''Killswitch Engage'' (often called ''Killswitch Engage II'' or ''KSE II'') is the fifth studio album by American
metalcore
Metalcore (also known as metallic hardcore) is a fusion music genre that combines elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. As with other styles blending metal and hardcore, such as crust punk and grindcore, metalcore is noted for its use ...
band
Killswitch Engage
Killswitch Engage is an American metalcore band from Westfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1999 after the disbanding of Overcast and Aftershock. Killswitch Engage's current lineup consists of vocalist Jesse Leach, guitarists Joel Stroetzel and A ...
. It was released on June 30, 2009 through
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label focused on heavy metal and hard rock bands. Founded in the Netherlands in 1980, it is now a division of Warner Music Group and is based in New York City.
History
The label was launched in 1980 in ...
. It is the band's second album to be self-titled, the first being their
debut album. It was produced by
Adam Dutkiewicz
Adam Jonathan Dutkiewicz (born April 4, 1977) is an American musician, recording engineer, songwriter, and music producer, best known as the lead guitarist and backup vocalist from Massachusetts metalcore bands Killswitch Engage, Aftershock, and ...
and
Brendan O'Brien. The album's reception from critics and fans has been mixed, with praise for
Howard Jones's vocals and criticism of Dutkiewicz's and O'Brien's production and the album's reliance on formula.
The album debuted and peaked at number 7 on the
''Billboard'' 200, selling 58,000 copies in its first week, making it one of the band's highest charting albums to date.
It was supported by three singles, "Reckoning", "
Starting Over", and "Save Me", as well as two music videos. This is the band's last studio album to feature Howard Jones on lead vocals.
Background
The album was officially announced in late 2008. Recording began in October 2008 with Dutkiewicz and co-producer
Brendan O'Brien.
In February 2009, bassist
Mike D'Antonio
Michael D'Antonio (born May 19, 1973) is best known as the bass guitarist and founder of Massachusetts metal band Killswitch Engage and of the band Overcast.
Career
D'Antonio's writing influences include old New York Hardcore bands like Cro-Ma ...
confirmed in an interview with
Metal Hammer
''Metal Hammer'' is a heavy metal music magazine and website founded in 1983, published in the United Kingdom by Future, with other language editions available in numerous other countries. ''Metal Hammer'' features news, reviews and long-form ...
that "drums were finished", and that he had "finished up the last few bass fixes". He also stated that Howard
onesis in
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...
finishing vocals, and that "it shouldn't be too much longer now."
The album's name was announced on April 14, and was revealed to be their second self-titled album since their debut album
of the same name.
Before the album's release, "A Light in a Darkened World" was added to the band's setlist in the first half of 2009. The band also performed it at the 2009 Golden Gods Awards. On May 28, 2009, the band's official fanclub, Take This Oath, were granted access to listen to the track "Reckoning". It was released as a
promotional single
A promotional recording, or promo, or plug copy, is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as ...
the following day, and was available as a free download on
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label focused on heavy metal and hard rock bands. Founded in the Netherlands in 1980, it is now a division of Warner Music Group and is based in New York City.
History
The label was launched in 1980 in ...
' official website.
On June 19, the entire album was available for preview at various
Hot Topic
Hot Topic, Inc. (stylized as HOT TOPIC) is an American retail chain specializing in counterculture-related clothing and accessories, as well as licensed music. The stores are aimed towards an audience interested in rock music and video gaming ...
locations. It was posted on the band's official
Myspace on June 25.
Release and promotion
The album was released on June 30, 2009 through
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label focused on heavy metal and hard rock bands. Founded in the Netherlands in 1980, it is now a division of Warner Music Group and is based in New York City.
History
The label was launched in 1980 in ...
.
It debuted at number 7 on the
''Billboard'' 200, selling more than 58,000 copies in its first week, making it the band's highest charting album to date.
A special edition was released on the same day.
If the album was pre-ordered on the band's official website, the buyer would be entered into a drawing to win a custom Parker P44 guitar with artwork from the album as the paint job.
Throughout July and August 2009, the band participated in the Mayhem Festival with headlining bands
Marilyn Manson
Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), known professionally as Marilyn Manson, is an American rock musician. He came to prominence as the lead singer of the band which shares his name, of which he remains the only constant member since it ...
,
Slayer
Slayer was an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California. The band was formed in 1981 by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical styl ...
,
Bullet For My Valentine and more in promotion of the album.
The album's first official single, "Starting Over", was available for
digital download on June 6, 2009. It charted at number 30 on the ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...
''
Rock Songs Chart. A music video for the track was shot in early 2009 and directed by Lex Halaby. The video was premiered on
VH1 on June 5, and on
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
the following the day. On May 24, 2010, a trailer of the music video for the album's third single, "Save Me", was released on the band's website. The video premiered on Craveonline the following day. The entire video was created using
claymation
Clay animation or claymation, sometimes plasticine animation, is one of many forms of stop-motion animation. Each animated piece, either character or background, is "deformable"—made of a malleable substance, usually plasticine clay.
Tra ...
, and depicts the band members saving lead vocalist
Howard Jones from
aliens
Alien primarily refers to:
* Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country
** Enemy alien, the above in times of war
* Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth
** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...
.
Critical reception
The review aggregator site
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
scored the album a 72 out of 100, based on the reviews of 6 critics, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".
While praise has been generated around
Howard Jones' vocals and the album's stylistic use of the
metalcore
Metalcore (also known as metallic hardcore) is a fusion music genre that combines elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. As with other styles blending metal and hardcore, such as crust punk and grindcore, metalcore is noted for its use ...
and
post-hardcore
Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. It was initially inspired by post-punk and noise rock. Like post-punk, the term has be ...
genres, criticism has been directed towards
Adam Dutkiewicz
Adam Jonathan Dutkiewicz (born April 4, 1977) is an American musician, recording engineer, songwriter, and music producer, best known as the lead guitarist and backup vocalist from Massachusetts metalcore bands Killswitch Engage, Aftershock, and ...
's and
Brendan O'Brien's production as well as the band's reliance on formula.
James Christopher Monger of
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...
gave the album a positive review, scoring the album a 3.5 out of 5, commenting that "where 2006's '
As Daylight Dies
''As Daylight Dies'' is the fourth studio album by American metalcore band Killswitch Engage. It was released on November 21, 2006 through Roadrunner Records. It was produced by Adam Dutkiewicz and Joel Stroetzel.
Background and release
The al ...
' hinted at an accelerated focus on the more melodic aspects of
extreme metal
Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. It has been defined as a "cluster of metal subgenres characterized by sonic, verbal, and visual tran ...
, Killswitch Engage cements the notion." Monger indicated "Starting Over", "Reckoning", and "A Light in a Darkened World" as his AMG track picks. ''
Alternative Press
Alternative press may refer to:
Individual publications
* ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine
Alternative journalism
* Alternative media
** Alternative media (U.S. political left)
** Alternative media (U.S. political ri ...
'' gave a positive review as well, scoring the album a 4 out of 5, saying "this album isn't going to change the way you think about
metal
A metal (from ancient Greek, Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, e ...
, but Killswitch Engage aren't
Mastodon
A mastodon ( 'breast' + 'tooth') is any proboscidean belonging to the extinct genus ''Mammut'' (family Mammutidae). Mastodons inhabited North and Central America during the late Miocene or late Pliocene up to their extinction at the end of the ...
; they just want to get the
pit going, and this album will surely accomplish that."
However, Christa Titus of ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...
'' gave the album a mixed review, scoring it a 50 out of 100. While positively commenting, "As an act that forsakes
breakdowns and unintelligible screaming in favor of focused aggression and predictable melodic swells, you can't help but enjoy such quintessential Killswitch Engage tracks as 'Never Again' or the
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
-esque chords that open 'The Forgotten,' the review concluded, "Aside from a few unique moments ('The Return,' 'Take Me Away'), there's not much new to report here."
Adrien Begrand of
PopMatters
''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television
...
gave a mixed review as well, scoring the album a 5 out of 10.
While praising Howard Jones' vocals, commenting "With its contemplative tone and sense of
melodrama
A modern melodrama is a dramatic work in which the plot, typically sensationalized and for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodramas typically concentrate on dialogue that is often bombastic or exce ...
, the contagious 'Starting Over' borders on post-hardcore and features some of Jones's strongest vocal melodies to date," and Reckoning' and 'This is Goodbye' feature some very effective
melodic death metal
Melodic death metal (also referred to as melodeath) is a subgenre of death metal that employs highly melodic guitar riffs, often borrowing from traditional heavy metal (including New Wave of British Heavy Metal). The genre features the heavine ...
touches reminiscent of Swedish stars
In Flames
In Flames is a Swedish heavy metal band, formed by guitarist Jesper Strömblad in Gothenburg in 1990. Alongside At the Gates and Dark Tranquillity, In Flames pioneered the genres known as Swedish death metal and melodic death metal.
During the ...
and
Soilwork
Soilwork is a Swedish melodic death metal band from Helsingborg. They are signed to Nuclear Blast. Formed in late 1995 by Björn Strid and Peter Wichers, originally under the name ''Inferior Breed'', the band changed their name in late 1996 to ...
, while 'The Return' is a daring foray into teary-eyed power balladry, a terrific showcase for Jones," the review criticized
Adam Dutkiewicz
Adam Jonathan Dutkiewicz (born April 4, 1977) is an American musician, recording engineer, songwriter, and music producer, best known as the lead guitarist and backup vocalist from Massachusetts metalcore bands Killswitch Engage, Aftershock, and ...
's and
Brendan O'Brien's overall production, commenting, "Unfortunately, though, the production by Dutkiewicz and mainstream go-to guy Brendan O'Brien strips the guitars of any bite whatsoever, rendering the overall tone surprisingly muddy and often flaccid, something we notice most on tracks like 'Never Again' and 'The Forgotten', which play up the crunchy riffs, but completely lack the power they deserve on record."
Track listing
;Special edition DVD
# 'Making of' documentary
# Exclusive band interviews
Personnel
;Killswitch Engage
*
Mike D'Antonio
Michael D'Antonio (born May 19, 1973) is best known as the bass guitarist and founder of Massachusetts metal band Killswitch Engage and of the band Overcast.
Career
D'Antonio's writing influences include old New York Hardcore bands like Cro-Ma ...
– bass, digital design, artwork photography, layout design
*
Adam Dutkiewicz
Adam Jonathan Dutkiewicz (born April 4, 1977) is an American musician, recording engineer, songwriter, and music producer, best known as the lead guitarist and backup vocalist from Massachusetts metalcore bands Killswitch Engage, Aftershock, and ...
– lead guitar, backing vocals, co-producer, recording assistant, engineering, mixing, guitars and bass recording
*
Justin Foley
Justin Foley is an American musician, best known as the drummer of the metalcore band, Killswitch Engage. He is also a former member of the band Blood Has Been Shed along with Killswitch Engage's former lead singer, Howard Jones.
Biography
Ea ...
– drums
*
Howard Jones – lead vocals
*
Joel Stroetzel
Joel Michael Stroetzel (born July 24, 1980) is best known as the rhythm guitarist from the Massachusetts metalcore band Killswitch Engage.
Background
Stroetzel attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston but did not graduate. Stroetzel's gu ...
– rhythm guitar, backing vocals
;Production
*
Brendan O'Brien – producer
* Tom Tapley, Jim Fogarty, Martin Cooke, Kory Aaron – recording assistants
* Mala Sharma and Jackie O'Brien – production coordinators
* Billy Bowers – assistant engineer
*
Ted Jensen
Ted Jensen (born September 19, 1954) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered many recordings, including the Eagles' ''Hotel California'', Green Day's '' American Idiot'' and Norah Jones' ''Come Away with Me''.
Biography
T ...
– mastering at Sterling Sound, New York, NY
* Nick DiDia – drums and vocals recording
;Management
* Vaughn Lewis and Kenny Gabor for Channel Zero Entertainment
* Mike Gitter – A&R
* Mark Scribner – business management at PS Business Management
* Nick Ferrara and Mike McKoy – legal representation at Serling, Rooks & Ferrara, LLP
* Tim Borror – U.S. booking at The Agency Group
* Paul Ryan – international booking at The Agency Group
;Artwork
* Travis Shinn – group photography
Charts
References
External links
''Killswitch Engage'' on Roadrunner Records
{{DEFAULTSORT:Killswitch Engage (2009 Album)
2009 albums
Killswitch Engage albums
Roadrunner Records albums
Albums produced by Brendan O'Brien (record producer)
Albums produced by Adam Dutkiewicz