| CD REVIEW Times of Grace |
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Band: Time of Grace Killswitch Engage's “Alive Or Just Breathing” gave the world a fresh take on heavy metal that combined extreme virtuosity and hardcore ethics with beautiful lyrics. It remains a turn of the tide for heavy music, paving the way for modern leaders in the genre like All That Remains, Shadows Fall, Avenged Sevenfold, Lamb of God, and many more. The combination of musical mad scientist Adam Dutkiewicz and singer Jesse Leach was the foundation for the album and so much more. Jesse parted ways with the rest of Killswitch Engage but nine years later, Adam D. and Jesse have come together once again for Times Of Grace's debut album “The Hymn of a Broken Man” and nothing has changed, the magic is still there! “The Hymn of a Broken Man” was conceptualized primarily in 2007 when Adam was treated in the hospital for severe back problems which makes it a heavy, heartfelt journey through pain, which simultaneously torments and scorches. Opener “Strength in numbers” begins and ends with a menacing drum beat, a huge growl and pounding drums mark the start of the song with a great main riff and ferocious drumming. A fantastic album opener with Adam's airtight playing and Jesse's passionate singing. "Fight For Life" stands out as a somber battle of wills with a very dark, despairing feeling to it but it blazes right into the messy "Willing" which starts of thrash like, develops into a new kind of rock/ metal ballad and then returns to speed riffs with matching drums and growls which, surprisingly, works very well. “Where The Spirit Leads Me” has an intro that has a Trivium feel to it before the main riff kicks in and the track has a feel of old school Killswitch Engage about it with the last part of the song being metalcore at its finest. On album standout, "Until The End of Days", Adam takes a turn at vocals over a slowing burning guitar part which morphs into some evil sounding dual vocals, pounding drums and then returns to the almost serene nature of the opening section.“Live in Love” is a straight up melodic metal song which doesn’t make it any less good though followed by "In The Arms Of Mercy”, a very crisp and very pleasant instrumental masterpiece, which brilliantly sets the stage for the album’s explosive title track “The Hymn Of A Broken Man”. The title track has an absolutely amazing main riff with fast-paced drumming, ferocious vocals, frantic riffing and a hell of a chorus. “Hope Remains” builds slowly in the intro but ultimately becomes a headbanging track without a doubt whereas “The End Of Eternity” is the slowest track on the album. “Worlds Apart” has with several catchy riffs underpinning a song that could easily wind up in the rock radio charts and could be a good entry point for fans of lighter music.
Album closer "Fall From Grace" shows how dynamic Times Of Grace can be. It is a mournful sounding track but this does not detract from the quality of the song, a dark and moody metal song yet brought in an authentic way which is completely different in style to any of the other songs on the album. Adam Dutkiewicz said that it would be a genre-spanning and defining album and he’s right. To round it up, it’s an absolute masterpiece. |
