Oli Herbert

Oliver "Oli" Herbert (July 10, 1974 — October 17, 2018) was an American guitarist and founding member of the heavy metal 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.

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."

On why he started playing guitar Herbert stated:

Following graduation, he attended college where he earned a degree in music composition, along with an associate's degree in Classical and Jazz Guitar.

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

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. Following one of the band's 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. During a 2004 tour with GWAR Herbert’s wife quit her job and gave him an ultimatum and told Herbert that she would leave him if he did not return home immediately. Herbert initially gave into his wife’s demands however following a conversation with GWAR lead singer Dave Brockie he convinced Herbert to stay on the tour and stick with the band. The band then released their breakthrough 2006 album, The Fall of Ideals. This release is viewed as a landmark album in the metalcore genre, and was their first to reach the Billboard 200 peaking at number 75. 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." All That Remains followed this up with 2008's Overcome, which boosted the band’s popularity even further and reaching number 16 on the billboard 200. This album also featured one of the band's biggest hits, "Two Weeks", which reached number 9 on the U.S. Mainstream rock chart.

In 2009, Herbert released a metal guitar instructional program for Rockhouse, which won him instructional DVD/Book of the year. He and All That Remains released their 5th album For We Are Many in 2010, which is their highest charting album peaking a number 10 on the Billboard 200. Herbert’s last live performance with the band came on October 6, 2018, during an All That Remains headlining show in Kuttawa, Kentucky.

In November of 2018, Jackson guitars released a very limited edition Oli Herbert Signature Rhoads model.

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. 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." In addition lead singer Phil Labonte stated, "the music world lost something significant." 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.

It took a month for his cause of death to be revealed. 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. In 2021, investigators noted that Herbert's will was changed a week prior to his death, which made his wife the sole benefactor. The investigation is still ongoing.

On May 26, 2021, News 8 in New Haven, Connecticut ran an in-depth story of Herbert which served as both a memorial and in depth investigation into his death.

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. He also prominently used a Jackson Rhoads V in nod to one of his earliest influences, Randy Rhoads. He claimed the guitar's shape was perfect and the angles were perfect for his hands. Additionally, he used an Ibanez Xiphos 27-fret guitar, Ibanez S2170, Ibanez S1625, and Takamine acoustic.

In addition, Herbert spent time concentrating on jazz, working on all the melodic minor scales and arpeggio fingerings, which he credited in helping to open up his playing style. His former bandmate Phil Labonte later stated "There was no one that worked harder at guitar, music theory and music than Oli Herbert." He has also mentioned that he drew much influence from George Lynch, John Sykes, and Randy Rhoads.

Discography

All That Remains

Behind Silence and Solitude (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 (2017) Victim of the New Disease (2018)