Rhapsody Reviews: Killswitch Engage

On its fifth full-length and second self-titled record, the melodic metalcore quintet made a surprise move by tapping a new producer for the first time in its decade-long career, yet the overall results are quite subtle. That's no slight on prolific producer Brendan O'Brien, though, who primarily worked with Killswitch's strident vocalist and powerful skinsman; it's evidence of how effective, if understated, this matchup was (see "Starting Over" and "Never Again"). It also proves that Adam D., the band's goofball guitarist and polarizing co-producer, still lends plenty to Killswitch's overall sound. Along with duties as co-producer, Dutkiewicz solely handled the mixing and mastering of the album, and his fingerprints are all over the powerful guitar tracks. The combined result is a solid, clean, melody-driven record from start to finish. Lyrically, Howard Jones doesn't stray much from the passionate pleas he has always sung about, but the songwriting has certainly grown: Proof is in the monster riffs and calculated pacing of tracks like "Take Me Away" and "I Would Do Anything". As a whole, the second coming of Killswitch Engage helps uphold these favored New Englanders as leaders of their genre.