or Just Breathing did for Killswitch Engage. Both records took what was great about the band’s debut, and improved on it. This Darkened Heart took the heaviness of the first record, and developed it, refined it and to some extent, the sound they created has come to define the band. It’s slower than the group’s releases since, but the chunky riffs are great fun. This Darkened Heart also introduced to the world Phil Labonte’s clean singing, and to this day, for better and for worse, the band hasn’t looked back. This Darkened Heart is, in my eyes, a perfect metalcore album.