Killswitch Engage - Alive Or Just Breathing
2002 - Roadrunner Records
By Philip Whitehouse
Go to the Roadrunner Records web site.
I'm sure most of the people reading this site have by now at least heard of Killswitch Engage - and shamefully, I'm equally certain that most have heard that they nestle in the Roadrunner stable next to Slipknot, Nickelback and Dry Kill Logic and decided that they are merely another commercial-angst band and nothing more - without actually hearing them play.
Well, give them a listen and prepare to be surprised, as it seems that the mainstream is about to be given a swift kick in the testicles. Sounding like a harmonious mixture of Fear Factory, In Flames, latter-day Carcass and Machine Head, Killswitch Engage serve up a furious, infectiously catchy and neck-snappingly heavy stomp through fourteen tracks of melodious, fast-paced, searing melodic death metal with hardcore and commercial leanings to boot.
Opening track 'Numbered Days' pretty much sets out the band's stall, with some pacy double-bass drumming setting the speed and some nice, hooky twin-guitar harmonies setting the melodic tone for the singer's versatile vocals to take their rightful place at centre stage - this guy can scream, growl and croon just as well as you please, always matching the tone of the song perfectly.
Album highlight (and first single) 'My Last Serenade' displays the band at their most commercially-appealing - more of the vocalist's impressive clean vocals are showcased in the form of a ridiculously catchy metal anthem with a soaring, majestic chorus and the kind of fast-to-slow dynamic which will undoubtedly make the song a hit in the clubs.
Towards the end of the album, however, things start getting a little samey - especially when the band turn to clean guitars to get a mellower sound, since on the three or four occasions on the album this tactic is employed, the melodies sound suspiciously similar...
But that's a minor gripe. This is overall an album well-deserving of anyone's attention, be they nu-metaller or extreme fanatic. There's enough fast-paced riffery and frantic drumming to suck in the thrash/melodic-death fans, enough Maiden-esque melodies to bring in the trad-metaller, and enough vocal virtuosity to bring in the Incubus crowd.
7.5/10
2002 - Roadrunner Records
By Philip Whitehouse
Go to the Roadrunner Records web site.
I'm sure most of the people reading this site have by now at least heard of Killswitch Engage - and shamefully, I'm equally certain that most have heard that they nestle in the Roadrunner stable next to Slipknot, Nickelback and Dry Kill Logic and decided that they are merely another commercial-angst band and nothing more - without actually hearing them play.
Well, give them a listen and prepare to be surprised, as it seems that the mainstream is about to be given a swift kick in the testicles. Sounding like a harmonious mixture of Fear Factory, In Flames, latter-day Carcass and Machine Head, Killswitch Engage serve up a furious, infectiously catchy and neck-snappingly heavy stomp through fourteen tracks of melodious, fast-paced, searing melodic death metal with hardcore and commercial leanings to boot.
Opening track 'Numbered Days' pretty much sets out the band's stall, with some pacy double-bass drumming setting the speed and some nice, hooky twin-guitar harmonies setting the melodic tone for the singer's versatile vocals to take their rightful place at centre stage - this guy can scream, growl and croon just as well as you please, always matching the tone of the song perfectly.
Album highlight (and first single) 'My Last Serenade' displays the band at their most commercially-appealing - more of the vocalist's impressive clean vocals are showcased in the form of a ridiculously catchy metal anthem with a soaring, majestic chorus and the kind of fast-to-slow dynamic which will undoubtedly make the song a hit in the clubs.
Towards the end of the album, however, things start getting a little samey - especially when the band turn to clean guitars to get a mellower sound, since on the three or four occasions on the album this tactic is employed, the melodies sound suspiciously similar...
But that's a minor gripe. This is overall an album well-deserving of anyone's attention, be they nu-metaller or extreme fanatic. There's enough fast-paced riffery and frantic drumming to suck in the thrash/melodic-death fans, enough Maiden-esque melodies to bring in the trad-metaller, and enough vocal virtuosity to bring in the Incubus crowd.
7.5/10
