The End of Heartache
Studio album by
Killswitch Engage
ReleasedMay 11, 2004 (2004-05-11)
RecordedDecember 15, 2003 (2003-12-15) – January 29, 2004 (2004-01-29)
StudioZing Studios Westfield, Massachusetts
GenreMetalcore[1]
Length42:36
LabelRoadrunner
ProducerAdam Dutkiewicz
Killswitch Engage chronology
Alive or Just Breathing
(2002) 		The End of Heartache
(2004) 		As Daylight Dies
(2006)
Alternative cover
Special edition cover
Singles from The End of Heartache
  1. "Rose of Sharyn"
    Released: May 2004[2]
  2. "The End of Heartache"
    Released: August 2004
  3. "A Bid Farewell"
    Released: November 2005[3]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal7/10[5]
Rolling Stone[6]
Rock Hard8.5/10[7]
SpinA−[8]
Ultimate Guitar[9]

The End of Heartache is the third studio album by American metalcore band Killswitch Engage. It was released on May 11, 2004, through Roadrunner Records. It is the first album to feature lead vocalist Howard Jones and drummer Justin Foley. It received positive acclaim from critics.

Release

"When Darkness Falls" appeared on the soundtrack to the 2003 horror film Freddy vs. Jason. The album debuted in the top 40 on the Australian album charts on May 17, 2004, following a successful tour of that country with Anthrax. It won Best Album at the 2004 Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards.[10] The title track was nominated for Best Metal Performance at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards.

Two music videos: "Rose of Sharyn" and "The End of Heartache" were filmed in promotion of the album. "Rose of Sharyn" had the group performing in a sunny desert with blood dripping from dead branches to form words. "The End of Heartache" featured a darkly lit performance with various animated imagery with scenes from Resident Evil: Apocalypse dotted throughout. Both videos saw notable airplay on Headbangers Ball. The band previously played on the 2003 MTV2 Headbangers Ball Tour.

A special edition of the album was released in 2005 that contained six additional tracks.

The album was certified Gold by the RIAA on December 7, 2007.

Reception

The End of Heartache was ranked number 401 in Rock Hard magazine's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time in 2005.[11] It received positive reviews from music critics.

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Howard Jones; all music is composed by Killswitch Engage

No.TitleLength
1."A Bid Farewell"3:55
2."Take This Oath" (featuring Jesse Leach)3:46
3."When Darkness Falls"3:52
4."Rose of Sharyn"3:36
5."Inhale" (instrumental)1:15
6."Breathe Life"3:18
7."The End of Heartache"4:58
8."Declaration"3:01
9."World Ablaze"5:00
10."And Embers Rise" (instrumental)1:11
11."Wasted Sacrifice"4:18
12."Hope Is..." (featuring Phil Labonte)4:21
Total length:42:36
Special edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
13."Irreversal" (featuring Jesse Leach & Phil Labonte, Re-Recorded Version)3:49
14."My Life for Yours"3:34
15."The End of Heartache" (Resident Evil: Apocalypse Version)4:05
16."Life to Lifeless" (Live)3:22
17."Fixation on the Darkness" (Live)3:40
18."My Last Serenade" (Live)4:00
Total length:65:06

Personnel

Killswitch Engage
Guest musicians
Production

Song appearances

Chart positions

Album

Chart (2004) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[12] 39
French Albums (SNEP)[13] 177
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[14] 42
Scottish Albums (OCC)[15] 35
UK Albums (OCC)[16] 40
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[17] 2
US Billboard 200[18] 21

Singles

Year Single Chart Peak
position
2004 "The End of Heartache" Mainstream Rock[19] 31

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[20] Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[21] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Additional information

References

  1. ^ Marsicano, Dan. "Best Metalcore Albums". ThoughtCo. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
  2. ^ Rose of Sharyn (track listing). Killswitch Engage. Roadrunner Records. 2004. RR PROMO 771.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  3. ^ A Bid Farewell (track listing). Killswitch Engage. Roadrunner Records. 2005.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  4. ^ Rivadia, Eduardo. "The End of Heartache - Killswitch Engage". Allmusic. Retrieved May 9, 2012.
  5. ^ Popoff, Martin; Perri, David (2011). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 4: The '00s. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 263. ISBN 9781-926592-20-6.
  6. ^ "The End of Heartache - Killswitch Engage". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 12, 2009. Retrieved May 9, 2012.
  7. ^ Schiffbauer, Conny. "Rock Hard review". issue 204. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
  8. ^ "Breakdown". Spin. Vol. 20, no. 6. SPIN Media, LLC. June 2004. p. 108.
  9. ^ Schiffbauer, Conny. "Rock Hard review". issue 204. Retrieved July 26, 2006.
  10. ^ "Metal Hammer Awards Announced, Madness Ensues".
  11. ^ Best of Rock & Metal - Die 500 stärksten Scheiben aller Zeiten (in German). Rock Hard. 2005. p. 48. ISBN 3-89880-517-4.
  12. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Killswitch Engage – The End of Heartache". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  13. ^ "Lescharts.com – Killswitch Engage – The End of Heartache". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  14. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Killswitch Engage – The End of Heartache" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  15. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. May 16, 2004. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  16. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. May 16, 2004. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  17. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. May 16, 2004. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  18. ^ "Killswitch Engage Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  19. ^ "Killswitch Engage Chart History (Mainstream Rock Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  20. ^ "British album certifications – Killswitch Engage – The End Of Heartache". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 6, 2006.
  21. ^ "American album certifications – Killswitch Engage – The End Of Heartache". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 12, 2007.
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