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The End of Heartache
Studio album by Killswitch Engage
Released	May 11, 2004 (2004-05-11)
Recorded	December 15, 2003 (2003-12-15) – January 29, 2004 (2004-01-29)
Studio	Zing Studios Westfield, Massachusetts
Genre	Metalcore melodic metalcore
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 "The End of Heartache" Released: August 2004 "A Bid Farewell" Released: November 2005

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal	7/10
Rolling Stone
Rock Hard	8.5/10
Spin	A−
Ultimate Guitar

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. 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 The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time in 2005. It received positive reviews from music critics.

Track listing

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

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, 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

Singles

Certifications

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. "Twenty Years Ago, Killswitch Engage Perfected Melodic Metalcore with End of Heartache". May 11, 2024.
3. 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)
4. A Bid Farewell (track listing). Killswitch Engage. Roadrunner Records. 2005.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
5. Rivadia, Eduardo. "The End of Heartache - Killswitch Engage". Allmusic. Retrieved May 9, 2012.
6. 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.
7. "The End of Heartache - Killswitch Engage". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 12, 2009. Retrieved May 9, 2012.
8. Schiffbauer, Conny. "Rock Hard review". issue 204. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
9. "Breakdown". Spin. Vol. 20, no. 6. SPIN Media, LLC. June 2004. p. 108.
10. Schiffbauer, Conny. "Rock Hard review". issue 204. Retrieved July 26, 2006.
11. "Metal Hammer Awards Announced, Madness Ensues".
12. Best of Rock & Metal - Die 500 stärksten Scheiben aller Zeiten (in German). Rock Hard. 2005. p. 48. ISBN 3-89880-517-4.
13. "Australiancharts.com – Killswitch Engage – The End of Heartache". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
14. "Lescharts.com – Killswitch Engage – The End of Heartache". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
15. "Offiziellecharts.de – Killswitch Engage – The End of Heartache" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
16. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. May 16, 2004. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
17. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. May 16, 2004. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
18. "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. May 16, 2004. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
19. "Killswitch Engage Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
20. "Killswitch Engage Chart History (Mainstream Rock Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
21. "British album certifications – Killswitch Engage – The End Of Heartache". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 6, 2006.
22. "American album certifications – Killswitch Engage – The End Of Heartache". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 12, 2007.

• Killswitch Engage albums
• 2004 albums
• Roadrunner Records albums
• Albums produced by Adam Dutkiewicz