Your Artist/Band Research

Killswitch engage is an American metalcore band from Massachusetts formed in 1999 from the disbandment of overcast as well as aftershock . The current lineup of the 5 man band consists of vocalist Jesse Leach, bassist Mike D'Antonio, guitarists Joel Stroetzel and Adam Dutkiewicz, and drummer Justin Foley. 

The band has released six studio albums and one DVD. Their latest album,released on April 2, 2013. 

Killswitch Engage rose to fame in 2004 with its song The End of Heartache, which was number 21 on the Billboard 200,The track,  was also nominated for a Grammy Award in 2005 for Best Metal Performance

The band has sold over four million records in the US  and has been widely known as the pioneers of metalcore 

1999-2001

Killswitch Engage was the product of the disbandment of Overcast and Aftershock during the 1990s. 

 After the eventual break up of Overcast in 1998, bassist Mike D jammed with Aftershock guitarist Adam  D for a period of time.Joel Stroetzel also from Aftershock was also recruited from Adam D. The band Nothing Stays Gold  were signed to a record label owned by Adams brother Tobias Dutkiewicz, and from this Jesse leach vocalist from Nothing stays Gold was also recruited to form the band, Killswitch Engage. 

1999 saw the development of a demo tape including the very first few Killswitch Engage songs, "Soil born", "Vide Infra", "Prelude" "In the unblind" The songs were first played as an opening act for death metal band "In Flames" The following year saw the release of their first self-titled album. Despite not attracting much attention in terms of landing any charts it did however interest the an employee at Road Runner records. This eventually led Killswitch engage accepting an offer from Road Runner Records

2001-2004

Killswitch Engage began writing new material for their second album in November 2001. The album was named Alive or Just Breathing .  During this time they released a music video for the single "My Last Serenade" which as a result helped the make the band became more well known. The album hit at 37 on the Top Heatseekers chart.

After the release of the album the band decided to recruit an extra member thus making them a fivesome  Adam D became the lead guitarist and Tom Gomes took the drummer position. Some time in 2002 Jesse Leach went through a phase of depression and dropped out of the band.

Howard Jones from Blood Has Been Shed filled the vacant position. 

After Ozzfest 2003, drummer Gomes left the band, he was replaced by Howard's band mate Justin Foley of Blood Has Been Shed

2004–2006

The End of Heartache was released on May 11, 2004, and peaked at number 21 on the Billboard 200 with 38,000 sales in its first week. The album went on to sell more than 500,000 copies in the U.S and was certified gold on December 7, 2007.

"The End of Heartache" became the main single for the movie Resident Evil: Apocalypse, and in 2005 the song was nominated for Best Metal Performance for the 47th Grammy Awards.

2006–2007

Recorded in three months, As Daylight Dies was released on November 21, 2006 and peaked at number 32 on the Billboard 200 chart with 60,000 sales in its first week. "As Daylight Dies" proved to be one of their biggest albums yet. As of November 27, 2007, As Daylight Dies has sold more than 500,000 units in the US.

The album's first single, "My Curse", peaked at number 21 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, and is featured in the video games Sleeping Dogs and Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock

2007–2011

On April 14, the band announced the name of their album as Killswitch Engage, the second time the band has self-titled an album. The album was released on June 30, 2009,debuting at No. 7 on the Billboard 200, marking the band's highest chart position for an album. 

2011–present

On January 4, 2012, the band announced that Howard Jones had left the band after 9 years. The band's search for a singer ended in February with the signing of old band member Jesse Leach 

The new album Disarm the Descent was released April 1, 2013. The album debuted at #15 in the UK charts while debuting at #7 in the Billboard top 200. In December 2013 "In Due Time" was nominated for "Best Metal Performance" at the 2014 Grammy Awards, but lost to "God Is Dead?" by Black Sabbath.

Analysis of music videos

Ghetto Gospel by Tupac explores the troubles of the black society in modern America. The beginning of the video itself starts with a black youth presumably dead on the floor with his mother grieving, foreshadowing perhaps the future of black society if people don't change for the better.

The video then cuts to a scene where both the mother and son are eating breakfast at the table, this could be a way of saying to appreciate the little things in life, how people should be reminded of what they have is dear and should not let go of it. the video then cuts to a transaction between the main guy and another, the main man exchanges in conversation and amusement with his friends before have a cathartic realisation. The video really emphasises on the aspects of the seemingly "mundane" features of life, spending time with family, friends etc.  The video then shows a snapshot of a statue of an angel from a worms eye shot angle. This gives the effect that you are constantly being judged from above about your actions and repentance for it

Throughout the video there are constant time reminders foreshadowing something happening to the protagonist, it seres as a reminder that we do not know when our end will come and how our life is being recorded. The music video itself takes a very ecclecisatical  stance. The video shows the protagonist goes through a cathartic experience, from narcotic sale to refusing to associate with it toward the end of the video, he appreciates life and what he has more and more as the video progresses. The video follows a cyclical nature of the man spending time with his mother at breakfast  and him looking toward a church, to him being with his mother again at his death and then looking across the church at his own funeral. The music video certainly explores the troubles of black society and the trouble of society in total, it touches upon how people should be grateful with what they have as they do not know which moment will be their last 

Love Letter by J Pop/Rock singer Gackt, goes into depth of the experiences of love and life. The video reflects on Gackts past concerts as well as showing him having fun with his friends and fans. The video gives an insight as to what fans mean to an artist, how the only way an artist can truly be successful is by giving back to the fans, because without a fundamental factor such as fans and artist is nothing.

It emphasizes on the fact that to live life to the fullest one must be happy and content with themselves, each scene of the video shows how one should cherish the good and happy elements of life, how each and every second of ones life should be lived to the fullest. The video itself varies in shots from worms eye, birds eye and eye level shots, this could perhaps represent the varying points of emotion through gackts musical career.

'

Bed of Roses by Bon jovi delves into the life of a man without the love of his life, The video starts with a scene in the middle of a dessert, with Richi sambora playing guitar on top of some rocks. This signifies the emptiness of a man without his love. Throughout the video there are scene of Jon Bon jovi "having fun" without his love, he contemplates on the things he could have done with his love and how he would go through great struggle to make her happy. The video then cuts to a scene of the whole band playing in a candle lit room, this gives a romantic effect to the scene and it also signifies that the song is meant for one person, Jons love.

Empyreal by Sylosis begins with a flickering candle in darkness, the shot is focused on this candle which could represent hope and life in the darkened world. the shot transitions to a man with the candle beneath him lighting up his face perhaps signifying some form of redemption from the dark world. The miss en scene of the band as they play is typical of a metal core music video, as per usual the band are dressed in black with the camera particularly focused on them rather than the whole room. There is a glaring light which shines upon the camera as each member of the band are filmed, this could also relate back to the hope and salvation light has over dark. The camera angles present in the video pay particular attention to the guitar when Riffs are being played, or attention to the vocalist as he sings, there is no overall attention payed to the whole body rather separate body parts. The video can be defined as a man seeking salvation with what little hope he has left (candle) to rid himself of the damnation he has succumb to.

Tears don't fall by Bullet for my Valentine is a typical metal core video which focuses primarily upon the struggles of a person or people. the troubles are shown throughout the miss en scene as well as the shot angles. Through the most part of the video there is a particular focus on the man. this is shown through the varying camera angles such as point of view as the focus on him. The camera shots of the band also perpetuates the struggles of the people. the dark lighting, rain, black props and shaking camera angels show the fragile and explosive state of the human mind when in an emotional state. The entirety of the video is filmed in a darkened blue filter, this could perhaps represent the sad and lonely mind of the woman, perhaps foreshadowing later events. 

tupac- ghetto gospel
gackt - love letter
Bon jovi -  bed of roses


Metalcore:
sylosis- empyreal
Bullet for my valentine - tears do not fall

Research and Planning - Music Branding

The Metal Fashion is inspired heavily by Biker and rocker subcultures. The fashion includes leather jackets; hi-top basketball shoes, blue or black jeans, camouflage pants, shirts, jackets or shorts, and denim jackets.

Music Branding in Recent Years has changed dramatically whereas previously music branding for different genres stayed separate and any items of clothing that you wore represented the sort of music that you liked to listen to. Now however it seems that music branding has become about whats fashionable, this means that in recent years more and more band t shirts have been sold in high street shops without any connection to the actual band. And whilst granted some people who buy the tshirts in the high street shops may like the bands the ratio of people who shop in high street shops to those who like metal music is quite unbalanced.

 As well as this high street chains have taken the styles of band t shirts and clothing associated with the rock and metal genre and made their own versions in reference to Pop artists.

Here a band t shirt for Rhianna in the style of Nirvana's iconic music branding.

 Similarly here a band t shirt for Beyonce in the style of Misfit's iconic music branding

Above shows the length it can go to as The Ramones music branding is a parody of the 

Presidential Seal but proved so popular that people constantly take the style The Ramones adopted and use it on their own designs across a variety of genres.

And similarly here where Kanye West has used Metallicas musical branding with their iconic font and imagery.