The End of Heartache

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. The album received acclaim from critics.

The End of Heartache
Studio album by Killswitch Engage
Released	May 11, 2004
Recorded	December 15, 2003 - January 29, 2004
Studio	Zing Studios Westfield, Massachusetts
Genre	Metalcore[1]
Length	42:36
Label	Roadrunner
Producer	Adam 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
"Rose of Sharyn" Released: May 2004[2] "The End of Heartache" Released: August 2004 "A Bid Farewell" Released: November 2005[3]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[4]
Rolling Stone	[5]
Rock Hard (de)	[6]
Ultimate Guitar	[7]

Release

The new lineup played on the 2003 Ozzfest and the MTV2 Headbangers Ball tour. The first recording was the song "When Darkness Falls" appearing on the soundtrack to the 2003 horror film Freddy vs. Jason. The End of Heartache was released on May 11, 2004. The album debuted in the top 40 of the Australian album charts on May 17, 2004 following a successful tour of that country with Anthrax.

The album won the 2004 Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards for Best Album.[8] The title track was nominated for Best Metal Performance for the 47th Annual Grammy Awards.

Two music videos for "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 computer animated imagery with scenes from Resident Evil: Apocalypse dotted throughout. Both videos saw notable airplay on Headbanger's Ball.

In 2005, a special edition of the album was released which contained 6 additional tracks.

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

Reception

In 2005, The End of Heartache was ranked number 401 in Rock Hard magazine's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.[9]

Track listing

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

No.	Title	Length
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.	Title	Length
13.	"Irreversal" (featuring Jesse Leach & Howard Jones, 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

• Howard Jones – lead vocals
• Adam Dutkiewicz – lead guitar, backing vocals, producer, engineering
• Joel Stroetzel – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
• Mike D'Antonio – bass guitar, design, artwork photography, layout
• Justin Foley – drums, percussion

Guest musicians

• Jesse Leach – additional vocals ("Take This Oath" and "Irreversal")
• Phil Labonte – additional vocals ("Hope Is..." and "Irreversal")
• Andy Sneap – additional guitar ("The End of Heartache")

Production

• Chris Fortin – assistant engineer
• Wayne Krupa – assistant engineer
• Andy Sneap – mixing, mastering

Song appearances

• "A Bid Farewell (Live)" is featured on Disc #1 of the compilation MTV2 Headbangers Ball: The Revenge
• The original recording of "When Darkness Falls" is featured on the film soundtrack Freddy vs. Jason
• "The End of Heartache (Resident Evil Version)" is featured on the film soundtrack Resident Evil: Apocalypse; also as the theme song of professional wrestler Roderick Strong and Tyler Black
• "Rose of Sharyn" is also featured on Disc 1 of the compilation MTV2 Headbangers Ball, Vol. 2
• "The End of Heartache" is a playable song in Guitar Hero: Van Halen, Rock Revolution and Rock Band 3 as DLC with an optional Pro Guitar/Bass download.
• "The End of Heartache" was featured daily as the closing theme song on "Morency" on Hardcore Sports Radio Sirius Satellite Channel 98 from the summer to late fall of 2009; at which time the show was dropped.

Chart positions

Album

Year	Chart	Position
2004	German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[10]	42
	Australian Albums Chart[11]	39
	Japanese Albums Chart[12]	127
	French Albums (SNEP)[13]	177
	US Billboard 200[14]	21

Singles

Year	Single	Chart	Position
2004	"The End of Heartache"	Mainstream Rock Tracks	31

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[15]	Silver	60,000^^
United States (RIAA)[16]	Gold	500,000^^
^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Additional information

• Mixed and mastered at Backstage Productions, Ripley, Derbyshire, UK, from January 2004 to February 2004.

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.CS1 maint: others (link)
3. A Bid Farewell (track listing). Killswitch Engage. Roadrunner Records. 2005.CS1 maint: others (link)
4. Rivadia, Eduardo. "The End of Heartache - Killswitch Engage". Allmusic. Retrieved 2012-05-09.
5. "The End of Heartache - Killswitch Engage". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 12, 2009. Retrieved 2012-05-09.
6. Schiffbauer, Conny. "Rock Hard review". issue 204. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
7. Schiffbauer, Conny. "Rock Hard review". issue 204. Retrieved 2006-07-26.
8. http://bravewords.com/news/metal-hammer-awards-announced-madness-ensues
9. [...], Rock Hard (Hrsg.). [Red.: Michael Rensen. Mitarb.: Götz Kühnemund] (2005). Best of Rock & Metal die 500 stärksten Scheiben aller Zeiten. Königswinter: Heel. p. 48. ISBN 3-89880-517-4.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
10. "Offiziellecharts.de – Killswitch Engage – The End of Heartache" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
11. https://australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Killswitch+Engage&titel=The+End+Of+Heartache&cat=a
12. http://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/artist/299486/ranking/cd_album/
13. "Lescharts.com – Killswitch Engage – The End of Heartache". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
14. "Killswitch Engage Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
15. "British album certifications – Killswitch Engage – The End Of Heartache". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 6, 2006. Select albums in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type The End Of Heartache in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
16. "American album certifications – Killswitch Engage – The End Of Heartache". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 12, 2007. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.