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intothewellsabyss
Nov 22, 20224 min read

Killswitch Engage - As Daylight Dies (2006)

FROM THE CRYPTS - CELEBRATING PAST ALBUM RELEASES in the HISTORY of HARD ROCK & HEAVY METAL…



On November 21, 2006, Killswitch Engage released their fourth full-length studio album As Daylight Dies via Roadrunner Records.


The album was produced by Adam Dutkiewicz and Joel Stroetzel. As Daylight Dies was recorded in three months and was mixed by Dutkiewicz.



Background:

Prior to the albums release, Killswitch Engage played the Reading and Leeds Festivals in August 2006, having already played Australian dates without Dutkiewicz, who was suffering from back problems and needed corrective surgery.


(Reading / Leeds Festival Poster 2006)


The album's first single, My Curse, was released in 2006. The radio edit strips down most of the track's unclean vocals, replacing them with Howard Jones' re-recorded clean vocals. A music video directed by Lex Halaby (who previously directed the live video for A Bid Farewell) premiered on MTV2's Headbanger's Ball on November 3, 2006.


(My Curse Single)


Early in 2007, the band had to cancel three of its European tour dates with The Haunted due to Dutkiewicz's back problems. He required emergency back surgery and was replaced on the tour by then Soilwork guitarist Peter Wichers.


(Gig Poster from Milano, Italy / European Tour)




Due to Dutkiewicz's back problems in early 2007, he was replaced by Damageplan and The Mercy Clinic frontman Patrick Lachman during the No Fear Tour. Dutkiewicz recovered and was able to finish the No Fear Tour, and the band began filming its video for As Daylight Dies second single, The Arms of Sorrow. The music video, which was directed by Aggressive premiered on Headbanger's Ball on May 1, 2007.


(Gig Poster from No Fear Tour)


(The Arms of Sorrow Single)


On August 6, 2007, Dutkiewicz was forced to leave the Warped Tour so he could fully recover from his back surgery and continue daily physical therapy. He was replaced by Killswitch's guitar technician Josh Mihlek for select songs, until his return on August 14, 2007.


(Vans Warped Tour 2007 Poster)



A special edition of As Daylight Dies was released on August 28, 2007, including four B-sides and a DVD containing three music videos and behind-the-scenes footage. The album's B-side Holy Diver, a cover of Dio's first single, was released as the album's third single on August 17, 2007. A music video directed by Brian Thompson premiered on the band's official Myspace page on August 1, 2007. The video is a comical re-imagining of the original video by Dio. A music video for the album's fourth single, This Is Absolution, was released in 2008, featuring footage of the band performing the song live, as well as backstage footage. It also featured the song This Fire Burns (listed on the album as simply This Fire).


(As Daylight Dies Special Edition 2007)


(Scene from the Holy Diver Video)


(Holy Diver Single)


(Scene from This Is Absolution video)


Critical Reception:

As Daylight Dies was released on November 21, 2006 and peaked at No. 32 on the Billboard 200, selling up to 60,000 copies within its first week. It also peaked within the Rock, Hard Rock, and Digital Albums Charts. It also entered the Australian Albums Chart at No. 29.


The album's first single, My Curse, peaked at No. 21 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The albums second single, The Arms of Sorrow peaked at No. 31 on the same chart.


The band's cover of Dio's Holy Diver, originally recorded for a Kerrang! compilation album titled High Voltage, peaked at No. 12 on the Mainstream Rock charts, making it the band's highest charting single.


(Kerrang! Magazines High Voltage Compilation)


The album was certified Gold by the The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on June 30, 2009, which was on the same date of the release of its successor, Killswitch Engage. As of November 27, 2007, As Daylight Dies had since gone on to sell more than 500,000 copies in the United States alone.


The album has received generally positive reviews from contemporary music critics. Thom Jurek of AllMusic praised the album, calling it "a Top Five metal candidate for 2006 for sure", while scoring it a four and a half out five stars, and also stating that the album was “positively commenting”;

"If the cynics don't get it by now, they never will. For the rest, this is the album to come into the tent with."

Decibel Magazine contributor Nick Terry said;

"To call As Daylight Dies addictive would be an understatement. That it outdoes its already impressive enough predecessor could almost go without saying".

Cosmo Lee of Stylus Magazine commented "the album is astonishingly badly sequenced", though he praised the album as being "less emotionally heavy-handed, and a lot more fun".


The tracks This Is Absolution, Unbroken, and Eye of the Storm were indicated as the AMG Track Picks.


Raziq Rauf of Drowned in Sound also praised the album, scoring it a nine out of ten and saying;

"With As Daylight Dies, Killswitch Engage have cemented their position as the reason for Metalcore ever existing."

Side Note:

On May 23, 2006, the song This Fire Burns was released on the WWE Wreckless Intent album. The track was intended to be the new theme song for WWE wrestler Randy Orton; however, it was scrapped and later became the theme song for the WWE Judgment Day 2006 pay-per-view. This Fire Burns was used as the entrance theme for WWE wrestler CM Punk (along with his staples the Straight Edge Society and The New Nexus) from 2006 until 2011 and was later re-released as This Fire on the As Daylight Dies Special Edition.


(WWE Wreckless Intent Compilation)


My Curse is featured in the video games Sleeping Dogs, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, Burnout Dominator and Burnout Paradise and is available as downloadable content for the Rock Band series.



Note: The reviews shared here are for historical reference. The views and opinions expressed within are not always supported (in full or in part) by Into the Wells. — E.N. Wells



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