Killswitch Engage - Atonement II B​-​Sides for Charity (2020)^{Release ID: 21148}

Before we get to the point of my Killswitch Engage review journey, there's one more release I forgot about until after my Atonement review. Ever since the band's switch from Roadrunner Records to Metal Blade, they stopped doing the whole "special edition" business. Fortunately, there came an opportunity to release those 6 leftover tracks. When the pandemic hit, they decided to release them as an EP in which sales would be donated to a COVID relief organization. Hence the B-Sides for Charity!

So this is kind of like what happened with Epica's The Holographic Principle and The Solace System. But here we have KSE's usual melodic metalcore. Come to think of it, the EP would've fit nicely alongside Atonement as a special edition if Metal Blade allowed that. Still I would let them be, because why jinx Atonement's perfection?

First track "To the Great Beyond" starts off sounding like the most Amon Amarth-sounding metalcore song ever, with epic-sounding guitars and drums. However, the rest of the track sounds a bit hollow when put outside of Atonement and its diverse side. "Hollow Convictions" fits better outside of Atonement due to its sludgy pace, while still a powerful highlight. The guitarwork and death growls sound not too far off from their early material. "Killing of Leviathan" is a more thrashy track, and that kind of sound I think would be better suited for a different band like As I Lay Dying. Still we have that awesome blend of deathly and melodic, and some audible bass too.

I enjoy the screaming by Adam D. in "No Devotion". Then "I Feel Alive Again" is more lively with some melody that can found in other bands like Bleeding Through, Memphis May Fire, and Demon Hunter, albeit sounding uplifting. "Prophets of Treason" is another sludgy march while having some melody from Haste the Day and a bit of the progressiveness of Anacrusis' later albums.

Half of these songs sound like they could greatly blend in with Atonement, while the other half stands perfectly where they are. And it's quite diverse for a 6-track EP, standing on the line between heaviness, melody, and experimentation. The Atonement era is still one of a couple perfect eras for this amazing band!

Favorites: "Hollow Convictions", "Killing of Leviathan", "I Feel Alive Again"