Alive or Just Breathing arrived through Roadrunner Records on 21 May 2002. Adam Dutkiewicz produced it while he was still the band's drummer, and Andy Sneap mixed it. The twin guitars come through clearly without losing their weight.
My Last Serenade Still Hits
Numbered Days, Fixation on the Darkness and Life to Lifeless move quickly and get straight to it. My Last Serenade is the clearest example of what made this band connect: the riff, Jesse Leach's harsh vocal and that clean chorus all work together.
The Lineup Changed Soon Afterwards
Leach left after the album's release, Howard Jones joined, and Dutkiewicz moved from drums to guitar. When Leach returned a decade later, these songs were still part of the connection between him and the band.
A lot of later metalcore pushed the contrast between clean vocals and heavy sections further. Alive or Just Breathing still works because its hopeful lyrics, melodic leads and breakdowns belong to good songs. The choruses stay with you, and the riffs haven't lost their bite.
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