''Killswitch Engage'' is the debut studio album by American

metalcore Metalcore is a broadly defined fusion genre combining elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk, originating in the 1990s United States and becoming popular in the 2000s. Metalcore typically has aggressive verses and melodic choruses, combined ...

band

Killswitch Engage Killswitch Engage is an American metalcore band from Westfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1999. The band's current lineup consists of vocalist Jesse Leach, guitarists Joel Stroetzel and Adam Dutkiewicz, bassist Mike D'Antonio, and drummer Justin ...

, released July 4, 2000, through

Ferret Music Ferret Music was an American independent record label turned Warner Music Group subsidiary, founded in 1996. The label is owned by metalcore band NORA's vocalist, Carl Severson, and based in West Windsor, New Jersey. Ferret recently started an ...

. It was the only album by the band released through Ferret as they would later sign with

Roadrunner Records Roadrunner Records is a Dutch–American record label focused on Heavy metal music, heavy metal and hard rock music. Founded in the Netherlands in 1980, it is now a division of Warner Music Group and is based in New York City. Formerly seen as ...

. The band's debut is considered to be one of the first ever successful albums in the metalcore genre, garnering a re-release five years after its original pressing. No songs in the album were released as singles. In 2020, it was named one of the 20 best metal albums of 2000 by ''

Metal Hammer ''Metal Hammer'' is a heavy metal music magazine and website founded in 1983, published in the United Kingdom by Future, with other language editions published by different companies available in numerous other countries. ''Metal Hammer'' featu ...

'' magazine.

History

The song "Soilborn" was the first song the band ever wrote, which took shape during the band's first jam session together, also mentioned in ''From the Bedroom to the Basement''. The band wrote the entire album's music without a singer, until Jesse Leach of local band Nothing Stays Gold (who were signed to Dutkiewicz's brother Tobias' record label, Tobias also being the singer for

Aftershock In seismology, an aftershock is a smaller earthquake that follows a larger earthquake, in Epicenter, the same area of the Mainshock, main shock, caused as the displaced Crust (geology), crust adjusts to the effects of the main shock. Large earthq ...

) joined the band shortly after its formation. Many of the songs were then recorded for a demo, which included "Soilborn", before the recording of the band's debut full-length. While writing the album, bassist D'Antonio asked

if they could sign his band as a favor since D'Antonio illustrated the covers for some of the albums released through the label. Ferret were said to have signed Killswitch Engage mainly because

metal A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, electricity and thermal conductivity, heat relatively well. These properties are all associated wit ...

was becoming less and less popular at the time, and representatives felt that they might be the last metal band they would ever sign. The tracks "Temple from the Within" and "Vide Infra" were re-released for '' Alive or Just Breathing'' (2002), while "Irreversal" was re-recorded for '' The End of Heartache'' (2004) and "In the Unblind" was re-recorded for the ''Alive or Just Breathing'' 2005 re-release bonus disc. In 2004, Ferret Music also released a remastered version of the album, with four demo tracks from a 1999 demo, which was originally sold at a show within which

Shadows Fall Shadows Fall is an American metalcore band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1996. Although Shadows Fall has experienced several line-up changes, for most of its recording career, Shadows Fall has been composed of guitarists Jon Donais and ...

and

In Flames In Flames is a Swedish Heavy metal music, heavy metal band, formed by guitarist Jesper Strömblad in Gothenburg in 1990 out of the Swedish death metal, Swedish death metal scene. Their lineup has changed several times, with vocalist Anders Frid ...

played together at The Palladium in

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Massachusetts, second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the list of United States cities by population, 113th most populous city in the United States. Named after Worcester ...

, which apparently sold incredibly well, as said in the documentary feature ''From the Bedroom to the Basement'' from the live DVD ''

(Set This) World Ablaze ''(Set This) World Ablaze'' is the first live album by American metalcore band Killswitch Engage. The DVD is of a live show that was taped at Worcester Palladium, The Palladium in Worcester, Massachusetts on July 25, 2005. It includes live track ...

''. Subsequent releases in 2005 and 2007 were handled by Roadrunner Records.

Track listing

Personnel

;Killswitch Engage * Jesse Leach – vocals * Joel Stroetzel – guitar *

Mike D'Antonio Michael D'Antonio (born May 19, 1973) is an American musician, best known as the bass guitarist and founder of the metalcore band Killswitch Engage. He is also the founder and bassist of the bands Overcast and Death Ray Vision. Career D'An ...

– bass guitar * Adam Dutkiewicz – drums ;Production *Produced by

Adam Dutkiewicz Adam Jonathan Dutkiewicz (born April 4, 1977) is an American musician and record producer. He is the lead guitarist of the metalcore bands Killswitch Engage, Aftershock (band), Aftershock and Times of Grace (band), Times of Grace, as well as the ...

*Mastered by Keith Chirgwin

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Killswitch Engage (2000 Album) Killswitch Engage albums 2000 debut albums Albums produced by Adam Dutkiewicz