Phil Labonte | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Philip Steven Labonte |
Born | April 15, 1975 |
Origin | Chicopee, Massachusetts, U.S. |
Genres | |
Occupations |
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Years active | 1995–present |
Member of | All That Remains |
Formerly of | Shadows Fall |
Philip Steven Labonte (born April 15, 1975) is an American singer from Massachusetts, best known as the lead singer of the metalcore band All That Remains. He is the former lead vocalist for Shadows Fall, was the touring vocalist for Killswitch Engage in early 2010, and also filled in for Five Finger Death Punch vocalist Ivan Moody in late 2016. [1] [2]
In the mid-1990s, Labonte was in a band called Perpetual Doom. The band played death metal and its members were teenagers at the time. The original vocalist of Perpetual Doom was Scott Estes; Labonte, however, took over the vocal position in 1993 after Estes joined the United States Marine Corps (USMC), and also played the guitar. In August 1993, Phil left to join the USMC. Perpetual Doom remained inactive for nine months in Phil's absence. In June 1994, upon Phil's return, Perpetual Doom resumed writing with increased intensity. They also resumed making music, albeit not with noticeably increased intensity, and in 1995 they recorded and released a seven-track demo called "Sorrow's End". [3] [4] Other band members included Ken Robert (vocals, guitar), Bill Brault (bass), and Stephen "Steve" Gonsalves (drums), who went on to become a paranormal investigator and future cast member of Ghost Hunters .
Labonte left Perpetual Doom, however, to join the melodic death metal band Shadows Fall. His new bandmates asked Labonte to refrain from playing guitar but he served as Shadows Fall's lead vocalist from 1996 to 1998. The band's debut record, Somber Eyes to the Sky , was released in 1997 through Lifeless Records, a label owned by Shadows Fall guitarist Matt Bachand. Labonte was asked to leave Shadows Fall due to "musical differences" [5] and was replaced with current vocalist Brian Fair, leaving Somber Eyes to the Sky as the only Shadows Fall record with Labonte on vocals.
Since leaving Shadows Fall in 1998, Labonte has been the leader of All That Remains. Their debut record, Behind Silence and Solitude , was released in 2002 through Prosthetic Records/Razor & Tie, and eight more albums have followed. In 2010, Labonte filled in as Killswitch Engage's vocalist during the band's tour with The Devil Wears Prada and Dark Tranquillity replacing the band's lead singer Howard Jones.
In March 2011, Labonte appeared on CNN in an interview where he discussed his experiences during the 2011 earthquake in Japan. All That Remains was playing a concert in Osaka, Japan, nearly 800 miles from the site of the earthquake, when the earthquake began.
Labonte has cited Cannibal Corpse, Carcass, Grave, [6] Metallica, Iron Maiden, Pantera, and many 1980s hair metal bands [7] as influences. In an interview, Labonte said, "I fell in love with the whole glam world. And then like death metal too, Cannibal Corpse ... it's very wide range of what people like, you know, Justin Timberlake ... all that stuff." [7] He mentioned via Twitter and Facebook that he is a fan of Bring Me the Horizon [8] and The Acacia Strain. [9] He has also expressed fondness of artists outside the heavy metal genre, such as Sarah McLachlan, Garth Brooks, [6] Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Dr. Dre, Taylor Swift, [10] Carly Rae Jepsen, Fall Out Boy, and Skrillex. [11]
Labonte has stated that he is a libertarian. [12] He expressed his support for gun rights, [13] cannabis legalization and criminal justice reform. [14] He is for cutting the size of the military and was critical of U.S. intervention overseas and military bases in the Middle East; he stated: "You can be pro-military and not be pro-imperialism. You can be pro-military and pro-national events and still think that we have too many bases in foreign countries that we just don't need." [15]
He supported Republican presidential candidates Ron Paul in 2012, [16] and Rand Paul in 2016. [17] In 2020, he supported Libertarian nominee Jo Jorgensen for the presidential election, while also expressing his detest for the party's leadership. [18] [19]
Labonte moved to New Hampshire to join the libertarian movement taking place in the state. [20]
In 2023, Labonte became a regular recurring guest on Tim Pool's nightly political podcast, Timcast IRL. [21]
In 2018, Labonte said that he was an atheist, [22] but has since clarified in tweets and Timcast IRL that he is an agnostic. [23] [24] [25]
In 2024, in response to photos taken of the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, Labonte tweeted, "FUCK YES! put this man in office and DESTROY THE LEFT." [26]
Killswitch Engage is an American metalcore band from Westfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1999 after the disbanding of Overcast and Aftershock. Killswitch Engage's current lineup consists of vocalist Jesse Leach, guitarists Joel Stroetzel and Adam Dutkiewicz, bassist Mike D'Antonio, and drummer Justin Foley. The band has released eight studio albums and three live performance albums. Their eighth studio album, Atonement, was released on August 16, 2019.
Alive or Just Breathing is the second studio album by American metalcore band Killswitch Engage. It was released on May 21, 2002, through Roadrunner Records. Alive or Just Breathing was Killswitch Engage's first album on Roadrunner and was recorded from October 2001 to February 2002. Produced by drummer and guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz, this was the band's first album on a major label, which prompted them to write and record the album to the best of their abilities. Alive or Just Breathing has been viewed as a landmark album in the metalcore genre and was well praised upon its release by fans and critics. The lyrics, which were all written by vocalist Jesse Leach, were intended to bring a positive message through the music.
Adam Jonathan Dutkiewicz is an American musician and record producer, best known as the lead guitarist of the metalcore bands Killswitch Engage, Aftershock and Times of Grace, as well as the guitarist and co-lead vocalist for the melodic death metal supergroup Serpentine Dominion.
Jesse David Leach is an American musician, best known as the lead vocalist of the metalcore band Killswitch Engage. He is also a vocalist for Times of Grace and The Weapon. Leach co-founded Killswitch Engage in 1999, but left the band in 2002; in February 2012, he rejoined the group following the departure of vocalist Howard Jones. He currently resides in the Catskill Mountains in New York.
Shadows Fall is an American metalcore band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1996. Although Shadows Fall has experienced several line-up changes, for most of its recording career, Shadows Fall has been composed of guitarists Jon Donais and Matt Bachand, bassist Paul Romanko, lead vocalist Brian Fair and drummer Jason Bittner.
Somber Eyes to the Sky is the debut studio album by American heavy metal band Shadows Fall, released in 1997 on Matt Bachand's own label Lifeless Records in the United States, while the European release was handled by Genet Records. This was the band's last release and only studio album with lead singer Philip Labonte, who helped form All That Remains the following year.
Brian James Fair is an American musician from Massachusetts, best known as lead vocalist of the metalcore band Shadows Fall. He graduated from Milford High School in 1993, and went on to study literature at Boston University.
Matt Bachand is an American guitarist. He has strong death metal and thrash metal influences. He is rhythm guitarist and clean vocalist for the metalcore band Shadows Fall, and the bassist for Act of Defiance.
Behind Silence and Solitude is the debut studio album by the American metalcore band All That Remains, recorded in early 2000 and released on March 26, 2002. It is the only All That Remains album with guitarist Chris Bartlett and bass guitarist Dan Egan. A re-issued, remastered version of the album, with all new artwork, was released on October 9, 2007. The artwork was designed by Killswitch Engage bass guitarist Mike D'Antonio. Being the band's first album, it is the only album not to include any singles or music videos.
Unearth is an American metalcore band formed in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1998. The group consists of lead guitarist Buz McGrath, vocalist Trevor Phipps, bassist Chris O'Toole, drummer Mike Justian and rhythm guitarist Peter Layman. They are currently signed to Century Media Records and have released eight studio albums. Their most recent studio album, The Wretched; the Ruinous, was released on May 5, 2023.
Kirk Michael Windstein is an American musician. He is the frontman, vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and sole constant member of the sludge metal band Crowbar. He is also a founding member of the heavy metal supergroup Down, playing guitar with them from 1991 to 2013 and later rejoining the band in 2020. In 2005, Windstein formed Kingdom of Sorrow with Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed. Their debut album was released in 2008. Windstein began his musical career in 1985 as a guitarist for a cover band called Victorian Blitz, and in 1988 joined a hardcore punk band called Shell Shock as a vocalist and guitarist.
Shannon Lucas is an American heavy metal drummer from Staunton, Virginia. He is best known as the former drummer for melodic death metal band the Black Dahlia Murder and metalcore band All That Remains.
Jeanne Sagan is an American musician. She is the bassist and backing vocalist for the heavy metal band Crossing Rubicon, but is best known as the former bassist and backing vocalist for the heavy metal-metalcore band All That Remains from 2006 to 2015. Before joining All That Remains, she was bassist in the band The Acacia Strain in 2003. In 2006, she was asked to join All That Remains after bassist Matt Deis left the band. She originally worked merchandise tables for Prosthetic Records.
All That Remains is an American heavy metal band from Springfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1998. They have released nine studio albums, a live CD and DVD, and have sold over a million records worldwide. The group currently consists of vocalist Philip Labonte, rhythm guitarist Mike Martin, lead guitarist Jason Richardson, bassist Matt Deis and drummer Anthony Barone, with Labonte being the last remaining original member. In spite of this, the band's line-up had remained consistent from the release of 2008's Overcome until 2015's The Order of Things, spanning four albums. This line-up changed, however, in September 2015, when long-time bassist Jeanne Sagan left the band, with Aaron Patrick taking her place, and then again in February 2019, when the band confirmed that Richardson would be joining the band to replace the deceased lead guitarist and original member, Oli Herbert. In 2021, Patrick parted ways with All That Remains to focus on his other band, Bury Your Dead. Patrick would be replaced in 2022 by Matt Deis.
Melodic metalcore is a fusion genre, incorporating elements of melodic death metal and metalcore; it has a heavy emphasis on melodic instrumentation, distorted guitar tones, palm muting, double bass drumming, blast beats, metalcore-stylized breakdowns, and vocals that range from aggressive screaming and death growls to clean singing. The genre has seen commercial success for employing a more accessible sound at times compared to other forms of extreme music. Many notable melodic metalcore bands have been influenced by At the Gates and In Flames.
Impending Doom is an American Christian deathcore band from Riverside, California. The group has released six full-length studio albums and are currently a four piece with lead vocalist Brook Reeves as one of the two original remaining members along with Manny Contreras who left the band in 2010 but returned in 2012. The band refers to their style of music as "gorship" - a portmanteau of the words gore and worship.
Overcome is the fourth studio album by the American metalcore band All That Remains. It was released on September 19, 2008. Overcome is the first album by All That Remains that was not produced by Adam Dutkiewicz of Killswitch Engage and also the first album with drummer Jason Costa.
Times of Grace is an American metalcore band formed in Southampton, Massachusetts. The group consists of Adam Dutkiewicz and Jesse Leach while guitarist Joel Stroetzel, bassist Matt Bachand, drummer Dan Gluszak complete the touring lineup. An album was planned for 2009. However, the group remained largely inactive until 2010, releasing the single "Strength in Numbers", with their debut album, titled The Hymn of a Broken Man, released in 2011 through Roadrunner Records.
A War You Cannot Win is the sixth studio album by American metalcore band All That Remains. The album was released on November 6, 2012, through Razor & Tie.
Victim of the New Disease is the ninth studio album by American metalcore band All That Remains. It was released on November 9, 2018 on Razor & Tie Records. It is the final album to feature founding guitarist Oli Herbert, who died on October 17, 2018, less than a month prior to the album's release, and the band's final album with bassist Aaron Patrick and longtime drummer Jason Costa before their departures in 2021 and 2023, respectively. The album marks a return to the band's heavier metalcore roots. Victim of the New Disease sold over 5,300 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 154 on Billboard 200 chart.
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