Hi guys!

In honor of Jesse Leach rejoining Killswitch Engage, I have decided to review his classic album with Killswitch Engage, Alive or Just Breathing.

Killswitch Engage at this point in their career were far different than they are now. They were only a 4 piece at this point, with Adam D. on drums rather than guitar. They also played a more driven, more raw style of metalcore as well. This was them at their peak imo, and this is the classic they were able to release at this peak.

The first thing to note is the guitars are well done. They always kelp things interesting, sometimes keeping a groove on tracks like Fixation on the Darkness and My Last Serenade, but other times just flat out shredding on a track like Vide Infra. Since KSE was only a 4 piece at this time it limited what the guitarist could do, but they were still able to make it work. The bass on this album is very well done. Alot of times it double the guitar, but there are little bass solos sprinkled throughout this album, and D'Antonio's bass playing really holds the album together at times. Adam D's drumming is pretty standard, theirs nothing on here that is gonna blow you away. He holds the beat and can keep the groove in some songs so he does his job.

But the highlight of this album is the vocals. Jesse Leach's scream is just...unbelievable. The emotion and just the rawness of his vocals are just something special. He particularly shines on My Last Serenade, where he is able to unleash some just crazy high screams, and is able to show his cleans off on the chorus of the song. Just Barely Breathing is also one of his shining moments, as he is able to show his range even further. Just a phenomenal performance by him on this thing.

This album still isnt perfect. The lack of a second guitarist did sometimes put a ceiling on what they could do as far as melodies go. Not a big flaw, but a flaw nonetheless. Also, Leach can't growl, so the diversity of his screams could be lacking at times.

Pros:Leach's vocals
Album flows nicely
My Last Serenade

Cons:No 2nd guitarist
Drums are nothing special
Leach sometimes lacked diversity

All in all I'm gonna give this album a 9/10. It's a metalcore classic, and features some of the genres best songs. Really stoked to hear the new stuff with Jesse, they haven't been the same since this album.

That's it for now!

Jzilla \m/