KILLSWITCH ENGAGE S/T CD (2009)

The second self-titled album is always a statement. Killswitch Engage's 2009 return with Howard Jones marked a band doubling down on exactly what made them one of the defining metalcore acts of the 2000s, big melodic hooks, riffs with genuine intent, and a production job that still holds up.

This is the record that gave us "Starting Over" and "The Arms of Sorrow (Redux)," and it sits comfortably in the catalogue as the moment KsE showed they weren't slowing down. Metalcore has a complicated relationship with legacy, a lot of that era hasn't aged well, but Killswitch built songs instead of trends, and this one still earns its place in the collection. If your formative years involved Warped Tour lineups and staying up too late on metal forums, you already know.

CD, full length album. 2009 release. US artist.

Fans of: All That Remains, Parkway Drive, Trivium, As I Lay Dying, Shadows Fall