Review : KILLSWITCH ENGAGE – “Killswitch Engage”

Killswitch Engage – “Killswitch Engage”
released July 6, 2009 on Roadrunner

It takes some balls to release a second self-titled album (the first being their debut with former vocalist Jesse Leach). Is this truly a defining moment in their career? Absolutely. It reinforces that KsE is too safe, too middle-of-the road, and should not strike even a novice listener as anything new.

They regurgitate the formula they helped create, with big ol’ choruses and song titles repeated ad nauseum (which is what typically halts any forward momentum they generate). Most of the lyrics are way egocentric, focusing on personal issues and human drama, rife with cliché. The exceptions are “Reckoning” (which may be seen as questioning religious faith, and is about 7% heavier), and the generalized call-to-action, “A Light In A Darkened World”. The overseer is Brendan O’Brien (Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen), though Adam D. still coproduced, engineered and mixed the album.

As the barometer by which modern metalcore is measured, I wish they were more mercurial to help propagate greater variety. This band offers evolution by the thimbleful.

FCC OK
Try 1, 3, 4

01. Never Again
02. Starting Over
03. The Forgotten
04. Reckoning
05. The Return
06. A Light In A Darkened World
07. Take Me Away
08. I Would Do Anything
09. Save Me
10. Lost
11. This Is Goodbye

Rating: