Killswitch Engage - Atonement (2019)^{Release ID: 12012}

It's no doubt that Killswitch Engage used to be kind of a big deal in the Metalcore scene. That time has passed though, and the band has not adapted. This album could've been released in 2007 and no one would have bat an eye, except maybe for the production value. But that was over ten years ago and a lot has happened in the Metalcore world. Melodic Metalcore, the kind that bands like Killswitch or As I Lay Dying has fallen out of favor, first for the scene years and then either for a sound that is more rooted in Hardcore or straight up Prog Metal with breakdowns. To throw an album like "Atonement" into the ring at this point in time will please no one but diehard fans of the bands' original sound - of which I am not one.

That said, it's also not a sound that is completely trash. For most of its runtime the album chugs along nicely, making for some okay background music. A few standout tracks have been sprinkled in as well, such as "The Signal Fire" which features former singer Howard Jones and "I Am Broken Too", both stand out mostly due to their catchy vocal delivery. As soon as the band ventures outside of their comfort zone though (which they do rarely enough), it's immediately clear why they chose not to experiment. Probably the most unusual song is the closer "Bite the Hand That Feeds" which - and get this - doesn't do chugs in simple eighth or sixteenth notes but rather has some weird pattern that just makes for an unsettling listen. If you're not already a big fan of the band, steer clear of this album.