The album has some tracks which have a melodic metalcore sound and some with a standard metal sound which have only singing.[1]
Album sold over 25,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 13 on The Billboard 200 chart.[9] As of February 2015, the album has sold 123,000 copies in the United States.[10]
The writing phase began soon after their 18-month tour in support of their prior album For We Are Many. The group noted that songwriting matured over time; the process wasn’t overly complicated or formulaic with them basically writing the first batch of songs (10-12) they felt good about and used those.[11] Labonte stated in an interview with Blabbermouth.net "We really busted our asses and tried to do some new stuff.”[12]
The first song to be released from the album was "Down Through the Ages". The song was first posted to Labonte's YouTube channel on August 13, 2012. "Stand Up" was released as the next single on August 27 it became one of the band most successful radio hits and reached number one on the Mainstream Rock chart. On October 26, "You Can't Fill My Shadow" was announced as the album's third single.
But the fifth and last single, "What If I Was Nothing", was the greatest hit of the album and of their whole discography. It is a power ballad which has already reached 97 million views in YouTube. In this song Philip Labonte sings about some of his former problems with his wife. it peaked at number two on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and at number 3 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart.
Musical style
Drummer Jason Costa stated about the album: "This is a very guitar, very melody-oriented album. It wasn't very rhythm-based at all. I would just say it's metal; it's a metal album. We've got some heavy songs on there, some heavy, groovy songs on there. We've got some fast, heavy songs on there, we've got some more radio-friendly, melodic songs on there. It's typical ALL THAT REMAINS, really, but we've definitely stepped up the musicianship there and the writing."[13] The vocals are a balance between clean and harsh.[14]
Many of the albums lyrics touch upon fighting against overwhelming forces — whether they’re societal systems, corrupt powers, or internal struggles. Many songs pair dark subject matter with messages of perseverance, growth, and hope urging listeners to keep fighting “wars” even when victory seems out of reach.[15]
The album was viewed as the bands shift to a more radio friendly sound. In Loudwire’s review they commented on the albums“more mainstream hard rock direction” and highlights tracks like “What If I Was Nothing” as clear attempts to reach rock radio. Which ultimately worked as the song and other singles from the a received heavy play time on the mainstream rock radio stations.[16]
The album was met with generally positive reviews, Rick Florino writing for Artists Direct gave the album a perfect score stating “Every element has been enhanced here from the vocals to the solos. In essence, it's the perfect hard rock, metal, or whatever-you-want-to-call-it heavy record. A War You Cannot Win sees All That Remains emerge victorious as leaders of the new guard with one of the best albums of 2012.”[17] Chad Bowar writing for Loudwire gave the album a positive review stating “A War You Cannot Win’ is packed with catchy singles and a polished production from Killswitch Engage’s Adam D. that will appeal to the mainstream. There’s also an ample supply of aggression and heaviness to satisfy metalheads. The combination should make it a very successful album.“ He did add “By the last third of the album, there are a few misses.”[16]
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