Atonement (Killswitch Engage album)

The album was recorded over a period of two years, with ideas for the album beginning in 2017. Recording sessions took place on both coasts of the United States, but they were put on hold when vocalist Jesse Leach developed scar tissue on a polyp in his throat and underwent speech and vocal therapy for three months. Following his successful recovery the band then went on a 2018 tour with Iron Maiden, on tour Leach began to experience writer’s block. By the end of tour, Adam Dutkiewicz took him aside and offered words of inspiration. Leach recalled “I shared my unfinished lyrics, and he said, ‘You don’t even need all of these. Keep it simple.’,” Leach added “I was stressed out. I was insecure. A lot was going on in my head between writer’s block and the surgery. It was amazing to have a friend and producer like Adam mentally slap me upside the face and encourage me.” Atonement was thus described as a "reflection of perseverance and passion through the trials and suffering of our existence" by the band, While most of Atonement was written by the time they were touring with Iron Maiden in 2018 some of it going as far back as 2016. It was a conversation the band had London that solidified its direction. Leach recalled “I was like, ‘Let’s just crank out some heavy stuff.’ It’s what we’re good at,” Dutkiewicz added “I wanted to do that. Maybe that’s why I ended up writing all those fast songs,” The album's lyrics touch upon subjects such as social issues and mental health. The song Signal Fire seen the band collaborate with former vocalist Howard Jones. Leach touched upon the song stating “I had an image from Lord of The Rings when they climb to the top of the mountain and light a fire to signal for backup,” “It felt powerful to me. At the same time, Howard’s Light The Torch was making new music. I thought, ‘‘Light The Torch’ and ‘Signal Fire’ make sense together.’ It needed to be a call-to-arms, and I wanted to invite him to sing on it. We hit it off for the first time, recently. Afterwards, we were texting back-and-forth. We needed a song with him to show the fans there’s solidarity. It’s a perfect ode to our bond as brothers and a nice nod to Light The Torch.” The album covers artwork was done by artist Richey Beckett, with the art direction and layout being done by the band’s bass player Mike D’Antonio. == Lyrics ==

In an interview the band's lead singer Jesse Leach stated "There's some angry, political stuff," but noted that it’s written ambiguously "because I'd rather it read like a story than a direct statement.” "There’s a lot of heavy themes lyrically – I’d even go so far as to say it’s probably the most difficult record I’ve had to write, because it comes from such a dark, angry place," some of the lyrical themes tackle mental health which leach is a big advocate of." == Release and promotion ==

Killswitch Engage announced Atonement on June 25, 2019, and released the first single "Unleashed" the same day. The following single "I am Broken Too" was released July 16, its music video was later released on August 5. The third and final single "The Signal Fire" featuring Howard Jones was released one day prior to the album's release on August 15. The song's music video was released five days later on August 20. Atonement sold 33,000 copies in its first week and debuted at number 15 on the Billboard 200. It also peaked at No. 2 on the Top Album Sales chart, and the Top Current Albums chart, and No. 1 on the Digital Albums chart, the Top Album Sales chart, the Independent Albums chart, and both the Top Rock and Hard Rock albums chart. Internationally it peaked in the top 15 in six other countries, with the highest being number 4 in Australia. Following the album's release Killswitch Engage partnered with Gimmie Radio to sponsor a Chevrolet Camaro at the 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Playoffs which was driven by Tyler Reddick. The car featured the band's logo on the hood and the Atonement album cover of the right side. The band began a co-headlining tour of North America with Clutch in promotion of the album in July. This tour was later rescheduled to the winter of 2022. ==Critical reception==

The album received positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 78 out of 100 based on five reviews, indicating "generally favourable reviews". Max Morin writing for Exclaim! wrote “Atonement is a monster record in an almost untouchable career.” Blabbermouth.net stated “Atonement" is unlikely to be heralded as KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's masterpiece, but it is plainly their strongest album since Leach's return and a very timely reimagining of a sound that, like it or not, has helped to define a vast amount of metal in the 21st century. These are the best songs the band have written in 15 years, and there is fire in the KILLSWITCH belly again. AllMusic included the album on their year end list of the best metal albums of 2019. Accolades • Loudwire named “Unleashed” one of the top 66 metal songs of the year • Revolver named “The Crownless King” the 10th best song of the year • Consequence named “The Signal Fire” the 14th best metal/hard rock song of the year ==Track listing==

Credits adapted from album's liner notes. Killswitch Engage • Jesse Leach – lead vocals • Adam Dutkiewicz – lead guitar, backing vocals • Joel Stroetzel – rhythm guitar, backing vocals • Mike D'Antonio – bass • Justin Foley – drums Guest musicians • Chuck Billy – additional vocals on "The Crownless King" • Howard Jones – additional vocals on "The Signal Fire" Production • Adam Dutkiewicz – production, engineering • Daniel Castleman – assistant engineering • Andy Sneap – mixing, mastering • Mike D'Antonio – art direction and layout • Richey Beckett – cover illustration • Travis Shinn – group photos ==Charts==