*** "A LIGHT IN A DARKENED WORLD..." ***

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE - "KILLSWITCH ENGAGE"
("Roadrunner Records"; CD):

Okay, here's the next one on my list that I want to get worked through finally. This is still the current album of the Metalcore or Modern Metal megaseller(s) of KILLSWITCH ENGAGE and so there's still enough reason to do a review of it even today after it was already released back then in 2009. So, okay, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE just convinced me with their precursor release to this one, "AS DAYLIGHT DIES", never before. All their other releases that used to see the light of the day earlier really had never been on my list, not even at the bottom of it. This whole Metalcore and/or Modern Metal stuff, nah, I mean it's not like it would be crap in general, no, but it's just like if you used to grow up with 1990's Neo Thrash Metal (like for example FEAR FACTORY) and 1990's 'New School' (Scandinavian) Death Metal (like for example AT THE GATES) and late 1990's as well as early 2000's Nu Metal (like for example SLIPKNOT) then all this hyped acts like for example THREAT SIGNAL and also KILLSWITCH ENGAGE never really hold that much potential in store for you and you could never ever understand why everyone was (and partly still is) making such a noise when it comes to such bands and genres. And, beside this, (because this wouldn't be that bad at all, despise the hype and as long as it is first-and-formost good music then it's also not that much important if it's all oh so new or maybe not,) especially KILLSWITCH ENGAGE had been a band that I always categorised as one of the most heavily overrated bands out there (even the level of technical skills of the musicians was always damn high, all the records really lacked the most importat thing about music, and that's simply interesting and grapping songs and fascinating songwriting). With the "AS DAYLIGHT DIES" album this changed and as I got my hands on this here for just something like ten bucks I decided to give it a try and even more because I bought it recently. And what you get here is a good dose of that typical melodic Metalcore or Modern Metal style for that KILLSWITCH ENGAGE became pretty or even very famous. Hard yet melodic and very skillful guitar work heavily marked by the great leads and a big dose of exciting solos. Above that there stand the vocals, pretty grapping stuff, all done very well-versed, changing between brutal shouts and grunts and very clean and clear yet powerful lead vocals, and then there's a very heavy and massive rhythm section at work that really fills up every only possible blank space so that it's all a massive wall of sound that's coming directly at you if you listen to it. What's new is the fact that here you find even far more parts that display a huge influence of traditional NWOBHM music (for example IRON MAIDEN and JUDAS PRIEST) and even some if not a lot classical Stadium Rock marks (think about VAN HALEN and stuff like this) can be recognized when it comes to the guitar riffing and the rhythm structure. The technical skills of the musicians are very impressive (as usual when it comes to KILLSWITCH ENGAGE) and like on their direct precursor release also this time the songwriting works out again, hm, maybe even a little bit more than the time before. Really a pretty good album that you need to check out if you like the above mentioned bands and genres. On top of it we get some good lyrics, a great artwork and massive production sound. Check it out!!! (8 of 10 points)

(http://www.killswitchengage.com/)

(http://www.myspace.com/killswitchengage)