Guitarist Jason Richardson recently opened up about his decision to leave All That Remains last July after nearly seven years with the band. In a new interview with Guitar World, he clarified that his exit was not fueled by personal conflicts with his bandmates, but rather by deep frustrations with management and the rollout of their 2025 album, Antifragile.
When asked if walking away was a difficult choice, Richardson offered a candid explanation of the behind-the-scenes struggles.
“Kind of, but not, simultaneously. I don’t wanna get into the weeds of it publicly, but I’m still cool with all of the guys in the band. It was mostly just a business thing. And things just were not executed like they were promised to be, from management and the people tasked with putting the [tenth All That Remains] record [2025’s Antifragile] out. I’m glad the record exists, but the fact that it’s already been out almost a year and there hasn’t been one show. So it’s, like, there’s just a lot of things on the business side in the back end that I was not happy with at all. It has nothing to do with anyone’s personality or anyone in the band at all. It just wasn’t, in my opinion — like, I could be doing other things than trying to make that work when it so clearly was not going to — from my perspective, at least.”
Despite the business-related tensions, the guitarist stressed that he is incredibly proud of the music they created and the professional relationships he built during the recording process.
“I still love the guys. I love the record. I loved working with [producer] Josh Wilbur, the guy who did the album. He’s phenomenal. And that’s probably one of the best things about that record, for me at least, is now I have a great relationship with him, and we’re gonna keep working together. But I am happy all those songs are real, so there’s that at least.”
Richardson originally joined All That Remains in late 2018, stepping in after the tragic passing of founding lead guitarist Oli Herbert. Following his departure last summer, the band announced in January that former Unearth and As I Lay Dying guitarist Ken Susi had officially taken his place.
Long before his time in All That Remains, Richardson built a massive resume in the heavy music scene. Growing up in Virginia, he explored piano, violin, and drums before dedicating himself to the guitar at age 12. Heavily inspired by Dream Theater and their complex track “This Dying Soul“, he quickly developed a highly technical playing style.
His professional career launched in 2009 when he left high school to join All Shall Perish. He later spent over two years with Born Of Osiris, recording their acclaimed 2011 album The Discovery. Following his unceremonious firing from that group, he immediately joined Chelsea Grin, replacing guitarist Michael Stafford. During his tenure there, he played on the Evolve and Lilith EPs, as well as the 2014 full-length Ashes To Ashes.
After an amicable split from Chelsea Grin in 2015, Richardson successfully crowdfunded his 2016 solo album, I. The record showcased his multi-instrumental talents and featured an impressive roster of guest musicians, including drummer Luke Holland, vocalists Spencer Sotelo of Periphery and Lukas Magyar of Veil Of Maya, and guitarists Jeff Loomis, Nick Johnston, Mark Holcomb of Periphery, Rick Graham, and Jacky Vincent.
