KILLSWITCH ENGAGE — Alive or Just Breathing (review)

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE — Alive or Just Breathing album cover Album · 2002 · Melodic Metalcore Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
bartosso
Before I start, I'd like to preface my review with a small clarification: I'm not a metalcore fan so my opinion shouldn't be considered as a guideline for the fan of the genre. The album deserves one more star when compared to any other core stuff I've heard. If you're a listener of other genres (especially prog and/or death metal), this review may turn out to be useful.

Killswitch Engage is an important act on a metalcore scene - ambitious band with eclectic approach to the music and admirable ability to combine genuine, brutal metal assault with melodic passages typical of hardcore. Their second release, ALIVE OR JUST BREATHING is the last one recorded with vocalist Jesse Leach' participation. In many fans opinion this is their best album. In my opinion... well, it certainly has on board some of their best tracks to date.

Playing good metalcore means to be eclectic, to draw from many sources from outside the genre - Killswitch certainly can be described as a good metalcore band. AoJB is full of fast, palm muted, thrash metal gallops, death metal heaviness and blasts, and even some black metal spices. A few songs are surprisingly heavy, I've been astonished. Sometimes band try to diversify a rhythm a little bit, thereby adding an enjoyable progressive edge. The record is well produced - clean yet natural sound works well both with softer parts and extremely heavy ones. Diverse harsh vocals - ranging from high pitched screams to medium pitched growls - alternate with professional and emotional clean vocal parts.

What's wrong then? What is the problem? The problem is that this is somewhat erratic collection of songs - sometimes pleasing with incredible power and creativity, but more often annoying with lack of interesting ideas. All these features I described above are true, but they do not concern every single composition in the album. Most of them are just well executed - it seems like the band hadn't sufficient interesting solutions. Another thing are those melodic choruses, so typical of metalcore. In such songs as "Just Barely Breathing" or "Rise Inside" they are great, flawless and enjoyable, but these are rare cases - trite and simple melodies still predominate and spoil the fun.

As I said, this is a musthave for metalcore fan and a good pick for anyone who wants to check the genre. However, if you're new to the band, their third album, THE END OF HEARTACHE may seem more accessible, therefore more appropriate for a start.

TRACKS BY RATINGS: 9/10: Just Barely Breathing 8/10: Self Revolution; Rise Inside 7/10: Vide Infra 6/10: Numbered Days; My Last Serenade; Temple From the Within; Without a Name 5/10: Fixation on the Darkness; The Element of One; Life to Lifeless; To the Sons of Man
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