No shortcuts. No compromises. No BS. From their modest beginnings in New England's hardcore scene to their current status as one of the most influential and inspirational forces in modern music, Killswitch Engage have played by these three simple rules. With their new, fourth album, As Daylight Dies, KSE are proving that if you keep playing the game your way, you'll eventually change the rules for everyone else.

"We never consciously went out of our way to be different," guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz says from the band's home base in Westfield, Massachusetts. "When we started this band, we just wanted to play cool riffs and scream and sing. We liked many different sounds so we tried to incorporate all these rock and pop styles while keeping a good, solid metal mentality." Eleven songs strong, As Daylight Dies isn't just a testament to the band's original vision, it's also their strongest fusion of aggression, melody, rock and metal to date.

In hindsight, the potential for crossover success was there as early as 1998, when, after the breakup of his influential genre-crossing metal/hardcore unit Overcast, bassist Mike D'Antonio teamed up with Aftershock members Dutkiewicz (then on drums) and guitarist Joel Stroetzel, and singer Jesse Leach to form the earliest incarnation of KSE. With their Ferret Music debut album creating a major underground buzz, the group got the attention of Roadrunner Records, which signed KSE to a worldwide recording deal and released their 2002 sophomore full-length, Alive or Just Breathing.

Equal parts melody and brutality, Alive found Killswitch shooting to No. 37 on Billboard's Heatseeker Chart and storming metal radio while winning press accolades from publications as diverse as CMJ New Music Report and Alternative Press. And while the next year would see highs (breakout headlining tours) and lows (the departure of Leach in 2002 and drummer Tom Gomes in 2003), the eventual addition of Howard Jones (vocals) and Justin Foley (drums) from New England heavyweights Blood Has Been Shed would push KSE to the proverbial next level.

Released in 2004, debuting at #21 on Billboard's Top 200 Albums Chart, The End Of Heartache was the sound of a band reinvigorated, with Jones' powerful vocal dynamics and Foley's jazz-trained percussive skills only amplifying the rhythmic assault and melodic range at KSE's core. Fans and the media alike were floored. The album, which Rolling Stone described as "Stunning" and Spin declared "Badass" landed KSE their first-ever Grammy nomination. It is now currently pushing near-Gold-certified status in the U.S. "Out of all the attention we got from that record, the Grammy thing was the biggest mind-blower," Dutkiewicz recalls with a chuckle. "It's kind of like finally getting your diploma - or I guess in our case, almost getting your diploma."

As Killswitch Engage's profile increased, so did the band's reputation as a fearsome live act. Besides a plethora of headlining dates supporting Heartache, the band was main support for Slayer in 2004, made their second Ozzfest appearance as one of 2005's second-stage headliners, and that same year helped anchor the inaugural Taste of Chaos tour where they shattered musical barriers nightly alongside My Chemical Romance and The Used. Additionally, the band entered the late night TV world performing their hit singles "The End of Heartache" and "Rose of Sharyn" on Jimmy Kimmel Live and Last Call with Carson Daly respectively. Recently the band completed their latest round of major festival dates overseas, including a Main Stage performance alongside Pearl Jam at Reading Festival in the UK. Jokes Dutkiewicz, they "needed binoculars to see the front row." With As Daylight Dies completed, KSE are looking forward to getting up close and personal with fans during their upcoming headlining run. "Those [intimate] gigs are where we really come alive," Dutkiewicz says. "We love being right up there in kids' faces, where we can just reach out and kick 'em. We love connecting and a making a difference in their lives."

Killswitch Engage have been putting their stamp on the music world and inspiring bands for years. Bassist Mike D'Antonio is also a graphic artist, designing album covers, t-shirts and logos for bands, including All That Remains, Shadows Fall, Chimaira, Cannibal Corpse, and others. Singer Howard Jones manages a few up-and-coming bands such as 12 Tribes, Bury Your Dead and August Burns Red. Dutkiewicz's "other" job is that of a record producer. In addition to producing all four of KSE's albums, he recently produced Underoath's Define the Great Line as well as albums from the likes of Unearth and Every Time I Die. "I definitely see these side gigs as a situation where we're all sharing ideas," Dutkiewicz explains. "Personally, I get inspired by a lot of the bands I work with, and they get inspired by me barking orders at them." He laughs. "Seriously, though, I'm influenced by anything I hear as musical - to me, a broken car muffler can be as inspirational as a great band, as long as it's got a sick rhythm."

As Daylight Dies, which offers a bold new vision for hard rock music in 2006 and beyond, was once again recorded in Massachusetts' Zing Studios, and written relatively quickly in what Jones describes as a "total creative explosion."

The first single, "My Curse" is a contrast of light and dark emotions with one of the tastiest, most memorable riffs heard in years, accompanied by the emotive and anguished singing of Jones. "For You" is pure devastation, with Foley's off-time grooves and bass-drum work offsetting the song's staccato riffs and snarling vocals that dissolves into a moment of complete beauty. "The Arms Of Sorrow" sets Jones' soaring, melodic singing against a powerhouse backdrop of machine-gun guitar work and percussive brutality. "Desperate Times" unfolds in cascading waves of guitar texture, its slow rhythms crushing the listener like a tank column. And the title track, its squealing leads and twin-guitar harmonies giving way to a barrage of bass-drums and jagged riffs, buries itself in your skull via Jones' pleading, melodic chorus. It's at once the most melodic, harmonic, darkest, heaviest and most urgent-sounding set of tunes in Killswitch's arsenal - with Jones' lyrics in particular serving as inspirational statements on the world outside the band's window.

"There's definitely some urgency in the album, and a lot of that comes from my feeling there's so little time to do all the stuff we can to make a difference," Jones explains. "tJust look at the way the world is - it's just hard to fathom some of the stuff that's happening out there, some of the atrocities. As for whether this is a 'political' record, it's there in black and white - I'll let people judge for themselves but I think if there's any kind of statement to this record, it's in the album title: Whether in some large or small way, it's the idea of just trying to make a difference in your world before the day is over."

With the members of Killswitch Engage once again raising the bar with their new release, both lyrically and musically, they prepare to tour and initiate the unitiated to their brand of music. "We've really gone beyond metal with this record," says Jones. "We've obviously got metal influences, as we always have, but there's so much melody, and so much diversity, this time around-this is just a weird, amazing little mutt of music we're making today."

With their fifth full-length album, In Waves, Trivium make a crucial statement.

It's a statement about writing their own rules about what it means to be a contemporary metal band. It's a statement that encompasses boundary-defying music, moods, movement, and visuals. It's a statement that's emblematic of their evolution. It's a statement that's going to impact anyone open to it.

While on the road in 2009, the first rumblings of In Waves began. Trivium vocalist and guitarist Matt Heafy had already started pondering the direction the band would take for their fifth offering. So far, they'd excelled at the standard hallmarks of the genre, and he wanted to do something new.

Each one of their albums—Ascendancy (2005), The Crusade (2006), and Shogun (2008)—garnered unanimous critical and fan acclaim. Ascendancy cemented the band's place in the metal-verse, selling over half-a-million copies worldwide.

Shogun debuted at #23 on the Billboard Top 200 and in the top 100 in 18 other countries. All over the globe, they rose to the ranks of metal elite, sharing the stage with everyone from Iron Maiden and Slipknot and dominating festivals such as Download, Rock Star Energy Drink Mayhem Festival and OZZfest. They'd done everything the way that a metal band is supposed to. However, even with all of this success, Heafy and his cohorts guitarist Corey Beaulieu, bassist Paolo Gregoletto, and drummer Nick Augusto had gotten frustrated with the state of metal and yearned to break out.

"In my opinion, this album really was a response to what we've ever done as a band and everything we're seeing in contemporary music," declares Heafy. " We want to take metal a step further. We're not going to tell anyone what In Waves means. We want to put imagination and creativity back in the mind of the listener."

Trivium let the music do the talking this time around. The title track and first single hinges on a pummeling polyrhythmic guitar groove that breaks into one of the band's most infectious choruses just before a haunting guitar melody sails off into the distance. Rather than simply modifying their sound, they expanded it with elegant sonic textures and crushingly calculated chaos. The technical prowess is tempered by a melodic sensibility often unexplored by bands in this genre.

About the song, Gregoletto explains, "To me, the 'In Waves' riff is what anger and hopelessness I felt would sound like if emoted musically. It was the first riff I wrote after we got off the road for Shogun, and it's inspirationally somewhere in between the technicality of Meshuggah and the straightforward groove of Sepultura, but it channels a new intensity. After that song, we weren't afraid to push ourselves out of familiar territory anymore."

"It was the turning point for the music," Heafy reveals. "It's got the simplest chorus we've ever had, and it meant something different to each of us. There's minimalist spin."

However, that simplicity breeds complexity as each song takes on a life of its own. "Inception of the End" drops from a speedy thrash air raid into an anthemic arena-filling refrain, while vocal harmonies climb alongside schizophrenic screams on "Watch the World Burn." "Of All These Yesterdays" takes flight on a propulsive hum and an off-kilter solo. Everything culminates during "Leaving This World Behind," which pairs a classically influenced acoustic guitar with a chilling scream and an orchestral, electronic undercurrent. "Built to Fall" shatters an off-time riff with a hyper-charged hook that sees Heafy channeling a new charisma.
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The entire album moves and shifts like one fluid entity. Heafy adds, "There was a conscious effort to tie everything together. Since we pulled back on so much of the musical complexity, it was about the song and we were able to connect on a basic level. It wasn't about trying to insert another big word in the lyrics or another solo. We weren't worried about showing how technical or brutal we could sound. It was about making something great. When I simplified the lyrics, they were able to be translated into multiple definitions, expanding the album to a multi-purposed work of art."

In order to paint this aural pastiche, the band retreated to Paint It Black Studios in Altamonte Springs, FL with production triumvirate Colin Richardson [Machine Head, Bullet for My Valentine], Martyn "Ginge" Ford and Carl Bown in early 2011. The band had already conceived the vision for the album over two years of writing and volleying visual concepts around, so recording allowed the band to continue to experiment. Surprisingly, Heafy didn't turn to his iPod for inspiration though.

"On this record, my influences weren't music," he explains. "My influences were film and directors like David Lynch, Lars Von Trier, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Christopher Nolan. It was also the idea of modern art. I used to not get modern art and museums. I went to The Louvre four years ago and it got me into classical art. Then I started getting into modern art. I like modern art because it completely disregards all of the pre-set rules. Contemporary art can be anything. There is no right or wrong. That encouraged me on In Waves. We made the music we wanted to make."

In order to keep pushing the envelope, Trivium experimented with a myriad of sounds and textures, employing everything from cardboard tubes, fire extinguishers, napkins, and out-of-tune pianos to make sounds. Working with new drummer Nick Augusto in the studio also helped facilitate the process. Beaulieu exclaims, "Nick's a fantastic drummer, and he soaked everything up really quickly. We moved at such a fast pace together and we were able to accomplish a lot more in a short amount of time. It was a very creative, fast-moving, and enjoyable experience. Having that positive environment with Nick made it a lot more fun and it made the songs better."

However, the songs will ultimately continue to get better as their vision comes into clearer focus. Heafy sums it up best. "If a CD is like the soundtrack to a movie, In Waves is the entire film. It's everything. It's the soundtrack, the visuals, and the packaging. It's a full-on visual experience rather than being the standard format. The whole purpose of art is to inspire creativity and other art. No one made the album we wanted to hear yet so we made it ourselves. It's time to take metal to another place and bring in new people."

Since re-releasing their first record in 2008, Pop Evil has developed their following the hard way. They have toured the US continuously since their first release, playing nearly 400 shows in two years and only
taking time off to record their new album, War of Angels.

Leaving no stone unturned, no fan's question unanswered, and no road untraveled, the group pulled themselves up from their bootstra...ps and built themselves into a radio rock powerhouse that conjures the
dirtiest hooks of the hard rocking 70ʼs, the hair metal 80's and the grunge - fueled 90ʼs…filtering it all through a modern prism coupled with a philosophical and spiritual outlook.

War Of Angels is a testimony to Pop Evil's resilience. Having been down a major label route fraught with the frustrations felt by far too many bands, the group has emerged with a Top 5 Active Rock single.

They toured with Papa Roach and Judas Priest and created what Spin Magazine called one of the "10 Best Moments of Rock on the Range" where in front of tens of thousands of their heartland of the U.S.A. rock
fans, they ceremoniously tore up their old contract and announced a new dawn.

With an output that easily appeals to students of Guns N' Roses, Pantera, Motley Crue and Aerosmith, Pop Evil is still nevertheless possessed with a talent, charisma and overall musical aesthetic that is
decidedly and distinctly their own. They have put their stamp on the hard rock landscape with assured confidence and expert precision.

"Weʼre just a bunch of guys that grew up together and are hungry for rock nʼ roll," frontman Leigh Kakaty simply states. "There are no othersecond options for us. Itʼs just music. Thatʼs what weʼve done, this is where we've always wanted to be, and grind is what weʼll continue to do."

Coming from Michigan, one of the states in the nation hit hardest by the economic downturn, Pop Evil knows something about hardship and the heart that it takes to persevere, to overcome and to conquer. They know the meaning of hard work, too. Their indie debut, Lipstick on the Mirror, resulted in a re- release through a major label and several inroads on rock radio but it's been word-of-mouth and live shows that have really driven the recently renewed momentum behind the band as their unique story continues to build.

"Weʼre just a good old fashioned Midwestern band that believes in grassroots and doing it from the ground up" Kakaty explains. "Weʼre the same band thatʼll rock your face with some heavy metal riffs then bring out the acoustic guitar and play some ballads."

Their very monicker represents something of a lifestyle to these five men. "Pop" represents the band's impressive hooks and well-crafted choruses while "Evil" conjures the more aggressive, hard rock side of the band. The band is a true mixture of pop sensibilities and "evil" sounding rock n' roll.
It's not so much about distancing themselves from the mainstream as it is about forcing the mainstream to come to them, on their own terms.

"I think all five of us didnʼt really fit in, in our own ways, growing up," Kakaty reasons. "Pop Evil is kind of our way of saying, "this is our fraternity, our home.'"

The songs on War Of Angels reflect the various shapes, colors and emotions represented in a Pop Evil performance. The album provides a brilliant showcase for Kakaty's impressive range and various
approaches, the guitar showmanship of Dave Grahs and Tony Greve, the solid bottom end of Matt DiRito and the rhythmic pulse of drummer Dylan Allison.

"Last Man Standing" is a shot across the bow, serving notice to the rest of rock radio-land that Pop Evil crafts music of a higher caliber. "It's amazing to see the reactions we get from the fans and how much
the song means to them. That is priceless," Kakaty says.

"Bosses Daughter" was co-written with the legendary Mick Mars of Motley Crue. "It's got that rockin' vibe where it picks up and just doesn't stop," points out DiRito. "I get such a kick out of playing it live. I feel like
I'm in Motley Crue. It becomes my Nikki Sixx moment!"

Other standouts include "Monster You Made," which addresses some hard times and points to the power of positive thinking to overcome obstacles. There's also "Broken & Betrayed" which has beautiful melodies and incredibly memorable singalong harmonies.

"Next Life" is perhaps the album's most reflective song, particularly for Kakaty, who lost his father earlier this year. "Obviously itʼs a very personal piece for me as well."
"And the list goes on with every song," he adds. "I donʼt think thereʼs any one I love more than the other, I usually listen to the song that best fits my mood."

With a career-defining sophomore album in their arsenal, Pop Evil are primed and ready to take their rightful place in the hard rock pantheon amongst their contemporaries and heroes. "We want to be
known as a band with great music and a great live show," DiRito says.

Pop Evil is no fly-by-night, fair-weather band. War Of Angels is just one more giant leap in a career that
has been built on a solid foundation and is intended to continue onward.

Kakaty concludes, "at the end of the day, we want our fans to know that we've sacrificed our personal lives for them. We want the people who listen to our music to know that they've become our new family. That's why weʼve given up so much to do this. They are loved. Music is Love!"

It's a respect issue and growing up in Queens, NY you either have to kill or be killed. EMMURE have embraced this ideology and have grown stronger as a result. However, instead of taking out their aggressions in negative ways they channeled their collective angst into their music to create a propulsive blend of unabashed aggression and intensity that the youth across the world embrace with open arms.

EMMURE keep it simple and straight-forward, but this coupled with vocalist Frankie Palmeri's brutal openness and honesty connects to people on a level that few others can. Everyone has demons and dark sides to their lives, but this group shows that everyone deals with these types of issues and that there are productive ways to let it all out. EMMURE have gained the loyalty of the metal community and legions of rabid fans, but make no mistake if you disrespect them you will be left sleeping with the fishes.

GOD FORBID triumphantly return with IV: Constitution Of Treason, their most dynamic and devastating offering yet, one which will undoubtedly solidify their positio lite. This mighty New Jersey-based quintet have now forged their own unique path and stretched their musical boundaries to the very limit while creating a thought-provoking conceptual opus that will undoubtedly stand the test of time.

Soon after the group's inception in 1996, The Out of Misery EP and debut full-length Reject The Sickness were released on the small indie label 9 Volt Records, helping GOD FORBID develop an underground and strong regional following. This buzz attracted the attention of Century Media Records, who quickly signed the band. In 2001, the band unleashed Determination - an Americanized form of thrash metal so unrelenting that it brought listeners to their knees. Their undying road dog mentality helped them to expand their devoted fanbase, while the challe hows with artists ranging from Cradle of Filth and Opeth to Mushroomhead and Thursday forced their live performances to grow stronger and more devastating. The group soon realized that they needed to reach deeper down within themselves to channel the energy and emotions needed to help their songwriting evolve, in order to craft the definitive GOD FORBID sound.

After a tour with Atreyu and a series of shows with Shadows Fall, Killswitch Engage and Lamb of God on the inaugural Headbangers Ball tour, GOD FORBID emerged from the studio in early 2004 with the blistering, Gone Forever, which put the band on the international map. The critically acclaimed album successfully bridged the gap between thrash, hardcore and traditional metal. They soon embarked on a few dates on a massive Ja with Slipknot, Fear Factory and Chimaira, leading immediately into a highly successful nationwide U.S. run and full European tour with Machine Head. However, the group's biggest break would come that summer on Ozzfest, where their highly captivating and energetic performances helped them garner new legions of fans. So-called "off-fest" dates with Slayer and Slipknot further cemented their momentum. GOD FORBID wrapped up the album's touring cycle with their first-ever U.S. headlining run in early 2005 and were in top form as they entered the studio to begin tracking an eagerly awaited new effort.

IV: Constitution Of Treason was produced by Jason Suecof (Trivium) at Audiohammer Studios and Eric Rachel (Atreyu, Dillinger Escape Plan) at Trax East, who also handled mixing duties. T e step forward for the band in regards to songwriting, as they emphasize developing the melodies and arrangements of each individual track. Meanwhile the stunning guitar duo of brothers Doc and Dallas Coyle delivers its most breathtaking performances yet. Doc further describes his thoughts on their new material: "Musically, it's a more refined and complex version of the traditional GOD FORBID sound, but offers several new twists and turns. I really think everyone will be surprised when they hear the growth, especially in the vocals."

The concept behind IV: Constitution Of Treason is told in three parts, the first being "Twilight of Civilization," where nations engage in a worldwide nuclear onslaught that obliterates our way of life. In part two, "In The Darkest Hour, There Was O rld is in the midst of fascist rule until one man emerges from the downtrodden common people to rebel against these ideals. He speaks to them about free choice and individuality, leading to uprisings and descent, which eventually is traced back to this man. Sentenced to banishment and death in the wasteland, he has a spiritual revelation and miraculously returns unscathed. The Hero is soon burned alive in public for all to see the awe-inspiring lack of mercy shown to those who commit treason. In part three, "Devolution," several centuries pass since the time of the Hero, and his tales become legends so profound that the masses dedicate their lives to one side of these beliefs or the other. The ultimate lesson to be learned is, even if a holocaust couldn't keep a good species down, it is doomed to repeat cataclysmic mistakes. But while predictability has seemingly become humankind's defining characteristic, the moral is to not let it define you.

With four full-length releases and almost a decade of experience under their belts, the group has achieved its true potential with a groundbreaking offering that will force the entire world to take notice.

Doc Coyle