Killswitch Engage
What does a metal band do when they’ve demolished everything they’ve set out to demolish? Create more anthems to chaos, naturally. For its second self-titled album (the first was its 2000 debut) Killswitch Engage’s melodic metalcore brutality gets a facelift. Producer Brendan O’Brien pushed vocalist Howard Jones to enunciate and sing more and the difference can be heard on “The Forgotten” and “The Return” with Jones clearly channeling his inner Bruce Dickinson. The band matches his focus and intensity; the first two singles “Reckoning” and “Starting Over” reveal a leaner, cleaner KsE firing on all pistons. The twin guitar work of Adam Dutkiewicz and Joel Stroetzel and drummer Justin Foley’s double kick work create a worthy soundtrack for the hardest MMA entrance music or the gnarliest Wall of Death pits. Metalcore is crowded with pretenders and *Killswitch Engage* is a convincing argument for KsE’s ascension to the throne.
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To avoid any confusion, no this is not a re-release of the first self-titled KILLSWITCH ENGAGE album (which is considered more of an EP by the band),but another self-titled album from the band which spearheaded the metalcore movement. While I can't really applaud the recycling of an old album title...
Combining the aggression of hardcore, the flamboyance of traditional heavy metal, and the introspection of mainstream rock effectively is something...
Killswitch Engage - Killswitch Engage (2009) review: A flub, pure and simple. Let's hope Killswitch Engage re-evaluate their