Is this a bad thing? I don't necessarily think so. How many bands have said that their new record will be new, fresh, original, mind blowing, face melting, tear inducing products of their collective genius? I couldn't count that high (I just can't count very high, period (!), if i'm being honest with you all)
With Killswitch, it's almost a given that, after verses screamed by the might Howard Jones, we are treated to an uplifting chorus that makes us want to bro out and hug everyone while singing along. And I'm ok with that. Hugging men included (I'm a lover not a fighter). Would you want a Big Mac to start using progressive meats sandwiched between the gallons of mayonnaise? Or progressive sauces? One horse meat and tartare sauce a la flambee Big Mac, go big time? That is a ridiculous point, but for all the whining about Killswitch's stagnant progression, I can't help but wonder how many people would be upset at the new and pretentious song writing they used on their self titled record, which drops the 30th of June. Or how Alive or Just Breathing was so much better than anything, and their new creative efforts have gone in vain. I see differences in their songwriting already, when using this latest single as a point of comparison. Leads that see Joel and Adam D actually working the fretboard, Howard Jones embracing an alt-rock vocal line in the chorus - to me its the Killswitch I know and love, just tweaked. If you pay to watch Batman, don't get offended when you see the Bat Nipples poking through his body hugging suit (yea, 3000mgs of Taurine & Caffeine is the only way to explain that little analogy). Or likewise, when you watch Paul Walker in Fast and the Furious and can't get over the fact he couldn't act his way out of a paper bag, don't start whining - go watch Amelie.
Adam D isn't behind the helm of this one, Brendan O'Brien (famous for working with big name acts like Incubus and Pearl Jam) produced, but I don't think that will affect the sound of this record very much. Killswitch Engage will be Killswitch Engage, booty shorts and cape and all. Howard has been quoted as saying this record will deal with darker subject matter, which is intriguing to me - but no one seems to care about that. Whaaatevs, I am just way too jacked up on an energy drink right now. They pioneered the Massachusetts metalcore scene, and yet when Motorhead put out septuplet albums (or however Lemmy has cranked out), people generally seem to dig it. Just sayin'
Check out the latest single off Killswitch Engage's Self Titled fourth record, entitled 'Starting Over'
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