Killswitch Engage released As Daylight Dies in the United States on November 21, 2006. Their fourth studio album arrived through Roadrunner Records and was their second with vocalist Howard Jones, following The End of Heartache. Lead single “My Curse” introduced the record with a video that placed the band’s performance inside the pages of books.
The writing had become a shared effort again. Speaking to MTV during the album’s preparation, bassist Mike D’Antonio compared the sessions with those for Alive or Just Breathing: the musicians had accumulated ideas, and everyone had a voice in developing them. He described heavier material that still made room for melodic choruses. That combination mattered to the band beyond any single release. In an August 2007 interview with Rock Eyez, D’Antonio identified The End of Heartache and As Daylight Dies as the records on which Killswitch had found the sound they wanted to keep developing.
Guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz handled production and mixing, and loosened the recording process. In a Revolver feature originally published in January 2007, guitarist Joel Stroetzel recalled the exacting guitar doubles and tuning demands of the previous album. This time, the producer encouraged performances with some roughness left in them. “It was just about getting it to the point where it felt good,” Stroetzel said. Their judgment could change as a song developed, too. “Desperate Times” had looked like a possible B-side until Jones recorded his vocals. D’Antonio recalled that hearing the vocal persuaded them to keep it on the album. Its slow, heavy arrangement gave Jones a different setting from the faster material.
Jones’ range was central to those decisions. D’Antonio told Rock Eyez that the singer’s ability to move between harsh vocals and clear singing had helped distinguish him during auditions. The band had heard singers who resembled their previous frontman; Jones offered a different voice they wanted to explore. By As Daylight Dies, he had already made a full album with Killswitch. D’Antonio also pointed to Southern rock elements in the new riffs and melodies, describing a band expanding a sound it had begun to recognize as its own.
That expansion came with more attention to how songs were assembled. During the album’s touring cycle, Stroetzel told Broward Palm Beach New Times in January 2008 that the group had moved beyond simply jamming on riffs. They were thinking harder about where changes belonged, using the logic of pop arrangements to make the sections fit. Dutkiewicz often arrived with complete songs, while other pieces took shape collectively. “My Curse” carried that work beyond the album: it reached No. 21 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart and appeared in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. Stroetzel even tried playing it in the game, reporting a score of about 90 percent on easy difficulty.
Roadrunner extended the release with a special edition on August 28, 2007. It added four tracks, including the band’s “Holy Diver” cover, alongside a DVD of music videos and making-of footage. “Holy Diver” had first appeared on a Kerrang! compilation; it wasn’t part of the original 11-song album.
As Daylight Dies earned RIAA gold certification in 2009. On November 23, 2021, it became Killswitch Engage’s first platinum album in the United States.
