Alive or Just Breathing

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Alive Or Just Breathing
Studio album by Killswitch Engage
Released	May 21 2002
Recorded	October 2001 - February 2002
Genre	Metalcore
Length	44:56
Label	Roadrunner Records
Producer(s)	Adam Dutkiewicz
Professional reviews
All Music Guide [1]
Killswitch Engage chronology
Killswitch Engage (2000)	Alive Or Just Breathing (2002)	The End of Heartache (2004)
Alternate Cover
Roadrunner 25th Anniversary re-release cover

Alive or Just Breathing is the second album by American metalcore band Killswitch Engage. The album reached No. 37 on Billboard magazine's "Heatseekers" chart.

Contents 1 Musical style 2 Production and marketing 3 Songs 4 Track listing 4.1 Bonus Disc on 2005 rerelease 5 Personnel 5.1 Band line-up 5.2 Additional musicians 5.3 Production 5.4 Fixation On The Darkness

[edit] Musical style

The album's style is best characterised as metalcore, combining both clean and screaming vocals with the melodic dual guitar sounds made popular by bands in the Scandinavian metal scene, the most notable being In Flames. A number of the tracks, including "Fixation on the Darkness" and "Self Revolution", also feature the infectious rhythmic dynamic commonly associated with groove metal.

The record is a striking blend of both brutal and melodic sounds. The additional financial resources offered by a major label enabled the band to bring a new richness to the attacking dual-guitar riffs and bottom-heavy rhythm section which characterises its music.

The album's impact was also fuelled by a frenetic and desperate energy. Vocalist Jesse Leach explained: "I want people to feel the urgency and desperation I feel. I want people to stop and think about what's going on instead of walking through life. Hence, the title: are you alive or are you just taking in the air?" [2]

[edit] Production and marketing

Alive or Just Breathing was recorded over a period of 7 months. Guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz explained that production of the record was an "on and off" rather than continuous process. The extended recording sessions gave Dutkiewicz the opportunity to devote a greater attention to song-design than had been possible on the band's first record, Killswitch Engage. Dutkiewicz's intention was to take a less "technical" approach, with increased emphasis upon the design of each song as a whole rather than its individual parts.

The band took advantage of the increased production budget to re-record "Temple from the Within" and "Vide Infra", the opening tracks from its first record.

The album was recorded and produced in Massachusetts, USA, and mixed in Britain with metal producer Andy Sneap, who had previously worked with Machine Head and Stuck Mojo.

[edit] Songs

Leach has emphatically denied that the album's lyrics are religious, claiming that the subject-matter of the songs is "spiritual". Leach has explained that although he has religious beliefs, his lyrics were intended to deliver a positive vibe using a "broad brush approach" which avoids alienating listeners with different beliefs.

Despite such denials, the Biblical overtones of the album are difficult to escape. Indeed, Leach has admitted that the album's first song, "Numbered Days", is about the prophecy of the fall of Babylon in Jeremiah 51 (see Bible).

Leach wrote "Fixation on the Darkness" about the fact that the human soul contains both darkness and light and that a balance must be struck between the two. In the song, Leach focuses on the dark side of humanity and the hope that it can be overcome.

Leach explained that the track "My Last Serenade" was essentially about "burning bridges". He explained that there comes a time some people must be left behind and that there's only so much love you can give somebody until they drag you down with them.

[edit] Track listing

1. "Numbered Days" – 3:35
2. "Self Revolution" – 3:08
3. "Fixation on the Darkness" – 3:37
4. "My Last Serenade" – 4:13
5. "Life to Lifeless" – 3:17
6. "Just Barely Breathing" – 5:41
7. "To the Sons of Man" – 1:57
8. "Temple From the Within" – 4:04
9. "The Element of One" – 4:08
10. "Vide Infra"– 3:27
11. "Without a Name" – 1:44
12. "Rise Inside" – 5:54

[edit] Bonus Disc on 2005 rerelease

1. "In the Unblind" – 2:48
2. "When the Balance Is Broken" – 4:35
3. "Untitled and Unloved" – 3:20
4. "Numbered Days" (Demo) – 3:37
5. "Transfiguration a.k.a. Fixation on the Darkness" (Demo) – 3:38
6. "Just Barely Breathing" (Demo) – 5:13
7. "Fixation on the Darkness" (with Howard Jones) – 3:37
8. "AOJB Studio Out Takes" – 1:17

[edit] Personnel

[edit] Band line-up

• Mike D'Antonio - Bass, Art Direction
• Adam Dutkiewicz - Drums, Backing Vocals, Piano, Producer, Engineer,Additional guitars
• Joel Stroetzel - Guitar
• Jesse Leach - Vocals
• Tom Jones - Drums(in band at time but did not record)

[edit] Additional musicians

• Becka Dutkiewicz - Backing Vocals on "My Last Serenade"
• Philip Labonte - Backing Vocals on "Self Revolution"

[edit] Production

• Daniel Moss - Photography
• Mike Gitter - A&R
• Andy Sneap - Mixing and Mastering

[edit] Fixation On The Darkness

Pete Cortese (of Medium, Overcast, and Seemless) had joined Killswitch Engage and wrote the main riff to this song, but had to leave shortly thereafter as his girlfriend had become pregnant. He is credited in the album's booklet.

Killswitch Engage

Howard Jones | Adam Dutkiewicz | Joel Stroetzel | Mike D'Antonio | Justin Foley

Jesse Leach | Pete Cortese | Tom Gomes

Discography

Albums: Killswitch Engage | Alive or Just Breathing | The End of Heartache | As Daylight Dies

DVDs: (Set This) World Ablaze