The Signal Fire

Last updated
"The Signal Fire"
Single by Killswitch Engage featuring Howard Jones
from the album Atonement
ReleasedAugust 15, 2019
Genre Metalcore
Length3:05
Label Metal Blade
Songwriters
Producer Adam Dutkiewicz
Killswitch Engagesingles chronology
"I Am Broken Too"
(2019)		"The Signal Fire"
(2019)		"I Can't Be The Only One"
(2020)

"The Signal Fire" is a song by American metalcore band Killswitch Engage. The song was released as the third single from the album in August 2019. The song features guest vocals from Howard Jones, who was the band's lead vocalist from 2002 to 2012. [1] [2]

Contents

Background

The song Signal Fire seen the band collaborate with former vocalist Howard Jones. Lead singer Jesse Leach touched upon the song stating: “I had an image from Lord of The Rings when they climb to the top of the mountain and light a fire to signal for backup. It felt powerful to me. At the same time, Howard’s Light The Torch was making new music. I thought, ‘‘Light The Torch’ and ‘Signal Fire’ make sense together.’ It needed to be a call-to-arms, and I wanted to invite him to sing on it. We hit it off for the first time, recently. Afterwards, we were texting back-and-forth. We needed a song with him to show the fans there’s solidarity. It’s a perfect ode to our bond as brothers and a nice nod to Light The Torch. [3]

Reception

Several reviews noted "The Signal Fire" as being a highlight of Atonement.

Thom Jurek of AllMusic praised the "hard-grooving riffery" of the song and the performances of both Leach and Jones. [4] J. Andrew of Metal Injection called the song the album's "most brutal moment" and called the addition of Jones on the song "an awesome fan-nerd moment, and a welcome combination of two of metal's most forceful voices." [5] Ricky Aarons of Wall of Sound also praised Leach and Jones's performances, noting that the vocals of Jones were closer in style to what he used with Killswitch Engage compared to the style he uses in his current band Light the Torch. [6]

Music video

The song's music video was directed by Ian McFarland. [7]

The video shows the band performing the song in a rehearsal space, with Howard Jones sitting off to the side. During the chorus, Jones joins with the band in performing the song.

Personnel

Killswitch Engage
Guest musicians

Charts

Chart (2019)Peak
position
US Hot Rock Songs ( Billboard ) [8] 19
US Rock Digital Songs ( Billboard ) [9] 15
US Hard Rock Digital Songs ( Billboard ) [10] 9

References

  1. ↑ "Howard Jones Leaves Killswitch Engage". Metal Hammer . January 4, 2012. Archived from the original on January 8, 2012. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Yeahhhhhh Killswitch Engage Released A Music Video For 'The Signal Fire' Feat. Ex-Frontman Howard Jones!". Wall of Sound. August 20, 2019. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  3. ↑ Erigo, John (2019-08-03). "KILLSWITCH ENGAGE – "Atonement" album to be released via Metal Blade Records August 16, 2019 #killswitchengage". KICK ASS Forever. Retrieved 2025-10-27.
  4. ↑ Jurek, Thom. "Atonement - Killswitch Engage". AllMusic . Retrieved December 31, 2019.
  5. ↑ J. Andrew (August 15, 2019). "Album Review: KILLSWITCH ENGAGE Atonement". Metal Injection. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
  6. ↑ Aarons, Ricky (August 11, 2019). "Killswitch Engage - Atonement (Album Review)". Wall of Sound. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
  7. ↑ Childers, Chad (August 20, 2019). "Watch Killswitch Engage Singers Meet in 'The Signal Fire' Video". Loudwire . Retrieved December 31, 2019.
  8. ↑ "Killswitch Engage Chart History (Hot Rock Songs)". Billboard . Retrieved December 31, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Killswitch Engage Chart History (Rock Digital Songs)". Billboard . Retrieved December 31, 2019.
  10. ↑ "Killswitch Engage Chart History (Hard Rock Digital Song Sales)". Billboard . Retrieved December 31, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.