Product Description

'Alive Or Just Breathing' is the second album from Americanband Killswitch Engage, and follows on from their debut self-titled album which was released in 2000. Their subtle use of melody is combined with the intense sound of metal, and hardcore, with influences of roots reggae.

Track Listing

1. Numbered days
2. Self revolution
3. Fixation on the darkness
4. My last serenade
5. Life to lifeless
6. Just bareley breathing
7. To the sons of men
8. Temple from the within
9. Element of one
10. Vide intra
11. Without a name
12. Rise inside

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #32380 in Music
• Released on: 2002-05-20
• Number of discs: 1

Customer Reviews

time has not been kind
first off this album really isn't that good
point one they sound like a poor metalcore band
point two they have swiped all their best riffs from carcass
the vocals are ok but nothing special and for me it runs out of steam after about the halfway point
the first four songs are quite catchy but then they all start to blend together into blandness
and now it just sounds even worse than it did when it came out
all the songs are the same pace and they are seriously lacking in variety
its so so so poor its unbelievable

Absolutely brilliant
I only recently started listening to Killswitch Engage when I saw them on Rockworld TV a few weeks ago. I saw Howard Jones belting out a live version of `The End of Heartache' (from the album of the same name) and thought that it was worth a closer listen.

Bought the album and liked all the tracks on it. Very impressed - but I could also understand why they weren't more widely know or more successful.

Anyway, I did like `The End of Heartache' and also bought `As Daylight Dies', which again is a good album. However, I was aware of the earlier work (and the previous front-man Jesse Leach) as I had read reviews by fellow fans on Amazon, with titles such as: `The death of Killswitch..."

After having listened to this album, I can only say that I whole heatedly agree with that assessment.

This album is so much more emotive, angry, brutal and engaging than the latest offerings. There are some true classics tracks contained on this CD, whereas I think the only classic on `The End of Heartache' is the track with the same name.

This is without doubt a `must have' in anyone's metal collection.

The differences between `Alive or just Breathing' and `The End of Heartache' are quite stark when you listen to them back-to-back.
`The End of Heartache' is more guitar rift driven than `Alive or just Breathing', and it is done in such a way that the rifts are the main focal point of the music and the drumming/beat are inconsequential. This gives the whole album a very `tame' feeling, despite Howard Jones' brilliant vocal work.
(Side Note: I was listening to `The End of Heartache' and my girlfriend commented "... isn't that a bit commercial?" - which says it all. Normally her ears bleed if I ever play anything `un-commercial'!!).

In contrast, `Alive or just Breathing' has much more dominant drumming, the vocals are more screaming than signing, and the rifts less dominant - which gives the album a rawer, harder - brutal feel to it.
I tend to nod my head listening to `Alive or just Breathing' much more than I would to `The End of Heartache'.

I can't even count the number of times I have listened to this album since I bought it (about a week ago). I am, at the moment, listening to it repeatedly (whilst trying to fix my bloody IPod) and it just gets better and better.

If you are a fan of metal, buy this album and enjoy every minute of it.
Albums like this don't come up very often.

A Truly Beautiful Album
This is by far Killswitch's best album, Each song has a certain beauty to it whether it be the passionate chorus from The Element of One, or the powerful lyrics of Just Barely Breathing. There isnt a single song on the album that dosent contain a beastly brutal scream from frontman Jesse Leach, nearly each has a finger blistering amount of pinch harmonics from guitarists Joel Stroetzel and Adam Dutkiewicz, and most songs even have head pumping double bass drums from Tom Gomez, and last but not least, there are huge slides and even a solo or two from bassist Mike D'Antonio.

It starts of with some heavy tunes and a small speach to get things going in Numbered Days that later falls into classics like Fixation on the Darkness and My Last Serenade, then towards the self titled song Just Barely Breathing. Sticking to their roots, they have included cleaner, slicker versians of Temple from the Within and Vide Infra, previously used on the first self titled album. While Vide Infra may be lighter and more lyrical, Temple from the Within still packs a punch with its smoother chorus and guitar patterns. Keeping the beauty, KsE add a little Instrumental showing that the band are capable of turning down the volume and vocals and still produce a lovely song.. but this is all a set up for a demonicly intense song, Rise Inside, the finale of the album, a powerful song with a powerful message.

It is unfortunate that Killswitch Engage don't seem to have kept the beauty to this standard anymore, what with Jesse's devestating departure, The bands, although hilarious, stage antics, and the lyrical content from Howard Jones turning to mush. Hardcore fans of KsE will always miss the beast like scream of jesse and his perfect lyrics.
One of the best albums of our time.