All That Remains’ Phil Labonte: Not Touring in a Van Makes Us More Stable

All That Remains' latest album, 'For We Are Many,' is aptly-named. Many of their fans showed their unwavering support for the Massachusetts metal band by going to record stores and gobbling up copies of the album. It debuted in the illustrious top 10 on the Billboard sales chart, after all.

Vocalist Phil Labonte said the band wasn't phased when attempting to follow up the 2008's 'Overcome,' which was their most successful effort to date in a career that has seen the band steadily rise since their 2002 debut, 'Behind Silence and Solitude.'

They weren't affected by any added internal pressure or the fact that they have surpassed many of their peers, who are left eating their dust. For ATR, those are all moot points. "We never think about that stuff, ever," Labonte told Noisecreep emphatically. "We just try to write the best songs we can at that time. People are gonna make up their own minds anyway, so it's no use worrying about it."

One of the reason that ATR have been able to thrive is that they have enjoyed a solid, stable lineup for the past few years. While Labonte and guitarists Mike Martin and Oli Herbert have always comprised the songwriting core of All That Remains, the lineup's stability can be attributed to transportation. Vans be damned! "The stable lineup probably comes from the fact that we're not in a van anymore," Labtone said. "The last member change was the last tour we did in a van."

'We Are Many' was produced by Killswitch Engage guitarist Adam D., whose fingerprints are all over modern metal, since he has produced platters by Underoath, Unearth and Parkway Drive, to name a few.

Despite Adam D.'s goofy public persona -- his onstage attire often consists of capes and Daisy Dukes shorts, while various unsavory jokes pepper his crowd banter -- Labonte insists that when in the studio and in work mode, the producer is as serious as a foreclosure on your credit report. "He's not a clown when it comes to work. He comes in and does the job better than pretty much anyone we've ever worked with," Labonte said.

As metal fans might recall, Labonte and Adam D. have worked together quite a bit this year -- and not always in optimal circumstances. Labonte came to the rescue and filled in for KSE's Howard Jones last winter, as he had to sit out the band's tour for personal reasons. "I was just happy to be in a position to help some really good friends of mine," Labonte said of the experience. "It's a good thing to be able to help good friends."

Next year will see All That Remains racking up even more miles on the tour vehicle, which remember, isn't a van. "Tour, tour, tour," Labonte said. "We're probably gonna be on the road pretty much all year. So come out and see us!"

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