Release
Alive or Just Breathing was released on May 21, 2002. Killswitch Engage filmed a music video for the song "My Last Serenade", which gained heavy rotation on MTV's Headbanger's Ball and propelled the album to number 37 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers chart. Alive or Just Breathing also stayed at number one on CMJ's Loud Rock radio chart for over a month. By the time the band's third album, The End of Heartache was released, Alive or Just Breathing sold 114,000 copies in the United States. Music videos were also filmed for "Life to Lifeless" and "Fixation on the Darkness". Upon the release of the album, Killswitch Engage embarked on their first nation wide tour, supporting Soilwork and Hypocrisy and would tour for the next year in support of Alive or Just Breathing. Other legs of the tour featured the band touring with acts such as Kittie, Poison the Well, Shadows Fall, and Hotwire.
Missing his wife whom he had married two weeks prior to the tour, Jesse Leach left Killswitch Engage in the middle of their first national tour. With a combination of depression, missing his wife, and throat problems, Leach sent Dutkiewicz an email just a few days before the band was scheduled to play a show, announcing his departure. Dutkiewicz stated in an interview that "after three years of hanging out with the dude, and considering him a brother, to just get an email was a little bit harsh." Killswitch Engage very quickly set up auditions to fill the vocalist position in the band and eventually settled on Howard Jones, who was at the time the frontman of Blood Has Been Shed. Jones very quickly had to learn a set of songs to tour with the band. Leach and the rest of the band quickly reconciled and remained close friends.
After the touring process for the album was over, Tom Gomes left the band and was replaced by Justin Foley. This line-up of Killswitch Engage would last until early 2012, when Jones left the band. Following Jones' departure, Jesse Leach rejoined the band on the ten year anniversary of Alive or Just Breathing.
In 2005, as part of Roadrunner's 25th anniversary, the label re-released Alive or Just Breathing as a special edition. The re-release included a bonus enhanced cd with all of the songs left over from the album's recording sessions, as well as a re-recorded version of "Fixation on the Darkness", featuring Jones on lead vocals, a track of studio outtakes and music videos for "My Last Serenade", "Fixation on the Darkness", and "Life to Lifeless". The special edition also included expanded artwork and a biography documenting the recording and release of the album.
Read more about this topic: Alive Or Just Breathing
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