May 21, 2002 - Alive Or Just Breathing

A week after my last release and a little under two years since their self-titled debut, Killswitch Engage released their second album "Alive Or Just Breathing" on May 21, 2002. Killswitch have since signed to a major label so their production quality has gotten better, but they're still playing the same super heavy style and this album would become a landmark in the metalcore genre. Let's check out the latest from Killswitch Engage!

The album kicks off with "Numbered Days" and they duve right into a really heavy main riff with some cool heavy guitar by Joel Stroetzel and some nice heavy bass by Mike D'Antonio. Jesse Leach talks to start things off, but then leads a nice heavy verse with some sweet high screaming. Leach shows that he can sing as well with a well done chorus that is a little lighter, but most of the song is plenty heavy and this seems like a good choice to come out of the gates running. Up next is "Self Revolution" and Stroetzel continues to pump out heavy and cool guitar riffs. Leach's screaming is top notch as he sounds great in the verse and the segue into the chorus sounds really cool with some nice drums by Adam Dutkiewicz. Leach sings the chorus again, but he sounds pretty epic and the music is still fast and fierce. It's a short but pretty sweet song! Track 3 is the first song Inever heard by Killswitch and it's titled "Fixation On The Darkness". It's got a super catchy guitar riff leading the way, D'Antonio's chugging bass sounds great in the background, and Leach goes back and forth between singing and screaming and does a nice job of mixing it up and keeping things fresh, all with some pretty sweet high screams here and there. The chorus is still heavy but much more melodic and Leach continues to combine epic singing with some wonderfully heavy screaming. This song is a metalcore masterpiece! Words don't do justice! And the ending? What a fucking heavy and phenomenal way to wrap it up. Easily the best song they've made so far! The next track is the album's most succesful single "My Last Serenade" and Stroetzel starts with some acoustic guitar while Leach adds some light "ahhhhhhh"ing. Out of this intro emerges a more typical main riff that is pretty fast and stops and starts at all the most epic moments with Stroetzel, D'Antonio and Dutkiewicz all nicely in sync. Leach sounds great screaming overtop, going high and low in a great verse, then he sings an epic, almost pop-y chorus that goes to show why it was a good choice for a single. It's still very Killswitch even though it's in the pop-y side, and the rest of the song is filled with plenty of heavy goodness. They end it as it began with some more acoustics and for a single this was definitely a good tune. Track 5 is "Life To Lifeless" and it's got a low and heavy yet also pretty catchy guitar riff leading the way while Leach holds some really long screams that sound great! This verse is so groovy and heavy and awesome! The chorus is much slower with Leach singing in his epic voice nicely overtop, then it's back to the fantastic verse. They don't stray far from these two parts, but things sound awesome enough to me and it's a short song so it doesn't get old. Nicely done again! Up next is "Just Barely Breathing" and Stroetzel starts it off with a slow, light guitar riff that sounds pretty epic combined with some piano by Adam D. After this ong intro Stroetzel switches to a fast guitar riff as they nicely start to ramp things up, then they reach the verse finally with a typically awesome main riff filled with great guitar, bass, drums and screaming vocals. Leach sings another epic chorus overtop another cool guitar riff by Stroetzel and this long chorus is jammed out a few too many times all the way to the end of this near six minute song. It started really strong, but definitely fades. Track 7 is a two-minute song called "To The Sons Of Man" and it's easily the fastest paced song on the album eith Stroetzel playing some really speedy and super distorted guitars that sound great! Leach screams nicely overtop and things hit really hard when they break things down, great heavy stuff! A short but definitely sweet song! The next track is "Temple From The Within" and it's the first of two songs to be re-recorded from their debut album. I am not a fan of re-recording things, it means two of the songs on this "new" album I've already heard before! It's still a good song, and the production quality has definitely improved as things sound clearer and less raw, but ultimately it's the same song as we heard two years ago. Track 9 is "The Element Of One" and after a brief acoustic intro Stroetzel settles into a catchy electric guitar riff and D'Antonio backs him with some nice heavy bass. The verse is pretty typical(ly heavy and cool) and the catchy opening riff turns out to be the chorus riff as Leach sings another of his epic choruses overtop. After a couple rounds they quiet it down as Stroetzel plays a bit more acoustic guitar, then they nicely slam back to heavy for a predictably good finish. Up next is the other re-recorded song from their debut "Vide Infra" and like the other one, this song has improved production quality, but is still ultimately the same song. Once again, it's still a good song, I just don't like repeats. Track 11 is "Without A Name" and it's a short instrumental song that is a prelude to the album's final track. Stroetzel plays a light guitar riff to lead the way and Dutkiewicz actually helps out with some rhythm acoustic guitar on this one! It's a very light and fluffy song, but the end of it leads perfectly into the final song on the album, "Rise Inside", and D'Antonio signals the start with one hell of a slow, dirty bass riff that sounds really good! Once the heavy guitar joins in things sound headbangingly good and pretty damn heavy. Leach screams high and low and holds both nicely as the pace slowly picks up during the verse, culminating in a nice fast-paced chorus. They seamlessly shift between heavy and screaming, and melodic and singing and this song showcases all that is awesome about Killswitch. It all ends with a spectacularly heavy finale as they headbangingly jam things out for a long fadeaway finish. A phenomenal way to wrap things up!

That is the end of "Alive Or Just Breathing" and I thought it was a pretty freaking awesome album! Killswitch Engage blend harmony with the heaviest metal of the time and there is a really high bar with just about every song being pretty good, and a few that were really awesome! I think it easily surpasses their self-titled debut and it became the new benchmark for metalcore, I can't wait to see where they go from here!