Madness (All That Remains album)

Last updated

Madness
ATRMadness.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedApril 28, 2017
Recorded2016
StudioWest Valley Studios, Woodland Hills, California, U.S.
Genre
Length50:21
Label
Producer Howard Benson [1]
All That Remains chronology
The Order of Things
(2015)
Madness
(2017)
Victim of the New Disease
(2018)
Singles from Madness
  1. "Madness"
    Released: February 3, 2017
  2. "Safe House"
    Released: February 3, 2017
  3. "Halo"
    Released: March 24, 2017
  4. "Louder"
    Released: April 13, 2017
  5. "The Thunder Rolls"
    Released: August 22, 2017

Madness is the eighth studio album by the American heavy metal band All That Remains. It was released on April 28, 2017, [2] on Razor & Tie Records. Madness is the first studio album produced by Howard Benson, as well as the first album to feature bassist Aaron Patrick. While this is the band's next-to-last album with guitarist Oli Herbert, it is also their last album to be released in his lifetime.

Contents

Background

In the past All That Remains would start the process with guitar riffs, then add vocals and lyrics. But for Madness, under producer Howard Benson, they reversed that: Labonte and other writers started with lyrics/vocals (melodies), then got chord progressions and riffs around that. [3] Vocalist Phil Labonte told Revolver magazine about band's approach on the new disc: "We wanted to mix it up a little bit and write from a vocal perspective this time. So I went to L.A. and came up with vocal ideas and melodies and then sent those chord progressions back to Oli Herbert and he wrote riffs in response to that. Doing it this way turned the record into a vocal album as opposed to a guitar album. And that affected some things. Like, there might be less intricacy in the riffs because they were written in response to my voice." [4] He also called the album a natural progression of their sound. [5]

Musical style

Labonte added that the majority of the new songs features "significant programming and electronic sounds. And that's something we wanted to have flowing through the entire record. So you're gonna hear that kind of influence on most of the tracks." [6]

Phil also stated: "On this record, there's five songs on the record that are exactly what you would expect from All That Remains. There's some songs where we kind of were, like, 'All right, let's push this and maybe change what we can do, or what All That Remains is allowed to do.' But it ain't like we're not heavy anymore. And if you're just, like, 'Oh, they're not heavy anymore,' then you're just not listening." [6]

The lyrics touch upon repeating harmful patterns, societal critiques, and a defiant "stick it to the man" attitude . Songs such as “Louder” and “Trust and Believe” are about standing up for oneself, not letting others define you, being assertive in who you are. [7] The music video for the title track received praise for sending a powerful message on post-traumatic stress disorder of military vets. [8]

Crypitic Rock wrote “The album mixes aggressive metal/metalcore sections (screams, breakdowns, heavy riffs) with more melodic vocals, cleaner choruses, acoustic or softer parts. This contrast underscores the lyrical themes: dark vs light, conflict vs resolution, struggle vs hope.” [9]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Distorted Sound5/10 [10]
Exclaim! 4/10 [11]
Metal Hammer Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [12]
Rock RevoltStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [13]
Cryptic RockStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [14]
Digital JournalStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [15]
Metal Temple8/10 [16]
Ultimate Guitar 6/10 [17]

The album received mixed reviews. Aaron J. Marko of Exclaim! described the album as mediocre, generic and archaic. [11] Christopher Di Carlo of Overdrive magazine, [18] on the other hand, described the album as beautiful yet heavy. Jeannie Blue for Cryptic Rock stated “Madness is a somewhat schizophrenic dichotomy: equal parts pulsating, crushing bass and drums that echo the siren’s song of Thrash Metal with infectious choruses, catchy melodies, and atmospheric sounds that oft whisper of those Christian Rock folk.” [9] Ultimate Guitar wrote “It's not an atrocious album, and if it had been released by a much lesser-known band that hadn't been known for putting out much better work, it might even be worthy of some genuine praise. But All That Remains can do so much better.” [19] Mike of Didgital Journal on the other hand gave it a more positive review stating “These songs are made to be performed in a live setting, and the band as a whole showcases their talent on this project. This CD is a must for any heavy metal fan.” [20]

Track listing

All lyrics written by Phil Labonte; all music composed by All That Remains, except "The Thunder Rolls," written by Garth Brooks and Pat Alger.

No.TitleLength
1."Safe House"3:37
2."Madness"3:24
3."Nothing I Can Do"3:41
4."If I'm Honest"4:23
5."Halo"4:03
6."Louder"3:11
7."River City"5:34
8."Open Grave"3:42
9."Far from Home"4:05
10."Trust and Believe"3:14
11."Back to You"3:25
12."Never Sorry"3:39
13."The Thunder Rolls" (Garth Brooks cover)4:23
Total length:50:21

Personnel

All That Remains

Additional musicians

Freedom Chorus

  • Diamante (also does additional vocals on "Thunder Rolls")
  • Meron Ryan
  • Sidnie Tipton
  • Lenny Skolnik
  • Seann Bowe

Production

Charts

Chart (2017)Peak
position
Canadian Albums (Billboard) [22] 77
US Billboard 200 [23] 50
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) [24] 9
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard) [25] 1

References

  1. "All That Remains: Listen To Two New Songs 'Madness' And 'Safe House'". Blabbermouth.net. February 2, 2017. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  2. Childers, Chad (February 27, 2017). "All That Remains, 'Madness' – Exclusive Lyric Video Premiere". Loudwire. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  3. Mahoney, Hilary (April 26, 2017). "ALL THAT REMAINS - Never Sorry!". Screamer Magazine. Retrieved October 13, 2025.
  4. "ALL THAT REMAINS Announces 'Madness' U.S. Tour". blabbermouth.net. March 14, 2017. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  5. Blabbermouth (April 11, 2017). "PHIL LABONTE Says 'Madness' Is 'Natural Progression' For ALL THAT REMAINS". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved October 13, 2025.
  6. 1 2 "ALL THAT REMAINS Singer Responds To 'Sellout' Accusations, Says There Is Plenty Of Heavy Material On Upcoming Album". blabbermouth.net. February 22, 2017. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  7. thesoundboardreviews (April 21, 2017). "ALBUM REVIEW: 'Madness' by All That Remains". The Soundboard. Retrieved October 13, 2025.
  8. "All That Remains Reflect PTSD With 'Madness' Video". Loudwire. April 27, 2017. Retrieved October 13, 2025.
  9. 1 2 Blue, Jeannie (April 20, 2017). "All That Remains - Madness (Album Review)". Cryptic Rock. Retrieved October 10, 2025.
  10. White, Jon (May 3, 2017). "ALBUM REVIEW: Madness - All That Remains". Distorted Sound. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
  11. 1 2 "All That Remains Madness". exclaim.ca. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  12. Barbour, Rob (May 2, 2017). "All That Remains - Madness album review". Metal Hammer . Retrieved January 19, 2023.
  13. Vaughn, Tom (April 25, 2017). "ALBUM REVIEW: All That Remains - Madness". Rock Revolt. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
  14. https://crypticrock.com/remains-madness-album-review/
  15. https://www.digitaljournal.com/entertainment/review-all-that-remains-awesome-on-new-studio-album-madness/article/493453
  16. https://metal-temple.com/review/all-that-remains-madness
  17. https://es.ultimate-guitar.com/reviews/compact_discs/all_that_remains/madness/46275/
  18. "Album Review: All That Remains – Madness – Overdrive Music Magazine". Overdrive. May 30, 2017. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  19. "All That Remains: Madness Review". www.ultimate-guitar.com (in Spanish). Retrieved October 13, 2025.
  20. Papadatos, Markos (May 24, 2017). "Review: All That Remains awesome on new studio album 'Madness' (Includes first-hand account)". Digital Journal. Retrieved October 13, 2025.
  21. "Josh Strock – Credits – AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  22. "All That Remains Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
  23. "All That Remains Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
  24. "All That Remains Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
  25. "All That Remains Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 20, 2017.