Philip Steven Labonte (born April 15, 1975) is an American singer from

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, best known as the lead singer of the

metalcore Metalcore (also known as metallic hardcore) is a fusion music genre that combines elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. As with other styles blending metal and hardcore, such as crust punk and grindcore, metalcore is noted for its use ...

band All That Remains. He is the former lead vocalist for

Shadows Fall 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 Jon Donais (lead guitar, b ...

, was the touring vocalist for

Killswitch Engage 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 A ...

in early 2010, and also filled in for

Five Finger Death Punch Five Finger Death Punch, also abbreviated as 5FDP or FFDP, is an American heavy metal band from Las Vegas, Nevada, formed in 2005. The band originally consisted of vocalist and keyboardist Ivan Moody, rhythm guitarist Zoltan Bathory, lead g ...

vocalist Ivan Moody in late 2016.

History

In the mid-1990s, Labonte was in a band called Perpetual Doom. The band played

death metal Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep growling vocals; aggressive, powerful drumming, fe ...

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

USMC The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through co ...

, and also played the guitar. In August 1993, Phil left to join the

Marine Corps Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...

. 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". Other band members included Ken Robert (vocals, guitar, now of Split Shift), Bill Brault (bass, now in Split Shift), 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 Melodic death metal (also referred to as melodeath) is a subgenre of death metal that employs highly melodic guitar riffs, often borrowing from traditional heavy metal (including New Wave of British Heavy Metal). The genre features the heavi ...

band

. 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" and was replaced with current vocalist

Brian Fair Brian James Fair (born May 30, 1975) 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 ...

, leaving ''Somber Eyes to the Sky'' as the only Shadows Fall record with Labonte on vocals. Since leaving

in 1998, Labonte has been the leader of All That Remains. Their debut record, ''

Behind Silence and Solitude ''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 guit ...

'', was released in 2002 through

Prosthetic Records Prosthetic Records is an American record label specializing in heavy metal recordings, founded in Los Angeles, California in 1998 by E.J. Johantgen and Dan Fitzgerald. Prosthetic Records released the first two albums by Lamb of God and Animals ...

Razor & Tie Razor & Tie was an American entertainment company that consisted of a record label and a music publishing company. It was established in 1990 by Craig Balsam and Cliff Chenfeld. Based in New York City (with additional offices in Los Angeles and ...

, and eight more albums have followed. In 2010, Labonte filled in as

's vocalist during the band's tour with The Devil Wears Prada and

Dark Tranquillity Dark Tranquillity is a Swedish melodic death metal band from Gothenburg. They are considered one of the pioneering acts of the Gothenburg metal scene, which also includes bands such as In Flames and At the Gates. Dark Tranquillity is regarded ...

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 is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...

, nearly 800 miles from the site of the earthquake, when the earthquake began.

Political views

Labonte has stated that he is a

libertarian Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's e ...

. He expressed his support for gun rights, drug legalization and criminal justice reform. 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 Imperialism is the state policy, practice, or advocacy of extending power and dominion, especially by direct territorial acquisition or by gaining political and economic control of other areas, often through employing hard power ( economic and ...

. 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." He supported Republican presidential candidates

Ron Paul Ronald Ernest Paul (born August 20, 1935) is an American author, activist, physician and retired politician who served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 22nd congressional district from 1976 to 1977 and again from 1979 to 1985, as we ...

in 2012, and

Rand Paul Randal Howard Paul (born January 7, 1963) is an American physician and politician serving as the junior U.S. senator from Kentucky since 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he is a son of former three-time presidential candidate and 12 ...

in 2016. In 2020, he supported Libertarian nominee Jo Jorgensen for the presidential election, while also expressing his detest for the party's leadership. Labonte moved to New Hampshire to join the

movement currently taking place in the state.

Personal life

Labonte is an

atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

Influences

Phil has mentioned his influences range from

Cannibal Corpse Cannibal Corpse is an American death metal band formed in Buffalo, New York in 1988, now based out of Tampa, Florida. The band has released fifteen studio albums, two box sets, four video albums, and two live albums. The band has had little rad ...

, Carcass,

Grave A grave is a location where a dead body (typically that of a human, although sometimes that of an animal) is buried or interred after a funeral. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of burial, such as grave ...

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instru ...

Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harri ...

Pantera Pantera () is an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas formed in 1981, and currently comprised of vocalist Phil Anselmo, bassist Rex Brown, and touring musicians Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante. The group's best-known lineup consist ...

, and many 80s

hair metal Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal an ...

bands. In an interview, Phil said, "I fell in love with the whole glam world. And then like

too,

…it's very wide range of what people like, you know, Justin Timberlake…all that stuff." He mentioned via Twitter and Facebook that he is a huge fan of

Bring Me the Horizon Bring Me the Horizon (often abbreviated as BMTH) are a British rock band formed in Sheffield in 2004. The group consists of lead vocalist Oliver Sykes, guitarist Lee Malia, bassist Matt Kean, drummer Matt Nicholls and keyboardist Jordan ...

and

The Acacia Strain The Acacia Strain is an American metalcore band originally from Chicopee, Massachusetts. They are currently signed to Rise Records. The band has released ten full-length albums. History Forming in 2001, The Acacia Strain was started by ...

. He also is known for being a huge fan of artists such as

Sarah McLachlan Sarah Ann McLachlan OC OBC (born January 28, 1968) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. As of 2015, she had sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is '' Surfacing'', for which she won two Grammy Awards (ou ...

Garth Brooks Troyal Garth Brooks (born February 7, 1962) is an American country music singer and songwriter. His integration of pop and rock elements into the country genre has earned him popularity, particularly in the United States with success on the co ...

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, ...

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America and is critically acclai ...

, Dr. Dre,

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bo ...

Carly Rae Jepsen Carly Rae Jepsen (born November 21, 1985) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. After studying musical theatre for most of her school life and while in university, Jepsen garnered mainstream attention after placing third on the fifth season of ...

Fall Out Boy Fall Out Boy is an American rock band formed in Wilmette, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Patrick Stump, bassist Pete Wentz, lead guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer Andy Hurley. ...

, and

Skrillex Sonny John Moore (born January 15, 1988), known professionally as Skrillex, is an American DJ and music producer. Growing up in Northeast Los Angeles and Northern California, he joined the post-hardcore band From First to Last as the lead sing ...

Discography

With Perpetual Doom

* ''Sorrow's End'' (Demo) (1995)

With Shadows Fall

* ''To Ashes'' (EP) (1997) * '' Somber Eyes to the Sky'' (1997)

All That Remains

* ''

'' (2002) * '' This Darkened Heart'' (2004) * '' The Fall of Ideals'' (2006) * '' Overcome'' (2008) * '' For We Are Many'' (2010) * '' A War You Cannot Win'' (2012) * '' The Order of Things'' (2015) * ''

Madness Madness or The Madness may refer to: Emotion and mental health * Anger, an intense emotional response to a perceived provocation, hurt or threat * Insanity, a spectrum of behaviors characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns * ...

'' (2017) * ''

Victim of the New Disease ''Victim of the New Disease'' is the ninth studio album by American heavy metal 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 Oct ...

'' (2018)

Guest appearances

– "Self Revolution", "To the Sons of Man", "Hope Is...", "Irreversal (re-recorded)" *

Ligeia "Ligeia" () is an early short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1838. The story follows an unnamed narrator and his wife Ligeia, a beautiful and intelligent raven-haired woman. She falls ill, composes " The Conqueror ...

– "Makin' Love to a Murderer" * Flatlined – "Parallel Reflections" * The Autumn Offering – "Homecoming" *

– "Predator; Never Prey" *

Tarja Turunen Tarja Soile Susanna Turunen-Cabuli (born 17 August 1977), known professionally as Tarja Turunen or simply Tarja, is a Finnish heavy metal singer, best known as the former lead vocalist of Nightwish. She is a soprano with a three and a half oc ...

– "Dark Star" *

Unearth Unearth is an American metalcore band from Boston, Massachusetts. Formed in 1998, the group has released seven studio albums. History Early career (1998–2002) Unearth was formed by Trevor Phipps, Buz McGrath, Ken Susi, Mike Rudberg, an ...

– "Grave of Opportunity" (music video) * Jasta – "Something You Should Know"

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Labonte, Philip 1975 births Living people 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American guitarists 21st-century American singers 21st-century American male singers All That Remains (band) members American atheists American gun rights activists American heavy metal guitarists American heavy metal singers American libertarians American male guitarists Guitarists from Massachusetts Killswitch Engage members Non-interventionism People from Chicopee, Massachusetts Shadows Fall members Singers from Massachusetts Place of birth missing (living people)