Roadrunner Records have reported that Adam D. and Jesse Leach of KILLSWITCH ENGAGE were interviewed by Impericon the last time they were on tour in Europe—here are their answers to the site’s infamous “25 Questions,” which include impossible choices like: Black Flag or Black Sabbath? Metallica or Slayer? Terminator or Rocky? and many more. Watch now!
Massachusetts metallers KILLSWITCH ENGAGE — singer Jesse Leach, guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz, bassist Mike D’Antonio, guitarist Joel Stroetzel and drummer Justin Foley — have set “Disarm The Descent” as the title of their upcoming sixth album. The 12-track record is due out April 2 on Roadrunner and is the follow-up to 2009’s self-titled release. “Disarm THE Descent” is the band’s first album with original singer Leach at the vocal helm since 2002’s now-classic, genre-defining “Alive or Just Breathing”. Leach returned to the band in January 2012 after a decade-long absence.
The first single, “In Due Time”, will be made available digitally on February 5. Album pre-orders will kick off in early February, as well, with more details forthcoming.
“Disarm The Descent” was selected by Alternative Press magazine for its “Most Anticipated Albums of 2013” issue, and the band was profiled in Guitar World as one to watch in 2013. Clearly, buzz from fans and the metal and hard rock community regarding new KILLSWITCH ENGAGE remains deafening.
“It is with a grateful spirit that we prepare for this record’s release,” Leach said. “From the music, to the lyrics, to the artwork, we are all proud of what we have accomplished. To me, this is by far my best vocal performance, much thanks to Adam‘s guidance and faith in my abilities. I am very grateful to be where I am in life, back in an amazing band with a record we are all excited for the world to hear. Thanks to all the fans for their warm welcome back and their undying love for KILLSWITCH ENGAGE.”
2012 marked a busy year for KILLSWITCH ENGAGE.
With Leach firmly installed as the frontman for the last 12 months, the band spent its summer on the road. KILLSWITCH ENGAGE shook the bedrock of venues across the country as part of the first-ever Trespass America tour alongside FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH.
The band recently embarked on a tour that celebrated the 10th anniversary of “Alive Or Just Breathing”. They performed the album in full, with a few fan favorites and hits from their gold-selling albums, 2004’s “The End Of Heartache” and 2006’s “As Daylight Dies”, sprinkled into the setlist. KILLSWITCH ENGAGE were also profiled by Decibel in the magazine’s highly respected “Hall of Fame” feature for “Alive Or Just Breathing”.
In between tours, the band put its nose to the grindstone to work on what would become “Disarm The Descent”, with Dutkiewicz producing. The wheels have been turning for the past year, as the band supplemented recording with touring. The time is upon us for the next chapter of KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, who were at the forefront of the New Wave Of American Heavy Metal resurgence that defined the ’00s and have remained vital into the new decade.
“Disarm The Descent” track listing:
01. The Hell In Me
02. Beyond The Flames
03. New Awakening
04. In Due Time
05. A Tribute To The Fallen
06. The Turning Point
07. All That We Have
08. You Don’t Bleed For Me
09. The Call
10. No End In Sight
11. Always
12. Time Will Not Remain
“Disarm The Descent” was mixed by veteran British producer Andy Sneap, who has previously worked with MEGADETH, TESTAMENT, EXODUS, ACCEPT, ARCH ENEMY and NEVERMORE.
“[The recording process] was great,” Leach told Loudwire. “I came off tour I was filled with energy, ready to go, we knocked out a bunch of stuff. I had joined the band, the record was there, we’re on tour so I really didn’t have time to write. I took the past two months not only recording but writing so I’m there with an idea, being in the other room writing and going to Adam saying, ‘Here’s my idea I just wrote, what do you think?’ So there’s real spontaneity some of the songs that we just finished up. I had maybe five or six solid ideas when I came off tour and the rest had to be developed as we were recording it. It was exciting but at the same time tough because for me I’m digging deep down into my emotions and my psyche trying to come up with stuff that is honest and emotive and relevant, hopefully for the listener. It’s tiring but well worth, anything that’s worth achieving you got to suffer a little bit for it. I think mentally and spiritually and a little bit physically we were suffering but all of that made for an amazing record that I’m really proud of.”
He added, “The music is definitely the fastest KILLSWITCH record ever. It’s very heavy but still maintains the signature KILLSWITCH hooky, melodic stuff there, too. There’s definitely melody attached, but I pulled out some new styles vocally, yelling and screaming and growling and layers and it sounds massive.”
Asked what the vibe has been working on the new record with the other members, Leach said, “These guys have welcomed me back with open arms and just very encouraging and digging the stuff that I’m doing and these guys were just like, ‘Wow! We’re really excited. We feel like it’s been a long time since we’ve been this excited about music,’ and that just makes me feel amazing. It makes me feel like I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing.”
KILLSWITCH ENGAGE fans have already had the opportunity to hear one of the cuts that will appear on the upcoming CD: a rough mix of the song “No End In Sight” was recently leaked online, and as a result the band has started playing it live.
“That song is the weakest song on the whole record,” Leach told Loudwire. “That’s my opinion. I actually almost wouldn’t mind if it wasn’t even on the record because I think other stuff is much better, but probably since we played it and fans know it, we’ll put it on, but in my opinion, that’s definitely the weakest song. Now that the record is done, in retrospect, that would not be the song that we would be playing live.”
New KILLSWITCH ENGAGE song “No End In Sight” (demo version) audio stream:
On Tuesday, November 6, a benefit concert was held in NYC for Amnesty International and the American Red Cross Hurricane Sandy relief fund. The house band, led by guitarist Todd Youth, performed a set of Bad Brains covers, joined by a wide variety of guests, including legendary Bad Brains frontman H.R., country singer Steve Earle, John Joseph of the Cro-Mags, Kyp Malone of TV On the Radio, Vernon Reid of Living Colour…and Killswitch Engage‘s Jesse Leach. You can watch video of Jesse singing “I Against I” below.
Killswitch Engage will launch a North American tour on November 24, on which they’ll be performing their Roadrunner debut, Alive Or Just Breathing, in its entirety – find a show near you!
Metal Blast conducted an interview with bassist Mike D’Antonio of Massachusetts metallers KILLSWITCH ENGAGE backstage at the Heavy T.O. festival on August 12 at Downsview Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. You can now watch the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow.
Metal Blast: You have a segregation; the new fans, the old fans. Have you found any division between their acceptance of [returning lead singer] Jesse [Leach]… rather re-acceptance?
Mike: Not yet, not really. Which is great and phenomenal. That was one of our main concerns; can Jesse do the Howard [Jones] songs? That was one of the things we really had to figure out for ourselves before were like, “Cool, let’s go on the road,” and he proved to us that he wanted to do it. And we were, like, “Okay, I guess he knows those songs.” ‘Cause…he actually auditioned for the part and did an amazing job… he just blew us away. We had an entire day of auditions starting at 11:30 a.m., probably 15 or so characters come in through the door, by about 4:30 [or] 5 o’clock, we were all kinda beat, ready to go home. That was enough of playing the same three songs over and over again, ’till Jesse walked in the room. We proceeded to rock out 15 songs in a row; the spirit was back, the energy was back, all the smiles were there. That’s what you need.
Metal Blast: There’s been rumors that you guys have been touring then writing and recording on the side. I’ve heard something about maybe half an album being done… I’m just wondering, is there any truth to that rumour?
Mike: We have a good amount recorded. After this tour we’re on the Trespass [America] tour with FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, TRIVIUM, GOD FORBID, BATTLECROSS and a bunch of other bands and we specifically said, “Let’s go out and do some shows. Let’s have Jesse really get into the fold, really meld with us in the live thing again, really become a strong entity once more,” and this is the best way to get a crash course in hate and life by being on tour. But yeah, just to get him in the mindset, so we’re gonna go back and do some more vocals. So… the next 2 ½ – 3 months is just vocals, finishing up the record and being ready to go for the New Year.
This past Friday, Killswitch Engage launched their first US tour since Jesse Leach returned to the band, and VampireFreaks.com had a photographer on the scene. They’ve got a gallery of over 50 images from that night that you can check out, including the shot accompanying this story.
