Killswitch Engage - As Daylight Dies
Roadrunner Records
Melodic Metalcore
11 songs (44:11)
Release year: 2006
Killswitch Engage, Roadrunner Records
Reviewed by Cody
Major event

The glory boys of popular metal are back, with their tried and true method of metalcore that 'heads have either come to embrace or scorn with great disdain. No longer must elitists resort to making fun of some Six Feet Under cover album or another failed Fear Factory attempt to legitimize themselves in the underground. Nay dear friends, Killswitch Engage are back with a new rip roarin' album that will make loads of cash and increase their fanbase tenfold.

Following 2004's End of Heartache, and an entire year of heavy touring, Killswitch had almost become an afterthought in the scene as bands like As I Lay Dying, Lamb of God, Unearth, Bullet For My Valentine and Avenged Sevenfold (amongst several others) made some big splashes outside of the "scene" with some receiving major label recognition. However, with a fantastic cover of Dio's Holy Diver earlier this year, and another anticipated full length release this past month entitled As Daylight Dies, Killswitch Engage have recovered the limelight and are again in the midst of the acclaims and jeers well overshadowing any other mainstream metal release this year. One has to wonder though, with all this crazy publicity and pre-concieved notions by haters and fanboys, has Killswitch gone soft? Have they denied the mainstream tendency to go soft to appeal to the 12 year old girls? Let's actually take a bit of time to analyze the music, and not the name.

Before I begin to delve into the bits and pieces of this album, I will put it out on the table that I am a fan of the band. I have enjoyed all of their releases prior to As Daylight Dies, but a fanboy I am not. When I put in this album, I was ready to expect anything, be it album of the year, or one of my disappointments of 2006; after listening to it several times, I can safely come to the conclusion that As Daylight Dies is neither.

For those who have listened to Killswitch Engage in the past and came to a certain conclusion, their latest offering will probably do little to change your opinion of their sound. As Daylight Dies is not a revolutionary album, it's simply Killswitch Engage doing what they have been doing for the last 3 records. This is a melodic metalcore album with European influences and alot of clean vocal interludes. In comparison to their past two LPs, this album pushes more clean vocals by the sorely underrated Howard Jones who, unlike many of his counterparts, has the uncanny ability to handle actual singing without the emo-ish tendencies that many of his peers tend to fall into. In addition, Howard is one of the most aggressive and effective hardcore vocalists on the mic. If anything has changed in comparison to other albums, it's the focus on Howard's great abilities as a frontman. Can detractors claim Howard's emphasis on clean vocals throughout the album is a sign of a mainstream focus on their sound? Sure they can, but detractors have been claiming this band has been selling out for the last 5 years, once claiming they were just another nu-metal band (which is grossly inaccurate), and now saying they are just pumping out a sound that is the flavor of the month. Make no mistake, As Daylight Dies is not a passe record, it is a solid output by a band that knows their sound and sticks to it. This is not an album that caters to the mainstream, this is a natural progression in the KSE catalog.

The bottom line with this album is not complex riffs with monumental storylines and serious sounds; this is a fun band with an emphasis on catchy hooks and melodies. If you enjoyed the past few records, you'll absolutely enjoy this album from beginning to end, simple as that. For those who have seen Killswitch Engage live, you'll know these performers love to simply have fun on stage, and this absolutely reflects in their music. This is not "bro- core", nor is it catering to the emocore scensters. This album is created by a band who knows their metal and hardcore, and molds both together seamlessly to create the hybrid that pretty much everyone has copied for the last 3-4 years.

Killswitch Engage are not trendwhores, they are not catering to the needs and wants of executives or the "mainstream", they are band that puts out a sound that has and will continue to become more and more popular. As Daylight Dies is merely another solid record by a solid band. Whether we like them or not, this band is here to stay, and if more records like As Daylight Dies are put out, they could very well become this generation's Iron Maiden

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Killing Songs :
This is Absolution, Unbroken
Cody quoted 80 / 100
Ken quoted 70 / 100
Other albums by Killswitch Engage that we have reviewed:
Killswitch Engage - The End of Heartache reviewed by Jason and quoted 91 / 100
Killswitch Engage - Alive Or Just Breating reviewed by Danny and quoted 92 / 100
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