Alive or Just Breathing

Alive or Just Breathing is Killswitch Engage's second album, a landmark on which they tied fierce riffs to big melodies to set the benchmark for metalcore. It is their first album after moving to Roadrunner Records, and their first on a major label. The major-label deal propelled the band into the spotlight. For vocalist Jesse Leach, it became the last album of his first stint with the band. Alongside "My Last Serenade," which drew attention on MTV's Headbangers Ball, songs that balance aggression and melody line up, like "Fixation on the Darkness" and "Life to Lifeless." Recorded at Zing Studios in Massachusetts and produced by Adam D. It has been selected by many outlets as a genre-defining classic. Inducted into the Decibel Hall of Fame, it is consistently ranked among the great metal albums of the 21st century. Leach left shortly after its release, but the album's influence is immeasurable. All the lyrics were written by Leach with a positive message, which also helped define the band's identity.