Album Review: Killswitch Engage [2009] by Killswitch Engage

Westfield, MA-based metalcore kings Killswitch Engage's fifth full-length album (and second eponymous release) was co-produced by Brendan O'Brien (Bruce Springsteen, AC/DC, Aerosmith, Mastodon), resulting in the group's most commercially viable collection of progressive/thrash/emo-metal to date. Where 2006's As Daylight Dies hinted at an accelerated focus on the more melodic aspects of extreme metal, Killswitch Engage cements the notion. After a typically brutal opener that epitomizes the band's penchant for scorching thrash-heavy verses and sweeping, melodious choruses, the quintet spits out the radio-ready "Starting Over.

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Combining the aggression of hardcore, the flamboyance of traditional heavy metal, and the introspection of mainstream rock effectively is something countless bands have been attempting since early this decade, but very few have ever come close to achieving it with any level of consistency, let alone perfecting it. Shadows Fall nailed it for a brief period five years ago. Trivium showed enormous promise before completely losing the plot on their third album.

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