On a lyrical, musical, and influential level, Killswitch Engage’s 2002 sophomore album Alive Or Just Breathing is one of the most important albums in metalcore history. Arriving at a time where nu-metal was starting to lose steam as one of the dominant forms of heavy music, Killswitch Engage certainly weren’t the first metalcore band around or anything. In fact, the genre had started to gain more popularity in the years prior, with bands like Eighteen Visions and Poison The Well gaining traction.
However, Alive Or Just Breathing was one of the first metalcore albums of the era to really showcase what the genre was all about. No doubt inspired by the Gothenburg (lunar) strain of melodic death metal like In Flames, At The Gates, and Dark Tranquility, Killswitch Engage was powered by both a passionate vocalist in Jesse Leach and a capable rhythm section. Songs like “My Last Serenade” and “Fixation On The Darkness” helped solidify the formula that an endless number of metalcore bands would start copying almost immediately, providing a template of sorts for the genre’s sound.
Signing to Roadrunner Records for the album’s release, it allowed the label to play a key role in the commercial success of metalcore as well. Considering the label was popular at this point for high-profile releases from the likes of Slipknot and Nickelback, the positive and optimistic lyrics helped separate Killswitch Engage from the often nihilistic and dark themes of nu-metal and post-grunge. It was also the band’s last album with Jesse Leach until he rejoined the band a decade later, and while Howard Jones helped KSE reach a new level of success, Killswitch Engage (and metalcore) would not be the same without Jesse Leach’s influence. The album also paved the way for Adam Dutkiewicz to prove his mettle as a producer, and it was the springboard to Adam’s future in-demand career as a producer for bands like Underoath, The Devil Wears Prada, and many more iconic bands in the scene.
