Up next on the chopping block is a rewind review that I am late on doing. This band does have a new album out in 2025 and I’ll be honest. It’s been a long time since I’ve listened to any of their albums since I did the original review. The band back up on the chopping block is Killswitch Engage so with that, let’s take a look….
Killswitch Engage- I forgot that vocally Jesse sounds like Tomas from At The Gates in some parts. Tell me this album really isn’t anything special it’s sort of a generic metal core album. While it is a very fun album, it’s not really an album. I would go back and revisit anytime soon.
Previous Score: 9/10
New Score: 8/10
Standouts: Temple From The Within, Numb Sick Eyes, Irresversal
Alive Or Just Breathing- OK so I would say if you’re looking for the quintessential metalcore album, then really look no further. Like the early 2000s was the heyday for a lot of this kind of music and this is a perfect example of an essential album from that time. It’s absolutely a step up from the previous record and I honestly can’t say enough great things about it. It’s that good.
Previous Score: 8.5/10
New Score: 10/10
Standouts: Numbered Days, Life to Lifeless, The Element of One
The End Of Heartache- oh yes, the first album ever with Howard Jones. I gotta say when I listen to this album I’m suddenly reminded of the MySpace days. I’m also reminded of the second Resident Evil movie. But all that aside, this is another one of those albums that in my opinion is an essential Killswitch Engage album. It has elements from the previous record and it just dials it all up a notch. Definitely give this album another spin if it’s been a while.
Previous Score: 10/10
New Score: 10/10
Standouts: When Darkness Falls, A Bid Farewell, The End Of Heartache
As Daylight Dies- as much as I want to say, this is their best album I simply cannot. This one starts off really really strong, but then it kinda starts to fizzle out towards the end there. But besides that this is another one of their (what I consider) classic albums. It does have a few of their hits and as a Whole it’s a very good album. It just seems to fall a little short when compared to the last couple of albums.
Previous Score: 9/10
New Score: 9.5/10
Standouts: This is Absolution, For You, Eye of The Storm
Killswitch Engage (2)- to me. This one feels a bit uneven, but it also be the last album with Howard. You can kind of tell that they were influenced by a lot of the bands from Sweden because I do hear that in some of the songs. Overall, it’s decent, but nothing special.
Previous Score: 7/10
New Score: 7/10
Standouts: Never Again, Save Me, Reckoning
Disarm The Descent- I thought that this is a bad album or that I don’t like this song. I just feel it’s very generic. It does seem a bit more on the formula side and it’s just kind of almost a very wash rinse and repeat. It’s good not great although the notable thing about it is that this is the first album with Jesse back on vocals. Aside from that though it’s just OK.
Previous Score: 8.5/10
New Score: 7/10
Standouts: In Due Time, The Hell in Me, The Call
Incarnate- again much like the previous album, it’s just nothing special. Yes, it’s a good album but overall it’s just OK. If you are a hard-core fan of this band and especially with Jesse on vocals, yeah you’ll probably really like this album. I did enjoy this one just slightly better but again at the end of the day, it’s just OK.
Previous Score: 8/10
New Score: 7.5/10
Standouts: Hate By Design, Cut Me Loose, Until The Day
Atonement- it would seem as if this band has stuck to a certain type of formula and decided moving forward, that’s how they’re gonna do things. I enjoy this one more so than the last couple of records, but I’m finding that with this band it’s very wash rinse repeat. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it gets stale after a while. There are some really cool moments on this record, especially having Howard guest on one of them and I believe there’s even a song with Chuck Billy on guest vocals. Like I said this one is a little bit better but it’s really more of the same.
Previous Score: 10/10
New Score: 8.5/10
Standouts: The Crownless King, Ravenous, Take Control
This Consequence- it almost feels like they’re trying to break out of their shell with this one. It’s a good record but again it doesn’t really blow me away or break any new ground. Will I put it on my list for favorite albums of 2025? Maybe. It still has a lot of elements that made the last few records the way they were and it’s a good album, but it’s not great. I’m gonna give this album 8/10
Standouts: Abandon Us, Forever Aligned, Requiem
What I like about this band is that Jesse can sing both his material and Howard’s material live really really well. Personally, I think he’s the perfect fit for this band and it definitely shows especially when you see them live. Not that I didn’t like Howard, but I just think Jesse does a better job. I feel like this band is trying to break the habit or trying to sound different than they did on so many of their albums and hopefully they can evolve their sound. I don’t wanna say they’re stuck in like the early to mid 2000s but it’s sort of feels that way I don’t know. I just can’t really explain it but if you haven’t listened you, they’re older albums in a while. I highly recommend going back and listening to them again because they’re really good albums.
Final Grade: B
Previous Album Rankings:
- The End of Heartache
- Alive or Just Breathing
- Atonement
- Killswitch Engage
- As Daylight Dies
- Disarm The Descent
- Incarnate
- Killswitch Engage (2)
New Album Rankings:
- The End Of Heartache
- Alive Or Just Breathing
- As Daylight Dies
- Atonement
- The Consequence
- Killswitch Engage
- Incarnate
- Disarm The Dissent
- Killswitch Engage (2)
Sinister Reviews 