As Daylight Dies
Encyclopedia
As Daylight Dies is the fourth studio album by American metalcore
band Killswitch Engage
. It was released on November 21, 2006 through Roadrunner Records
. It was produced by Adam Dutkiewicz
and Joel Stroetzel
.
. It peaked at number 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. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA
on June 30, 2009, which was on the same date of the release of its successor, Killswitch Engage
. It has since gone on to sell more than 500,000 copies in the United States
alone, making it one of the band's highest selling albums to date. The song "Be One" featured the Texas metal band The Unbridged.
The album's first single, "My Curse", was released in 2006, and managed to peak at number 21 on the Billboard
Rock Songs
Chart. The radio edit is 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 MTV 2's Headbanger's Ball on November 3, 2006. "My Curse" was included as a playable track in the video game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
, and as downloadable content
for the video games Rock Band and Rock Band 2
. The album's second single, "The Arms of Sorrow", was released in 2007, and peaked at number 30 on the Rock Songs Chart. A music video directed by Aggressive premiered on Headbanger's Ball on May 1, 2007.
A special edition 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. It peaked at number 12 on the Rock Songs Chart, making it the band's highest charting single. 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.
On May 23, 2006, before the album's release, 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
superstar Randy Orton
; however, it was scrapped and later became the theme song for the WWE Judgment Day 2006
pay-per-view
. "This Fire Burns" is was used as the entrance theme for WWE Raw
superstar CM Punk
until July 25, 2011. It was later re-released as "This Fire" on the special edition release of As Daylight Dies.
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."
Metalcore
Metalcore is a subgenre of heavy metal combining various elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. The name is a portmanteau of the names of the two genres. The term took on its current meaning in the mid-1990s, describing bands such as Earth Crisis, Deadguy and Integrity...
band Killswitch Engage
Killswitch Engage
Killswitch Engage is an American metalcore band from Westfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1999 after the disbandment of Overcast and Aftershock. Killswitch Engage's current lineup consists of vocalist Howard Jones, bassist Mike D'Antonio, guitarists Joel Stroetzel and Adam Dutkiewicz, and drummer...
. It was released on November 21, 2006 through Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:...
. It was produced by Adam Dutkiewicz
Adam Dutkiewicz
Adam Jonathan Dutkiewicz is an American musician, recording engineer and music producer, best known as a guitarist and backup vocalist from Massachusetts metalcore band Killswitch Engage.-Biography:...
and Joel Stroetzel
Joel Stroetzel
Joel Michael Stroetzel is best known as one of two guitarists from the Massachusetts metalcore band Killswitch Engage.Stroetzel's guitar style is influenced by the bands Slayer, Anthrax, Zakk Wylde, as stated on the World Ablaze DVD....
.
Background and release
The album was released on November 21, 2006 through Roadrunner RecordsRoadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:...
. It peaked at number 32 on the Billboard 200
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
, selling up to 60,000 copies within its first week. It also peaked within the Rock, Hard Rock, and Digital Albums Charts. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
on June 30, 2009, which was on the same date of the release of its successor, Killswitch Engage
Killswitch Engage (2009 album)
Killswitch Engage is the fifth studio album by American metalcore band Killswitch Engage. It was released on June 30, 2009 through Roadrunner Records. It is the band's second album to be self-titled, the first being their debut album of the same name. It was produced by Adam Dutkiewicz and Brendan...
. It has since gone on to sell more than 500,000 copies in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
alone, making it one of the band's highest selling albums to date. The song "Be One" featured the Texas metal band The Unbridged.
The album's first single, "My Curse", was released in 2006, and managed to peak at number 21 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Rock Songs
Rock Songs
Rock Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks the airplay of songs on alternative, mainstream rock and triple A radio stations. The first chart was published in the issue dated June 20, 2009. "Know Your Enemy" by Green Day was the first number-one song. The Rock Songs...
Chart. The radio edit is 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 MTV 2's Headbanger's Ball on November 3, 2006. "My Curse" was included as a playable track in the video game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock is a music video game, the third main installment in the Guitar Hero series, and the fourth title overall...
, and as downloadable content
Downloadable content
Downloadable content is official additional content for a video game distributed through the Internet. Downloadable content can be of several types, ranging from a single in-game outfit to an entirely new, extensive storyline, similarly to an expansion pack. As such, DLC may add new game modes,...
for the video games Rock Band and Rock Band 2
Rock Band 2
Rock Band 2 is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems. It is the sequel to Rock Band and is the second title in the series. The game allows up to four players to simulate the performance of popular songs by playing with controllers modeled after musical instruments...
. The album's second single, "The Arms of Sorrow", was released in 2007, and peaked at number 30 on the Rock Songs Chart. A music video directed by Aggressive premiered on Headbanger's Ball on May 1, 2007.
A special edition was released on August 28, 2007, including four B-sides and a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
containing three music videos and behind-the-scenes footage. The album's B-side "Holy Diver", a cover of Dio
Dio (band)
Dio was an American heavy metal band from Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Formed in 1982 and led by vocalist Ronnie James Dio, after he left Black Sabbath with intentions to form a new band with fellow former Black Sabbath member, drummer Vinny Appice. Naming the band Dio made sense from a commercial...
's first single, was released as the album's third single on August 17, 2007. It peaked at number 12 on the Rock Songs Chart, making it the band's highest charting single. A music video directed by Brian Thompson premiered on the band's official Myspace
Myspace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page on August 1, 2007. The video is a comical re-imagining of the original video by Dio
Dio (band)
Dio was an American heavy metal band from Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Formed in 1982 and led by vocalist Ronnie James Dio, after he left Black Sabbath with intentions to form a new band with fellow former Black Sabbath member, drummer Vinny Appice. Naming the band Dio made sense from a commercial...
. 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.
On May 23, 2006, before the album's release, the song "This Fire Burns" was released on the WWE Wreckless Intent
WWE Wreckless Intent
The album was originally slated for a January release, but due to heavy time constraints, the release date was pushed back to May. The first few hundred people who pre-ordered the album on sonymusicstore.com got a free booklet autographed, as well as a WWE ball keychain...
album. The track was intended to be the new theme song for WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
superstar Randy Orton
Randy Orton
Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand...
; however, it was scrapped and later became the theme song for the WWE Judgment Day 2006
Judgment Day (2006)
Judgment Day was the eighth annual Judgment Day professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment...
pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
. "This Fire Burns" is was used as the entrance theme for WWE Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
superstar CM Punk
CM Punk
Phillip Jack "Phil" Brooks , better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE and working on its Raw brand currently serving his second title reign as WWE Champion....
until July 25, 2011. It was later re-released as "This Fire" on the special edition release of As Daylight Dies.
Critical reception
The album has received generally positive reviews from contemporary music critics. Thom Jurek of Allmusic praised the album, scoring it a four and a half out five, 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." The tracks "This Is Absolution", "Unbroken", and "Eye of the Storm" were indicated as the AMG Track Picks. Raziq Rauf of Drowned In SoundDrowned in Sound
DrownedinSound.com or DiS is a UK based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway . The site is an editorially independent music website.-History:...
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."
Track listing
- All lyrics written by Howard Jones, all music composed by Killswitch EngageKillswitch EngageKillswitch Engage is an American metalcore band from Westfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1999 after the disbandment of Overcast and Aftershock. Killswitch Engage's current lineup consists of vocalist Howard Jones, bassist Mike D'Antonio, guitarists Joel Stroetzel and Adam Dutkiewicz, and drummer...
.
- All tracks were recorded live at Worcester Palladium, MassachusettsMassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, USA
Special edition DVD
- "My Curse" (video)
- "The Arms of Sorrow" (video)
- "Holy Diver" (video)
- "Making-of "videos" for 2 clips ("My Curse" and "The Arms Of Sorrow")
Personnel
Killswitch Engage- Howard JonesHoward JonesHoward Jones is the name of:*Howard Jones , American football coach*Howard Jones , American metalcore singer*Howard M...
– lead vocalsLead vocalistThe lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
, clean vocals - Adam DutkiewiczAdam DutkiewiczAdam Jonathan Dutkiewicz is an American musician, recording engineer and music producer, best known as a guitarist and backup vocalist from Massachusetts metalcore band Killswitch Engage.-Biography:...
– lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, clean vocals - Joel StroetzelJoel StroetzelJoel Michael Stroetzel is best known as one of two guitarists from the Massachusetts metalcore band Killswitch Engage.Stroetzel's guitar style is influenced by the bands Slayer, Anthrax, Zakk Wylde, as stated on the World Ablaze DVD....
– rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together... - Mike D'AntonioMike D'AntonioMichael "Mike" D'Antonio is best known as the bass guitarist and founder of Massachusetts metalcore band Killswitch Engage and of the band Overcast....
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Justin FoleyJustin FoleyJustin Foley is best known as the drummer of the metalcore band, Killswitch Engage. He is also an active member of the band Blood Has Been Shed along with Killswitch Engage's lead singer, Howard Jones...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Chart positions
Album| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
32 |
| United Kingdom Top 75 UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
64 | |
| Australia Top 100 ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
29 |