KILLSWITCH ENGAGE

Atonement

MUSIC FOR NATIONS

Jesse Leach returns from the brink with a belter

the most respected and imitated bands in our world, every new Killswitch Engage album carries a sense of, arrives amid particularly frenzied anticipation. Just last year, frontman Jesse Leach was forced to undergo throat surgery, leaving him unsure if he’d ever be able to sing again and the band facing an uncertain future, but emotional first single put any such fears immediately to bed. The vocalist sounds better than ever throughout here, with both his gut-punching roars and transcendent cleans elevating a band already on excellent form. The most talked-about track here will easily be , a collaboration with ex-Killswitch frontman Howard Jones that people have been losing their shit over since the band announced it on Instagram last year. Tearing out of the blocks with a thrashing riff, amid guitarists Adam Dutkiewicz and Joel Stroetzel’s trademark gleaming death metal leads, Howard and Jesse lead their two-pronged attack with devastating power, their voices entwining for its massive chorus. It’s classic Killswitch and an absolute belter.