Killswitch Engage - The End of Heartache (2004)Release ID: 1858
A couple years have gone by since I started listening to Killswitch Engage full-time, and all of their albums have really grown on me. Many age well and a couple others don't. As I continue listening to The End of Heartache, their 3rd album and the first with Howard Jones on vocals, a bit of my interest in this album has worn off. Fortunately, my decision to review the special edition has made me understand its success.
The re-release that came out almost a year after the original album has several bonus tracks, a couple of which are so timeless that they can please fans in 2025 as they had in 2005. This thrashy melodic metalcore offering that would've ended up having just 4 stars in the standard edition has been brought up back to 4.5 stars here!
Starting off a bit poorly is "A Bid Farewell", which kinda comes out as repetitive in the drums, guitars, and vocals, not having much of the melody except in the chorus. But don't worry, there are greater tracks coming up... "Take This Oath" impresses me with its riffs and melodies, though I wish there was slightly more than that. At least then-former vocalist Jesse Leach has snuck in some of his own vocals. "When Darkness Falls" is a little more predictable. The instrumentation and vocals sound like they've bled from the first couple tracks. It's still good though. "Rose of Sharyn" is a greater highlight, showing how professional the band is when it comes to melodic metalcore. "Inhale" is a calm acoustic interlude before more of the heaviness storms in later tracks...
"Breathe Life" is perhaps my favorite highlight here. I love how the solo can sound beautiful without fast technicality! The title track soars through with intense emotion, especially in the breakdown. However, it should be noted that later on in the special edition, that incredible track ends up receiving a single edit appearing in the soundtrack of Resident Evil: Apocalypse, taking away all that's great about it. Glad I just commented on that version early! "Declaration" ends up falling back into the predictable trap. Same with "World Ablaze". It segues to "And Embers Rise", but adding in a second acoustic interlude is rather unnecessary.
"Wasted Sacrifice" makes up for the mistakes of the past few tracks as another one of the best tracks here, with a killer opening verse followed by awesome riffing. "Hope Is..." is a rifftastic ending track for the standard edition, featuring All That Remains' Phil Labonte. He and Leach guest appear in the first special edition bonus track, a re-recording of "Irreversal", where brutal blasts level up the intensity, defining the sound from the debut. "My Life for Yours" is a killer leftover track from the Heartache sessions.
And the rest of the re-release is that aforementioned hollow radio edit of the title track and a few live tracks. The 4.5-star rating goes to that special edition which is an amazing release for new and longtime fans. You gotta thank Roadrunner for that!
Favorites: "Take This Oath", "Rose of Sharyn", "Breathe Life", "The End of Heartache", "Wasted Sacrifice", "Hope Is...", "Irreversal", "My Life for Yours"
