Alive Or Just Breathing

We have arrived at my pick! I was hoping it would be before the end of the year since Apple told me this was the first album I listened to this year. I spent years, as we listened through this list, thinking about what album I would choose. For a long time I had my sights set on Linkin Park's Reanimation, other days I was thinking of Aya Nakamura's Nakamura. I settled on this album, I think because it had a sort of renaissance with me this year. Back when I was in middle school, I was introduced to a lot of metal and hard rock by some friends. We were starting to play football (go Gunter Tigers) and we needed pump up music. At one point I had picked up the first Headbanger's Ball CD that had a song called Fixation on the Darkness and the irony is that it was the version Howard sung after he took over lead vocals for the band, after this chosen album. Either way, something about that song hooked me and so I scoured ebay on our dial up connection out on the country and ordered a copy of this album not knowing anything more about it than that singular song. For me, this album was a shock of lightning and transcended any need for pump up music during workouts. It did still provide that service, but it was very early on that I started noticing something different about this album from other metal/hard rock. The lyrics were incredibly heartfelt and positive. Quite the juxtaposition from other bands I was obsessed with like Ill Nino and Slipknot (also ones I considered picking). I remember I had also ordered Iowa by Slipknot and my parents made me play that album in front of them. Luckily, the first track had no real lyrics beyond Corey Taylor moaning like he was rotting in dirt and I was able to brush my parents off before the real tracks like People = Shit came on. With this album, I was actively trying to get them to listen, not just for the lyrics, but they even had an instrumental song on here that was incredibly touching and we ended up using for a cousins funeral. So when almost twenty years have passed and I'm still headbanging to an album, still mumbling the lyrics as I walk or get myself pumped up, I think that is a good enough reason to add this. My only hope is that one other person finds this and listens to those lyrics too. With all of that said, let me dive in. Numbered Days: Who doesn't want a song hearing about ancient Babylon and the excess within and how people can break away from persecution and delusion to sever a solution. "Arms raised, eyes gaze, tongues of fire whisper. This life will soon slip away." A caution to that excess and control people in power tend to pursue. Self Revolution: One of my favorites on the album. I felt like I woke up when I heard this song, and it has carried me for year. Again, it's one thing to hear revolution through the lense of other genres, but to have it shouted with heavy guitars and drums is another. I can only wonder if this was in response to 9/11 because there is never any specificity in these songs, more a general frustration with the status quo. "I can't comprehend society's movement, the regression of human existence....slow down the fast paced world and you will see past the illusion. Building a revolution to heal nations, it starts within you." It always starts within you. Fixation on the Darkness: Here's that famed song from Headbanger's Ball. From the "EEEEEOH" at the beginning you know you're in for a treat. "Fixation on the darkness that engulfs this world, drain the life force of our people" Focusing on the darkness is never the answer and certainly not succumbing to it. "Come together inside, this body is only a shell. Change, the only way we will survive. Light transfiguration of the soul, of the mind". Powerful stuff. My Last Serenade: Perhaps my favorite song on the album. Starting with the slow guitar chords that move into a fantastic riff that I can't help but move my body to. A perfect mix of shouting and singing. "Your destination is a choice within yourself, will you rise or become a slave to self righteousness? Open up your heart and gaze within." Life to Lifeless: "There is no darkness without light to teach us of ourselves." I still tap my feet and hands on things to the opening tune of these drums. This was a song I grew into this year because many of these I never truly dove into the lyrics when I was younger beyond what I could hear or get from the insert. This album is also a testament to the idea that while a piece of art cannot change, you do over time so when you re listen or watch things you may see it in a different light. "Death unfolds itself painfully to unmask how fragile we are. The pain drags me down, I'll rebuild me." Standing up after getting knocked down, especially in the face of understanding death and the fragility of life. Just Barely Breathing: The album cover says it all, almost the thesis of this album. "Are we alive, or just breathing?" This song also has a great lead up with the grungy sound that slowly builds up from the depths and then crescendos as the singing starts but by the end recedes back into the abyss. To the Sons of Man: My least favorite song on the album, I think because the screaming is too much, but this is also a really short song. "From dust to dust we will return, the flesh is temporary the soul is eternal." Temple From the Within: This one almost feels religious. "Make me feel serenity when all is revealed. So easy to look back in life and question, but I must seek to find the strength to push forward." The Element of One: Another of my favs. Probably for the slow guitar start that turns into something more. Is this a story about God? I'm not sure, I always looked at it as someone giving their life for someone else, maybe it's Jesus? Who knows. "This is for you, everything I am, this is for you, take it from me." "Breathe me in, I am forever. Deep within I am eternal." Vide Infra: A very paced song that starts of real hot and heavy. A strong message to those in power. "I have opened my eyes to see the world that surrounds me daily. I refuse to be led by the majority." "And I will stand up for who I am, never moved by condemnation. No one is placed higher than another. No matter race or creed or gender. We must teach forgiveness and compassion for all life. Through understanding of our differences we will find respect for one another because we are all flesh and blood." Still a struggle happening today with many groups of people. We must speak up and stay true to ourselves no matter the consequences. Without a Name: Time to sit in silence as we contemplate everything that has come before. The kind of song you'd hear at a memorial or someone looking off into a field of reeds as their loved one moves on. Rise Inside: I love that they saved such a banger for the last song. A true call to action that builds on all the work that has been put in throughout the album. In many ways, this album is a wake up call. It was for me. "Rise inside, free your mind raise your fist to signify we stand in defiance of hatred and deception. If I stand alone, I'll fight for you. The time has come to make a difference, why have we forsaken love? The time has come to raise our voices, so rise up and fight with me." "Hatred is a weakness, you become the victim."

I listened to this during the evening workout and the driving beat certainly kept things moving along. I don't mind some speedy guitar either but the scream-growl vocal thing just never does anything for me, and the dark-portentous lyric vibe that seems mandatory in this genre tends to make me roll my eyes. The elements of more melodic singing and lighter instrumental interludes helped with this album. At the end of the day the metalcore is just not my thing.

This stuff made a big splash in metal/alternative circles when it came out. Metal was in a weird spot at the time. Nu-metal had shat itself and lost its edge in favour of radio rock (see: Linkin Park, SOAD), and the older US bands (eg. Metallica, Slayer, Pantera) were dead in the water. The bigger metal bands at the time were Nevermore, Iced Earth, Blind Guardian, Gamma Ray, Opeth etc - European or heavy euro influence, no mainstream (or even "big alternative") interest. Killswitch Engage, Shadows Fall, Trivium etc - all had promise, and the likes of Pitchfork etc took notice, but they kinda blew it imo. The idea of blending In Flames/At The Gates with Machine Head was a good one, but with these guys in charge it just all ended up sounding too soulless and *American*. It's 90% hardcore breakdown/screaming and 10% melody, when it should be more of a 50/50 mix. Eventually they discovered the other 5 strings on their guitars and a better singer (with the most metal name ever in Howard Jones), but this is... pretty meh. In all honesty, the best thing to come from this album is The End of Heartache (an easy 4/5) and the likely inspiration for Robb Flynn to snap out of it and write Through the Ashes of Empires. 3/5.

It has excellent music, and I understand that this is what metal is like, but for my taste the vocalist has gone too far in his interpretation "two volume bars" above. I consider that it is not necessary to shout excessively to make a good METAL, since you can cancel out a lot of the work of the musicians and the lyrics. 2 1/2 stars

I was 100% on board with the rage and the hard driving melodies. Loved it so much I listened twice.

Sort of liked it, but man, my ears were TIRED by the last few tracks. I could take a song or two of them, but a full album, all at once, was a bit much.

A solid pick, the user-added LPs could use some heavier genre selections instead of more singer-songwriter efforts. While this one definitely lacked any kind of dynamic contrast (making it a bit of a tiring listen at 45 minutes of pure loud), it did keep my head bopping and toe tapping through some bread-and-butter djent riffs. While not a perfect artistic statement, it was entertaining and enjoyable which is exactly what I needed today.

Rating: 6/10 Best songs: Life to lifeless

Yawn

Metalcore is just a bit too heavy for me. Though, this succeeded to met me listen it while, without the urge to turn it off

Better than expected 4 3

A fine metalcore album. Not that spectacular though.

There was a time when I listened to quite a lot of metal, some of it with shouty vocals. Whilst I still think the first Kvelertak album is a banger, I'm not really sure what happened, as angry noisy music isn't really me. Having said that, this is quite listenable and melodic in the main, even with all the shouting. Rating: 3 Playlist track: Self Revolution Date listened: 18/12/24

Time for a brother's pick. I heard my share of Killswitch Engage through him growing up, never really got into their music. He was always more of a metalhead than I am. But this is good, I appreciate the clarity of their vocals atop the otherwise raging instrumentals (but even those are processed and mixed pretty clean). "Without a Name" is an awesome departure track too. I enjoyed this more than I thought I would! Favorite tracks: Without a Name, Fixation on the Darkness, Temple from the Within. Album art: I really dig this one, seems to be a face of sand or parchment that is bleeding into streaks, almost like stripes on the American flag? No idea if that's what they're going for, but it's a really cool cover. 3.5/5

Metalcore isn't my bag. But it's nice to hear it with a positive, uplifting message, rather than nihilism and darkness.

Not my cup of tea but beyond that, the guitar work displays technical mastery.

Well named band and album title for the music. Nothing subtle here.

Nothing special

Musically this is quite good, but I can't deal with that style of vocal. It's actually distracting from the rest of the music. Thanks for submitting it though. Many of these user submitted albums are just so one note, and this really stands out by comparison.

This wasn’t the best choice for me today as I wasn’t really in the mood… so there’s that. Interesting that in the 90s/2000s we heard a lot of this sort of metal that mixes Grover-style screaming with borderline-Christian-rock pure vocals. I did appreciate that these songs seemed to be more positive than I expected. Overall, though, this was not working for me today.

Not my thing, but I'm glad you like it.

My ears are not open to this today.

Once in a while, I really love a good metalcore song. (It doesn't really matter which one, since they all tend to sound the same.) I pump my fists and rock along. However, a whole album of metalcore just gets both grating and monotonous to me. I just think about how much the singer probably needs a cough drop.

Metalcore, melodic metalcore, post-hardcore. Demasiado grito gutural. Un 2.

A little bit before its time with the metal core style but also after the numetal died down this was a tough transition that was for a niche crowd in the 00s. Feel like they’d have a better following now but overall the metal core sound is hit and miss for me and these guys are a miss. Just too messy and not quite what I like in metal music. 5.0/10

👎🏻

sigh, how edgy

nope

I'm sorry this kind of music sucks and I can't even listen to it objectively. The double whammy of cringe and screaming is just too much.