Kingcrimsonprog Killswitch have a formula that is refined with each album release, Their latest album takes the trademark Killswitch sound and cleans it up a bit; The songs are slicker and more professional than ever before, and while at first listen this may make you cry 'Sell Out,' you soon realize that this album is simply amazing, some of the most powerful music the band has ever produced.

Musically once you get used to the slight change in direction you will find some incredibly catchy, heavy and overall enjoyable music with opening trio of the fast and heavy 'Never Again,' the perfect single 'Reckoning,' and the classy 'Starting Over,' being three of the best Killswitch songs to date.

The whole album blazes by in a storm of speedy guitar harmonies and virtuosic Adam D solos, Incredibly tight bass and drums and some of the most haunting vocals metal music has to offer. Howard Jones has improved so greatly its unbelievable, his vocal performance on 'This is Goodbye,' is so indescribably good while songs like 'Reckoning,' and 'I Would Do Anything,' keep the previous style alive and as good as ever.

The album gets better on every listen, with new little arpeggios or drum fills revealing themselves, until the whole album is stuck in your head. If you like Killswitch Engage this album is far from a disappointment, in fact I can't imagine a better follow up to 'As Day Light Dies,' just listen to 'The Forgotten,' mix chugging riffs, uplifting guitar harmonies, catchy choruses and heavy double kick drum filled verses giving way to an awesome break down and you'll realize that just because the lyrics are a little different and the production is a little slicker, Killswitch have lost none of their edge.

In summary, Ignore the bad reviews calling this album a departure or a sell out and give it a chance, you'll be more than glad you did.

The Bonus Track 'In A Dead World,' is fantastic, generally heavier than the rest of the album and pretty complex too, I'm surprised it was cut as its definitely one of the best songs on this CD. The Live songs are worth a listen or two but aren't exactly essential. The Bonus DVD is a complete waste of money however, a few half-hearted interviews aboard a tour bus, with no footage of the band writing or recording the album, very disappointing given the high quality of their (Set This) World Ablaze documentary.