Twenty Years Ago, Killswitch Engage Perfected Melodic Metalcore with End of Heartache
With the old-school variety of metallic hardcore coming back alongside the “scene” resurgence, not as many folks seem to acknowledge the wave of metalcore Killswitch Engage road in on. Together with bands like Atreyu, All That Remains, and Avenged Sevenfold, this Massachusetts export helped popularize the “melodic metalcore” sphere, which became a staple within “the new wave of American metal” and reverberates in the culture to this day.
They had already made waves with a 2000 self-titled debut and 2002’s Alive or Just Breathing before experiencing a crucial lineup change — replacing founding vocalist Jesse Leach with Howard Jones. Frontman switches can be hard to navigate, but for Killswitch it became lightning in a bottle. Jones’ voice was the missing ingredient The End of Heartache needed to propel Killswitch Engage into the stratosphere of metal in the 2000s.
Even those with a cursory knowledge of Killswitch Engage, or metal in general, have likely heard this album’s title track. “End of Heartache” is the quintessence of why Howard-era Killswitch has remained so dearly missed since he departed from the band. His operatic singing, commingling with his signature fry screams, takes what would already be a catchy metalcore song and takes it to a place where it can be discussed alongside Iron Maiden or Dio in terms of sheer commanding presence and melodic fervor. It’s also one of the only instances where a “radio edit” without screaming doesn’t lose that emotional thrust. Howard’s power radiates in all of his vocal styles, gifting metalcore with one of its greatest love songs.
Going back to the opener, “A Bid Fairwell” brings a lot more of the bonafide metalcore sound, but imagine hearing those breakdowns, dissonant guitar strains, and melo-death tremolo riffs with Howard’s harsh screaming having no idea what the chorus has in store. The heavy parts have aged well, further established by the stompings of “Take this Oath.” It’s as easy to imagine battle-vest-wearing metalheads push moshing or core kids karate dancing to this now as it would in 2004, these tracks become truly timeless because there aren’t any parts that feel like killing time before the really good stuff comes back. Even the good-cop-bad-cop structure doesn’t feel played out, because it’s not apparent that Adam Dutkiewicz and Joel Stroetzel prefer chugging, shredding, or simply supporting Howard. It’s really the difference between riff salad and legit songwriting, something many modern practitioners may want to do their homework on today.
There are only so many ways to say “it’s just catchy,” but Killswitch Engage achieved their best batting average with End of Heartache. In the case of “When Darkness Falls,” it’s really about how Dutkiewicz and Stroetzel lock in with drummer Justin Foley for transitions as electrifying as they are natural. At the Gates-core may be horribly played out, but cuts like this don’t even have to be taken in context. There’s a reason this blew up and it’s not because of trend-hopping. For “Rose of Sharyn,” it’s really about that incredible outro. With tear-jerking, yet hopeful lyrics, and strong melodies, the band shows how metal can be heartfelt without coming off wimpy.
The fact “Inhale” could sneak its way onto a Coldplay album might start conversations about pointless interludes and how annoyingly common they’ve become in the genre, but in this case, it shows the actual reason why these songs are so infectious. Even a more technical attachment like “Breathe Life,” a lot of what Killswitch Engage does boils down to pop changes. Underneath the hammer on pull-offs, and bare-knuckled breakdowns, there’s an understanding of “why” instead of “what.” For context, Dutkiewicz’s producer credits span from Underoath and All that Remains to The Acacia Strain and Unearth. He knows how to make heavy music catchy, or vice versa. A cut like “Declaration” has all the chunkiness of a Hatebreed classic, and fretboard action to contend with the metal elitists, all tied together by an uncommon vision to create music that transcends genre barriers.
For instance, a deeper cut like “World Ablaze” perfectly blends a more ominous vibe recalling Scandinavian death metal, but still maintains the expected arena-ready bravado and accessible grooves. These choices of notes and chords aren’t just aesthetic but serve an emotional throughline. Plenty of bands these days feel the need to separate their “heavy” stuff from the “non-heavy” stuff, but it’s all seamlessly integrated here. Again, an interlude like “And Embers Rise” works as the perfect accompaniment as it transposes and recontextualizes the melodic structures of the previous song in a delicate ambiance and drizzling acoustic arpeggios.
It’s honestly baffling how consistent this album is, considering how single-oriented metalcore has come to be nowadays. The throttling riffage of “Wasted Sacrifice” feels just as inspired as the album’s first moments, and Howard never feels like he’s phoning in his performances. Granted, these aren’t the kind of vocals you can half-ass, but the fact the melodies remain so distinct from song to song says a lot about his attention to songwriting instead of impressive chops. The band even saves their heaviest stuff for last on “Hope Is…” by sandwiching the melo-death-with-breakdowns mantra with some life-ending slam riffs.
Anthemic, yet brutal… electrifying, yet nuanced, it’s everything metalcore should be in essence.
Perhaps most importantly, End of Heartache shows that metalcore doesn’t need rap features, pop production or nu metal flavors to be “unique.” If the chops are there, it absolutely will leave its mark. As bands like Boundaries re-light the torch for this era of metalcore today, it would be wise to look back on landmark albums like this one to see how Killswitch Engage perfected melodic metalcore before anyone before the 2000s reached their halfway point.
