KILLSWITCH ENGAGE | Atonement | Album Review

The term "pioneers" seems like a fitting descriptor of the members behind Killswitch Engage, a name that is all too easy to recognize in the metalcore world. Beginning in 1999 from the ashes of two previous bands, the band soon became one of the defining names of the genre that opened the door for other bands. The journey hasn't been exactly smooth sailing for the five-piece band, and in fact their most prominent era did not see their founding vocalist Jesse Leach at the vocal helm. Leach would come back in the early 2010's after a decade away, which has resulted in three further studio albums with his voice. The most recent of these albums is the band's eighth album overall entitled "Atonement". After nearly three and half years of heavy anticipation as well as a label change from Roadrunner Records to Metal Blade, to say that "Atonement" is riding off of a lot of potential is selling it short. The reason fans waited longer for new material is a slew of vocal problems Leech had during the sessions involving a polyp developing in his throat, which put the sessions on hold. After undergoing vocal therapy, recording continued for a project described in interviews before its release as a "reflection of perseverance and passion through the trials and suffering of our existence". That synopsis of the album's themes isn't all that different from the band's previous record, but in this case it becomes important considering the events that led up to the finalized project being unveiled.

Earlier this summer, we were given two singles to tease the album's release, the opening cut "Unleashed" and "I Am Broken Too", which appears later in the tracklist. "Unleashed" kicks the album off in typical KsE fashion with chugging guitar riffs and double kick drum patterns in its introduction and verses, leading to a more melodic chorus. The song stays varied in style throughout while it retains what fans expect from the band this far into their career. What is also noticeable is the lyrics penned for this track, which take on a different dynamic than previously heard from this band. There is an underlying anger behind these lyrics that makes them stand out well in the track and with Leach's vocal performance. The song was described as referring to one's internal passion and rage being being awakened by a tragic event. Leach sells this message well with his clean vocals which appear just as much as his screaming vocals which do well to elaborate the overall theme and tone of the song. The bridge in particular is emotive as Leach is heard yelling in the background as a clean singing part is going on to further reflect the internal anger. It's a stellar way to open an album that has a heavy structure behind it. Second single "I Am Broken Too" is more of a radio-ready track that gets sentimental with its message that revolves around mental health and depression. While I don't think this song sticks out quite as well on the album, the track still works with a very catchy hook and lyrics meant to relate to someone struggling in life.

For much of the album past the first two released tracks, you are presented more of the heavy metalcore style the band has been attributed to for years. The thing that sets this album apart from the others is that the main focus is in the songwriting and in the amount of chaotic moments heard throughout each track. Sure, there are melodic sections that give listeners a break before being put right back into the more abrasive side of things. But, overall in terms of stylistic tone, you are getting eleven hard hitters even in more radio-ready cuts like "Take Control" and "I Can't Be The Only One". Light The Torch lead vocalist Howard Jones who was also KsE's previous vocalist appears on the track "The Signal Fire" which is a relentless track with an accentuation place on how speedy the riffs and the drumwork get, as is the case for other tracks such as "Know Your Enemy", "Ravenous", and the thrashy cut "The Crownless King", which also features Chuck Billy of Testament on guest vocals. The real gems of this album are the tracks that shine a light on mental health and perseverance of such conditions in the lyricism. "Take Control" is the most notable track to take this angle, all the while boasting fluent instrumentalism. "I Can't Be The Only One" and "The Crownless King" are tracks that to appear be a loud battle cry against depression that certainly do take elements from other tracks we've heard in the past, but here it stands out well in a much different way. There's a surprising amount of diversity throughout "Atonement" even though the album remains heavily consistent in its tone, and that's a definite plus.

With every album Killswitch Engage has created after Jesse Leach's return, the music has been absolutely stellar, perhaps more so than the Howard Jones era, and it has been made clear that "Atonement" is not far off from that claim. Some of the tracks do sound similar in essence, though. For example, "The Signal Fire", "The Crownless King", and "Know Your Enemy" all have similarity to each other at least instrumentally. However, each track on this album stands out on its own and nothing feels like it comes across as pandering or insignificant. Whereas their previous release "Incarnate" was certainly a victim of that in places, the tracks that make up "Atonement" alleviate that problem big time. The members of Killswitch Engage are no strangers to hardships that bring them into a state of uncertainty. What "Atonement" proves is that these men from Westfield, Massachusetts are able to create metalcore with a brutal and assaulting fixture backing it up but also incorporate a lot of depth and quality in unlimited quantities. Overall, this is one of this band's best albums to date. This is proof that metalcore is not just generic and dated riffs and screaming vocals that sound awful or obnoxious, and that with the right mixture something amazing can take place within a project that borrows the characteristics of a metalcore band from the mid 2000's. Fans will be more than pleased with the final product and new metalcore fans will find something enthralling to listen to. Engage yourself in this eleven-track odyssey.

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RATING: 9/10