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Critic Reviews
80
This album isn't going to change the way you think about metal, but Killswitch Engage aren't Mastodon; they just want to get the pit going, and this album will surely accomplish that.
10y
70
Flanked by dual guitar leads that echo classic Iron Maiden and shot through with a truly great vocal take from lead singer Howard Jones (who sounds remarkably like a classically trained Trent Reznor throughout the album), it's one of the album's finest, though ultimately divisive moments
10y
70
Once they were the best guys in the genre; now, they’re the only band in metalcore worth caring about. If anything, Killswitch Engage reminds you why Killswitch Engage is still here.
5y
70
By taking the semi-polished fury of the early days and the over-glossed accessibility that we've seen for the last couple of years, Killswitch Engage have shown that they are indeed still moving forward as a band, even if they can't take their eyes off the rearview mirror.
4y
60
“Nevermind”, as another grunge band once said. Killswitch Engage still rock – just not quite as consistently well or as hard as on previous efforts. Perhaps Killswitch Engage Decaf would have been a more appropriate album title.
9y
60
Here’s an album of two halves. On the one hand, the US metalcore chaps Killswitch Engage have created a signature sound which seems to have settled firmly into place with their fifth album ... On the other hand, there aren’t really any other bands who sound like this – and the Killswitch sound is a good one.
5y
50
This was good, catchy heavy music, and sometimes that’s all one needs.
10y
50
A flub, pure and simple. Let's hope Killswitch Engage re-evaluate their "new direction" and choose to go back in the "old direction."
9y
50
Aside from a few unique moments (“The Return,” “Take Me Away”), there’s not much new to report here.
10y
50
If these guys had any other vocalist, I don’t think this record would be as good.
3y
An enjoyable record but not the same quality as Howard's previous material with the band and possibly their floor, a pretty high floor for me but still the floor.
The production isn't as crisp. Never Again is a solid opener but more genre standard, especially for them. The soloing is still pretty solid, decent track but nothing crazy. It gets better as it moves. Starting Over is a solid track and was a single. I like the melody here. Fun riffs and pacing, it's poppier than some ... read more
Killswitch Engage is rated ''Above Average'', in my opinion, due to it being 54.55% relistenable.
Nerd Breakdown:
Ratio -
I view a masterpiece as 80% relistenable (8/10). Since AOTY goes to 100, I have to account for this by dividing 80 by 100. Giving me 0.80.
Out of 11 Total Songs -
2 were Skipped (Each equals 0.0)
6 were Good Album Songs (Each equals 0.5)
3 were Liked Songs I would go out of my way to listen to again. (Each equals 1.0)
I then use this formula:
((( ... read more
Listening to Every Killswitch Engage Album so I can Rank them #5: Killswitch Engage
Crazy how they dropped their worst rated album after their most highly rated album when it's not even that much worse! I genuinely don't get the hate for this album, maybe it's from lowered expectations but this thing just hits hard! The only downgrade from their past albums is that the production is noticeably worse but not bad by any means and even carries some of the charm I liked form their ... read more
i dont get the hate on this one i thought it was amazing. it has great riffs and i think the first half is stellar. after Take Me Away i think it falls off a bit but that first 2 thirds is great. definitely a new style of metalcore for the band but i really like adams vocals and feel that the record does a good job of feeling grand and exciting. not much else to say i loved it way more and i was expecting. Never again, A Light In a Darkened World and the Forgotten were my favorites here
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Track List
| 1 | Never Again 3:09 | 75 |
| 2 | Starting Over 3:51 | 83 |
| 3 | The Forgotten 3:17 | 73 |
| 4 | Reckoning 2:40 | 68 |
| 5 | The Return 4:28 | 70 |
| 6 | A Light in a Darkened World 2:50 | 68 |
| 7 | Take Me Away 2:45 | 68 |
| 8 | I Would Do Anything 3:22 | 64 |
| 9 | Save Me 3:46 | 72 |
| 10 | Lost 3:45 | 64 |
| 11 | This Is Goodbye 4:17 | 70 |
Total Length: 38 minutes
Comments (3)
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1y
It's fucking hilarious how their 2 lowest rated albums are both of the self titled ones
