Times of Grace's 'Songs of Loss and Separation' - Album Review

Those who have good memories may recall an album called The Hymn of a Broken Man, which was released by the duo Times of Grace back in 2011. The album came about when Adam Dutkiewicz; who is best known as being the founding member, guitarist, and driving force of the American metalcore band Killswitch Engage; required surgery on his back while injuring himself on tour. To cure his boredom, Dutkiewicz wrote music - and I can only assume that, for whatever reason, he did not consider this music to be suitable for Killswitch Engage. To help him complete the fledging songs, Dutkiewicz contacted Jesse Leach - Killswitch's Engage's original singer who at the time was not a member of the band. Leach had fronted the band between 1999 and 2002, before leaving during a bout of depression and general disillusionment with the music industry. He formed a couple of bands in the intervening years, including Seemless and The Empire Shall Fall, but none reached the heights of Killswitch Engage - who had exploded with the release of 2002's Alive and Just Breathing and only continued to rise in stature after Leach's departure with new frontman Howard Jones at the helm. I am not quite sure what made Dutkiewicz reach out to Leach after quite a few years, but the result was The Hymn of a Broken Man - an album which made a bit of a splash at the time in the metalcore and alternative rock scenes. While there were certainly elements of Killswitch Engage to be found within The Hymn of a Broken Man, there was generally less of an emphasis on heaviness and more of a focus on emotionally-charged melodic songwriting. Leach's lyrical style has always been to channel negativity and turn it into a positive. The Hymn of a Broken Man as a result dealt with some heavy lyrical themes, but overall the album was an uplifting experience. Only a year or so after the album's release however, Jones' departure from Killswitch Engage opened the door for Leach's return - and he has remained in the band to this day, putting out three more excellent albums with them. With Dutkiewicz and Leach now working together regularly again, Times of Grace was unsurprisingly put to rest. There seemed little need for the two to work together specifically when they could both channel their creativity into Killswitch Engage - although both have said over the years that they would like to return to the Times of Grace sound one day. Well, 2021 is that time and Times of Grace returned - as last month the band released their second album Songs of Loss and Separation. Again, there are similarities to Killswitch Engage throughout - but on the whole the album is much more melancholic and restrained in tone. Raging metal sections are relatively rare, with Leach on the whole focusing on his rich, clean vocal delivery throughout. This time around however, Times of Grace are a trio - with drummer Dan Gluszak (Envy on the Coast), who played with Times of Grace during their handful of live appearances throughout 2011 and 2012, being added to the line-up.

Rather fittingly, given the album's more emotional approach, the album opens slowly with The Burden of Belief. Gentle crackling and some slow clean guitar melodies open the song, before Leach begins singing over the top of Dutkiewicz's melodies. One thing that is immediately clear when listening to the album is how fantastic Leach sounds throughout. This album might be his greatest overall vocal performance to date, and allowing him to focus on his clean delivery really allows the light to be shone on his emotional tone and lyrics. There are heavier moments to be found throughout the album, but The Burden of Belief largely maintains its slower pace - and even when Gluszak's drums kick in the song remains something of a plodding number. This is not a bad thing at all, as the song's overall vibe works perfectly. There are occasional shades of Alice in Chains to be found during the more downbeat moments - while other moments soar thanks to Leach's expressive vocal delivery. Mend You is somewhat similar, but a bit less dense and with a little more attack thanks to Gluszak's punchy drum pattern. The early parts of the song are characterised by this groove mixed with laid back clean guitar melodies, which work well together despite their different approaches, but other sections go for a much fuller sound with prominent bass playing and chiming layers of guitar. As a result, the song has something of a progressive feel at times. With Leach and Dutkiewicz now writing together regularly for Killswitch Engage I was worried that Songs of Loss and Separation would just sound like the recent Killswitch Engage albums but, save for a handful of moments, it does not. Mend You sound very different, with its bass-led grooves and its progressive approach to the overall arrangement. The song does up the heaviness towards the end, but the way that the song builds to this short burst of aggression really makes it stand out - and the harsh vocals act as a full stop for the varied overall song. The most Killswitch Engage-esque song here is Rescue, which was also released as the album's first single. As good as the song is, it is not very representative of the wider album. This may have given some the wrong impression of what Songs of Loss and Separation was going to sound like, as Rescue could have easily sat on any of the recent Killswitch Engage album with its chugging guitar riffing, harsh vocal-led verses, and soaring chorus. The song is typical of Leach and Dutkiewicz's day job, but those expecting a whole album of hard-hitting metalcore anthems in the vein of Rescue should reset their expectations. The song is very much the exception rather than the rule, as strong as it is.

Far from Heavenless returns to the slow-burning style of The Burden of Belief, with the song opening in a similar manner to the album's opener with murky clean guitars and Leach's gentle croon. Unlike the album's opener however, there is more of a focus on heaviness throughout the song, at least in parts, which helps the piece to have a more dynamic overall approach. The choruses certainly up the heaviness, and sees some occasional proper death growls (which may be from Dutkiewicz) alongside Leach's more typical screams. The heaviness is different from Killswitch Engage's heaviness however, as it feels much more murky overall - which is helped by the song's overall slower pace which creates a sludgy vibe at times. Bleed Me also somewhat channels Alice in Chains-esque vibes, and reins in the heaviness of the past couple of tracks. There is little of that to be found in Bleed Me, with the song instead focusing on emotional melodies and grungy riffing. Dutkiewicz's guitar lines throughout have a slow, deliberate feel to them - which works really well in the context of Leach's strident vocals - while other sections have a much more low-key vibe with an effects-heavy swampiness which again channels Alice in Chains somewhat. Medusa ups the heaviness again, but not in the traditional metalcore sense. The song is actually not that different from Bleed Me in a structural sense, but with everything overall feeling much heavier. The verses are led by slow-paced crunching rhythms rather than the blusier lines that characterised the previous song, while the choruses go for a Gojira-esque vocal approach with primal bellows and a grungy overall feel. The overall sound here is quite varied, and that helps to keep the song interesting. It is one of the album's heavier songs, but it sounds nothing like Killswitch Engage at all. There is a chugging weight that is very different from Dutkiewicz and Leach usual style and the chorus pushes the overall difference further. There are still melancholic melodies throughout the song, but mainly this is a piece that goes for murk and heaviness - which works well in the context of the album. Currents returns to the album's more typical sound, with chiming clean guitar melodies and a powerful bass presence - all of which backs up the vocals nicely. The vocals here have a stronger emphasis on harmony than usual, and it sounds like Leach and Dutkiewicz are singing together throughout the verses - before the chorus ups the heaviness with some screams and double bass drumming from Gluszak. In many ways, Currents may be the best representation of all of the elements of Times of Grace's approach in one song. There is a lot of light and shade to be found throughout, whereas many of the songs here focus more on one side of the band rather than showcasing both equally.

Another song that emphasises the album's core sound, at least from a melancholic and melodic sense, is the excellent To Carry the Weight - which is one of my favourite songs here. There is much less of a heaviness to be found throughout the piece, with the song instead focusing on soaring melodies set against a grungy and slow-paced backdrop. Leach delivers some of the finest vocals of his life throughout the song, and Dutkiewicz's musical backing forms the perfect bed for them. The riffs are generally simple, and the overall song takes a much more atmospheric approach to allow the vocals to shine. When a riff does dominate it adds to the song's overall vibe perfectly - but the next big vocal hook is never too far away. The chorus here is one of the album's main earworms for me, despite its slower pace, and that is what makes it one of my favourite songs here. Despite many of the songs here being slower paced, and having ballad-esque moments, the most obvious ballad is the sparser Cold. The song has a similar atmosphere to many of the songs here, but the acoustic guitar and piano backing makes it sound much more organic than the rest of the album - but many of the overall vibes present within are similar. That is testament to how well-crafted the album is overall, and how the album's core sound has been utilised and weaved within a number of different musical styles. Cold is the natural ballad extension of the band's sound, and I really like how the acoustic instruments have been used to lower the tone. It makes me wish that acoustic instruments had been utilised more throughout the album, but as a result Cold stands out due to its more organic sound. The song does build as it moves towards its close, with the closing section sounding much fuller - but it never moves into heavy territory. The overall sound becomes denser, but it never truly abandons its ballad-like approach. The album comes to a close with Forever, a song which ends the album in a similar manner to which it opened - with clean guitars opening the piece which Leach soon sings over in his emotionally-charged style. Unlike the album's opening however, the song takes quite a while to get going. A simple drum pattern that is mixed in the background is the only accompaniment to the guitars and vocals for a while; but when Gluszak's drums come in properly the song's organic build starts in earnest. I love how the song builds towards the album's close - and how there is an explosion of heaviness that helps to make a great impact on the album's closing moments. Times of Grace have used heaviness really well throughout the album in my opinion, and the harsh vocals that Leach uses to bring the album to a close shows the overall diversity that the band have gone for throughout. Overall, Songs of Loss and Separation is a great album - and one that has allowed Leach and Dutkiewicz to continue a ten-year old sound and write something that is very different from anything that Killswitch Engage have done of late. Despite the variety in the songwriting, it is the emotional weight of the album that drives the songs here, and there is a lot to enjoy for anyone who likes that side of Leach and Dutkiewicz's songwriting.

The album was released on 16th July 2021 via Wicked Good Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Rescue.