Oli Herbert

Oli Herbert
Herbert performing with All That Remains in 2013
Background information
BornJuly 10, 1974
OriginMassachusetts, U.S.
DiedOctober 7, 2018(2018-10-07) (aged 44)
Stafford Springs, Connecticut, U.S.
Genres
OccupationsMusician, composer
InstrumentGuitar
Years active1991–2018
Formerly of

Oliver "Oli" Herbert (July 10, 1974 — October 17, 2018) was an American guitarist and founding member of the metalcore band All That Remains. He stayed with the band until his death in 2018.

Biography

Early years

Oli Herbert began playing piano at the age of 9 and later played the trombone during his high school days.[1]

Herbert began playing guitar at the age of 14 and later started his band with a group of friends in high school. Herbert mostly kept to himself in his early years. When commenting on his high school days, he stated, "I was just a lone metalhead. Instead of going off to parties, I'd stay on my own and practice."[2] Following graduation, he attended college where he earned a degree in music composition, along with an associate's degree in Classical and Jazz Guitar.[3][4]

Following his college graduation, Herbert began teaching guitar lessons.This is something he would continue doing for many years. [3] He also began to make a name for himself in Western Massachusetts clubs as the a member of the trash metal band Netherworld.[1]

All That Remains

Main article: All That Remains (band)

One of Herbert's students was future All That Remains bandmate and guitarist, Mike Martin. Martin did not intitially make the band, so he told the bands lead singer, Phil Labonte, to get in contact with Herbert. Herbert then auditioned for the band and Labonte, along with Dan Egan, thought he would make good addition. As of result, he the officially joined the band.[5]

He and All That Remains then released their debut album Behind Silence and Solitude, on March 26, 2002, through Prosthetic Records. This style of the album differs from their melodic metalcore musical style that they would later be known for.[6] Following one of the bands first tours, Herbert only had $200 to his name. This led to him contemplating if he should go back to teaching, or stay with the band full time. He ultimately decided to stay in the band.[2] However, Herbert would still continue teaching while the band was on tour either through Skype, or bringing people backstage at shows.[5]

The group then released their second album, This Darkened Heart, in 2004. This was the first release to feature Herbert's old student, Mike Martin.[7] The band then released their breakthrough 2006 album, The Fall of Ideals. This release is viewed as a landmark album in the metalcore genre.[8][9] Herbert was responsible for writing most of the album with Labonte stating in a 2007 interview, "a lot of this record was written by Oli, who probably wrote about 70% of this record. Then he would bring it to us and we'd work the rest of it as a band."[10]

All That Remains followed this up with 2008s Overcome. In 2009, Herbert released a metal guitar instructional program for Rockhouse, which won him instructional DVD/Book of the year.[3][11] The group then released, For We Are Many (2010), A War You Cannot Win (2012), The Order of Things (2015), and Madness (2017). Herbert's last record was their ninth studio album, Victim of the New Disease which was released shortly after his death in 2018. This added emotional weight to its reception, his guitar parts on this album are singled out as especially strong.[12] In November of 2018, Jackson guitars released a very limited edition Oli Herbert Signature Rhoads model.[13][14]

Death

Herbert was found dead at his Stafford Springs home on October 17, 2018. This occurred shortly before the release of All That Remains ninth studio album, Victim of the New Disease.[15][16] All That Remains released a statement stating, "We were devastated to learn that Oli Herbert, our friend, guitar player, and founding member of All That Remains, has passed away. Oli was an incredibly talented guitarist and song writer who defined Rock and Metal from the Northeast. His impact on the genres and our lives will continue indefinitely."[17] In addition lead singer Phil Labonte stated, "the music world lost something significant."[18] Tributes poured in from many other musicians. Alter Bridge guitarist, Mark Tremonti, called Herbert "a great talent and a great human being." Arch Enemy's Michael Amott said he was "the nicest guy" and that "the metal community has lost another great musician way too early." Many other tributes came in from artists such as Jamey Jasta and Corey Taylor.[19]

It took a month for his cause of death to be revealed.[20] Via a Facebook post, his wife claimed to have received the toxicology report, which indicated that the cause of his death was drowning after taking antidepressants and sleeping aids. Neither of which were prescribed. However, at that time it was reported that police were looking into his death and that it was possibly the result of foul play. The Facebook post has since been deleted.[21] In 2021, Investigators noted that Herbert's will was changed a week prior to his death, which made his wife the sole benefactor.[22] As of 2025, the investigation is still ongoing.

Gear

Herbert was a long time user of Jackson Guitars, with his main guitar being a 27-fret Jackson Custom Shop Warrior with Ernie Ball strings.[23]

Musicianship

Herbert's had a perfectionist playing style and would always perform sober. He once stated in a 2015 interview:[2]

Every time I perform, I know every single mistake that I made that night... I don't let it destroy me if I miss a couple notes, but the next day in the practice room, I [think], 'This is what needs to happen, this is what you messed up, let's work on it...' If I see improvement on that part, I'm like, 'All right

Herbert strived for "tangible results," and stated that he would spend up to 3 hours locked in a room working on a single lick.[2]

Mike Martin described Herbert as a machine stating, "he was always a machine when it came to writing songs. When we would ask him to write some new material, he'd come up with about 20 songs that were ready to go. He was always like that." Musically he would write almost everything for All That Remains albums.[24][25]

Herbert had stated his biggest influence on guitar was Andy LaRocque of King Diamond.[26] He has also mentioned that he drew much influence from George Lynch, John Sykes, and Randy Rhoads.[27]

Discography

All That Remains

Main article: All That Remains discography

References

  1. ^ a b rkelly@repub.com, Ray Kelly | (2018-10-17). "Oli Herbert, guitarist for Springfield metal band All That Remains, dead at 44". masslive. Retrieved 2025-12-15.
  2. ^ a b c d ""It's not like I am an IRS agent," Interview with Oli Herbert from All That Remains at Aftershock 2015". TeenView Music. Retrieved 2025-12-15.
  3. ^ a b c "Oliver Herbert". Metal Storm. Retrieved 2025-12-15.
  4. ^ "All That Remains guitarist Oli Herbert dies". The Independent. 2018-10-17. Retrieved 2025-12-15.
  5. ^ a b Chichester, Sammi. "Karate Kicks, Riffs and the "Pizza Maker": All That Remains Remember Oli Herbert". Revolver. Retrieved 2025-12-15.
  6. ^ "Way Too Loud! > All That Remains - Overcome". www.waytooloud.com. Archived from the original on 2009-06-03. Retrieved 2025-12-15.
  7. ^ This Darkened Heart - All That Remains | Album | AllMusic, retrieved 2025-12-15
  8. ^ Staff, Revolver. "All That Remains 'The Fall of Ideals': 7 Things You Didn't Know About Metalcore Hit". Revolver. Retrieved 2025-12-15.
  9. ^ Staff, Revolver. "Fan Poll: 5 Greatest Metalcore Albums". Revolver. Retrieved 2025-12-15.
  10. ^ Wright, James (2007-06-13). "Interview with All That Remains lead singer Phil Labonte". V13.net. Retrieved 2025-12-15.
  11. ^ "Buy Oli Herbert, All That Remains: Heavy Rhythms, Leads & Harmonies Level 2 - Rock House Method". www.rockhousemethod.com. Retrieved 2025-12-15.
  12. ^ Jo, Cynthia (2018-11-06). "All That Remains - Victim Of The New Disease". Ghost Cult Magazine. Retrieved 2025-12-15.
  13. ^ "Jackson announces new artist signature models". Guitar.com | All Things Guitar. Retrieved 2025-12-15.
  14. ^ Bryant, The Music Zoo, Walter (2018-11-30). "Jackson USA Announces Limited Edition Oli Herbert Signature Rhoads Model!". The Music Zoo. Retrieved 2025-12-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  15. ^ "Oli Herbert, All That Remains guitarist, dies at 44". 2018-10-17. Retrieved 2025-12-15.
  16. ^ HIll, John. "All That Remains Guitarist Oli Herbert Dead at 44". Revolver. Retrieved 2025-12-15.
  17. ^ Myers, Alex (2019-07-22). "Lacuna Coil and All That Remains Announce Fall 2019 Co-Headline Tour Dates -". mxdwn Music. Retrieved 2025-12-15.
  18. ^ Blabbermouth (2019-03-04). "ALL THAT REMAINS Singer Says Music World 'Lost Something Significant' When OLI HERBERT Died". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved 2025-12-15.
  19. ^ Munropublished, Scott (2018-10-18). "All That Remains guitarist Oli Herbert's death the result of "an accident"". Louder. Retrieved 2025-12-15.
  20. ^ Kaufman, Gil (2018-11-12). "State Police Treating Death Of All That Remains Guitarist Oli Herbert as 'Suspicious': Report". Billboard. Retrieved 2025-12-15.
  21. ^ wookubus (2018-11-10). "Cause Of Death Revealed For Late All That Remains Guitarist Oli Herbert". Theprp.com. Retrieved 2025-12-15.
  22. ^ Blabbermouth (2021-05-27). "ALL THAT REMAINS Guitarist OLI HERBERT's 'Suspicious' Death Focus Of New Report From Connecticut TV Station". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved 2025-12-15.
  23. ^ Bohlinger, John. "All That Remains: Oli Herbert & Mike Martin Gear Guide - Premier Guitar". www.premierguitar.com. Retrieved 2025-12-15.
  24. ^ Tilkin, Laureline (2018-11-20). "Interview with Mike Martin of ALL THAT REMAINS (2018)". Tuonela Magazine. Retrieved 2025-12-15.
  25. ^ Blabbermouth (2015-03-29). "ALL THAT REMAINS Guitarist OLI HERBERT: 'We Try To Write Quality Over Quantity'". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved 2025-12-15.
  26. ^ "BANDS BREAKING AWAY AND VANS BREAKING DOWN: An Interview with Phil Labonte of ALL THAT REMAINS". Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
  27. ^ "Guitartrump.com". March 3, 2016. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
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