A War You Cannot Win Explained

A War You Cannot Win
Type:	studio
Artist:	All That Remains
Cover:	A War You Cannot Win.jpg
Released:	November 6, 2012
Recorded:	2012
Studio:	Zing Studios, Westfield, Massachusetts
Length:	39:19
Label:	Razor & Tie
Producer:	Adam Dutkiewicz
Prev Title:	For We Are Many
Prev Year:	2010
Next Title:	The Order of Things
Next Year:	2015

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.^{[1] [2]}

The album has some tracks which have a melodic metalcore sound and some with a standard metal sound which have only singing.

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.^[3] As of February 2015, the album has sold 123,000 copies in the United States.^[4]

Background

The album was produced by Killswitch Engage guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz, who has produced albums for the band in the past.

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. 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 85 million views in YouTube. In this song Philip Labonte sings about some of his former problems with his wife.

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."^[5]

Personnel

All That Remains

• Philip Labonte – lead vocals
• Oli Herbert – lead guitar
• Mike Martin – rhythm guitar
• Jeanne Sagan – bass guitar, backing vocals
• Jason Costa – drums

Production

• Adam Dutkiewicz – production, engineering
• Jim Fogarty – assistant engineering
• Brian Virtue – mixing at Modernist Movement Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
• Brad Blackwood – mastering at Euphonic Masters

Management

• Stephen Hutton and Bert Landry for Uppercut Management
• Josh Kline – booking for The Agency Group
• Murray Richman and Nathan Richman – business management for Richman Business Management
• Mike McKoy – legal representation for Serling, Rooks, Ferrara, McKoy & Worob LLP
• Beau King – production, concert lighting and tour management
• Pete Giberga – A&R
• John Franck – marketing direction

Artwork

• P.R. Brown – photography and design

Notes and References

1. Web site: All That Remains A War You Cannot Win . All That Remains . September 13, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120830204051/http://forwearemany.allthatremainsonline.com/ . August 30, 2012 .
2. Web site: ALL THAT REMAINS UNVEIL 'A WAR YOU CANNOT WIN' ALBUM ARTWORK + 'STAND UP' LYRIC VIDEO . Loudwire.com . August 27, 2012 . September 13, 2012.
3. Web site: ALL THAT REMAINS' 'A War You Cannot Win' Cracks U.S. Top 15. November 14, 2012. Blabbermouth.net. December 20, 2021.
4. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20150211084522/http://hitsdailydouble.com/new_album_releases . February 11, 2015 . Upcoming Releases . Hits Daily Double . HITS Digital Ventures .
5. Web site: ALL THAT REMAINS Drummer Says Singer LABONTE 'Likes To Be Around Things He's Familiar With'. January 4, 2013. Blabbermouth.net. December 20, 2021.