Monday, July 6: Killswitch Engage, “Just Barely Breathing”
“Just Barely Breathing” was the semi-title track for Killswitch Engage’s second album, and generally represented the record’s musical approach albeit in slightly more stretched-out form. But on a lyrical basis, the track fully encapsulated Jesse Leach’s ethos at the time, mixing biblical and Rastafarian imagery together with words that were simultaneously authoritative and yearning, and powered by a multi-faceted vocal performance that was aggressive and dark, but not at all hopeless. His singing during what turned out to be the chorus was nothing short of revelatory- it wasn’t merely a “clean” bit, but was melodic, meditative and ominous in equal measure. To be sure, the rest of Killswitch was in full lockstep, with Adam D.’s staggeringly pristine production (aided by a customarily snapping Andy Sneap mix) giving every instrument perfect space. As a deep cut on Alive or Just Breathing, “Just Barely Breathing” enabled the record to transcend its moment, and that was in no small part to Leach, who emerged as a singular talent and was not only a foundational metalcore vocalist, but one with much more to say than most.
