ALBUM REVIEW: Songs Of Loss And Separation – Times Of Grace
In a sense, 2011’s The Hymn Of A Broken Man from TIMES OF GRACE was the first signal to Jesse Leach making his return to KILLSWITCH ENGAGE in 2012. The collaboration between Leach and KSE guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz was soaked in melancholic bliss, roaring emotion and thunderous metalcore, a unity between the two that very much opened the door ajar for Leach to make his return to the band he once fronted. Flash forward a decade and KILLSWITCH ENGAGE are on a superb run of form, releasing consistently excellent records and maintaining the place at the summit of metalcore. For some, they might TIMES OF GRACE as a redundant project given the two’s continuously strong chemistry in KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, but for those who were so intoxicated by 2011’s stunning debut, there has been long cries for a follow-up. Those cries have been answered. Ten years after The Hymn Of A Broken Man has arrived, but has it been worth the wait?
Those who might have feared that Songs of Loss And Separation would be nothing more than a collection of KILLSWITCH ENGAGE B-sides, rejoice, because this is a record that can stand strong on its own two feet. Whilst several of the core KSE traits have carried over to the TIMES OF GRACE project, the record is much more refrained and reflective than Leach and Dutkiewicz‘s main band. Opening number The Burden Of Belief is simply stunning and sets the record off to a captivating start as the gorgeous melodies from Dutkiewicz envision feelings of sorrow and isolation whilst Jesse Leach showcases his outrageously good clean vocals as he croons in mesmerising synchronisation with his bandmates. It all builds to a finale that is nothing short of being an emotional gut-punch, thanks to the first taster of harsh vocals from Leach and an impressive opening display from new drummer Dan Gluszak. As far as opening statements go, it doesn’t get much better than this.
From there, TIMES OF GRACE continue to impress, making their long-awaited return all the more delicious. Mend You has echoes of the excellent Until The End Of Days from 2011’s debut, thanks to another superb vocal display from Jesse Leach whose vocals have never sounded this good, whilst Rescue‘s pounding percussion and thunderous guitar work is a masterclass in metalcore and injects a ton of adrenaline to really allow the record to hit a higher gear as Leach extends a hand and ensures that “I will rescue you!” It’s a genuinely chilling experience and it is one of the best moments on the entire record.
Whilst The Hymn Of A Broken Man carried weight in the sense it was certainly a metallic sounding record with flutters of melancholic melodies that tugged on the heartstrings, Songs Of Loss And Separation dives into the deep end. This is certainly a bleak record, one in which displays the emotion turmoil the duo have been through in recent years. Far From Heaven‘s lengthy runtime of six minutes allows TIME OF GRACE to expand their palette and really hammer home the emotion as thumping guitars and pained roars from Leach conjure a sense of overwhelming loss, Bleed Me paints an awfully sad picture as solitary guitars intertwine with the vocals effortlessly and the voicemail sample in the song’s closing moment has a surprising amount of emotional weight, and album closer Forever will spark floods of tears as TIMES OF GRACE conclude with a final bout of musical melancholy that will leave you yearning for more.
For all that TIMES OF GRACE do well on this record, and they rarely put a foot wrong, there is unfortunately pacing issues across the record. Particularly in the album’s second half, the songs on offer (like Medusa and To Carry The Weight for example) just lack the spark to keep the momentum flowing organically. Whilst individually, every track on Songs Of Loss And Separation are solid enough, in the context of the album as a collective body of work, they suffer as the mid-tempo pacing of the vast majority of the material bleeds into one. It’s rather disappointing but fortunately, it’s doesn’t derail the impact of the record completely.
At the start of this review, we asked the question would the wait for a new TIMES OF GRACE record be worth it. Ten years is an awfully long time and given Leach and Dutkiewicz‘s demanding commitments in KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, Songs Of Loss And Separation could have easily have missed the mark. Whilst there is undoubtedly some major pacing issues throughout the record, Songs Of Loss And Separation is a welcomed return from one of heavy music’s most emotionally charged projects. Expansive, captivating and truly engrossing, the wait has been worth it.
Rating: 8/10
Songs Of Loss And Separation is set for release on July 16th via Wicked Good Records.
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