Written by Alex Stojanovic TRACK LISTING To The Great Beyond Hollow Convictions Killing Of Leviathan No Devotion I Feel Alive Again Prophets Of Treason KILLSIWTCH ENGAGE IS: Jesse Leach - Vocals Adam Dutkiewicz - Lead guitars & backing vocals Joel Stroetzel - Rhythm guitars & backing vocals Mike D'Antonio - Bass Justin Foley - Drums Release Date: May 1, 2020 / Label: Metal Blade Records |
It's awesome that there's a charitable component tied to this release, and I give Killswitch Engage a ton of respect for doing that, but after listening through to the EP, I honestly didn't find the songs featured on here to be as compelling as the songs on Atonement. The good moments are sporadically spread out throughout the songs, I didn't really hear a full song on here that grabbed me and shook me to my core, and made me wonder why it got cut off the main record. The intro to opener "To The Great Beyond" carries a huge Amon Amarth feel, to the point that I was expecting to hear Johan Hegg's voice in the verse. B-sides are usually left off the main record because they weren't all that great, and that's how I feel about the songs on here. The only other song that stood out was "I Feel Alive Again".
Killswitch have always played it safe when it comes to songwriting. They have stuck to a formula that works really well for them, but I stand by what I said in my review of Atonement, and think that they should take a crack at writing a 8-9 minute epic song, because I truly feel like they could make a long song that's really compelling. Even if you buy the EP, and don't like the songs on it, feel good that the money you spent on the EP is going towards a great cause. If you love the songs, then that's a bonus.
Highs: "To The Great Beyond" and "I Feel Alive Again" are rather decent.
Lows: None of the songs are as compelling as on Atonement.