So why are there volcanoes in some parts of the subducting plate, and not in others ? This is a temporary state. At present ridges are subducted in these zones. These ridges are warm and less buoyant than the surrounding plate, they don't pass the asthenosphere but slide (after a short dip) (near) horizontally under the continental crust, causing uplift and orogeny (mountain rise). In the past, there has been volcanism in these zones as well, when steeper subduction took place.
So, yes, subduction is the whole story, but the type of subduction plays a role. The last link describes the current understanding of how these areas with volcanism will shift with subduction of the ridges, as well as sketches of the subduction types, as pictured by seismics.
Image source; by Chiton magnificus in 2011 and placed in the public domain.
Two papers if you want to go further: