It’s hard to believe that nine years have passed since KILLSWITCH ENGAGE’s debut release in 2000. The years have surely been kind to the band as their new self-titled album is their most sophisticated work to date. While the “metalcore” tag will probably always be associated with the band, Killswitch Engage contains only a minimal amount of the “core” aspect of their roots. The album is a sleek and skilled metal beast. Guitarists, Adam Dutkiewicz and Joel Stroetzel, are proven top-notch guitarists with their unrelenting melodics and fast technical skills. They frequently channel the spirit and sound of IN FLAMES’ Jesper Stromblad and SOILWORK’s Peter Wichers. It’s no secret that KILLSWITCH ENGAGE are big fans of the aforementioned bands. However, one thing the band have that their Swedish heroes do not possess is a vocalist who can sing as well as Howard Jones. On this album, Jones continues to belt out the memorable vocal lines with plenty of range, skill, and soul. Speaking of the aforementioned characteristic, KILLSWITCH show progressive growth in their ability to express the emotional aspect of their expression via a bigger musical vocabulary. There are more than enough stand out tracks on Killswitch Engage to impress any critic and satisfy any fan. Some of them include “Never Again,” “Starting Over,” and “Take Me Away.” While the album fizzles out a bit in the end, it’s still a high quality KILLSWITCH ENGAGE album that has plenty to offer. (Roadrunner Records)

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