KILLSWITCH ENGAGE re-enlisted their original frontman Jesse Leach as their singer back in February following the departure of vocalist Howard Jones. The news was simply broken by a photo of the lineup (found at the bottom of the page) on the band’s official website. They played their first show with the returned Leach on April 22nd in Worcester, MA at the New England Metal & Hardcore Festival. Fan-filmed video is available below:

The setlist on the night was as follows:

‘Numbered Days’
‘Self-Revolution’
‘Fixation On The Darkness’
‘Rose Of Sharyn’
‘This Is Absolution’
‘Take This Oath’
‘Prelude’
‘Vide Infra’
‘Temple From The Within’
‘The Arms Of Sorrow’
‘My Curse’
‘The End Of Heartache’
‘A Bid Farewell’
‘Life To Lifeless’

Encore:
‘My Last Serenade’
‘Holy Diver’ (DIO cover)

Leach is featured in a new interview with The Boston Herald, conducted prior to his first return gig with the band. An excerpt is available below:

“So far, it’s kind of surreal,” Leach recently told the Herald from New York. “The vibe is just amazing. We’re all breathing a sigh of relief to be back together. The energy is there like it’s never been before.”

It’s been a seamless transition: Leach has remained friends with the band and toured extensively with his longtime friend, KsE guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz, in the duo’s acclaimed side project TIMES OF GRACE.

“We’re just excited to be making music again because it’s been so long,” Dutkiewicz said recently from his Western Massachusetts home. “I’ve been in a band with Jesse for the past two years, so it feels pretty normal and comfortable.”

Go to this location for the complete interview.

As previously reported, Jones parted ways with the group at the beginning of the year, citing his battle with Type 2 Diabetes among the reasons. Almost immediately, there was speculation that Leach may rejoin the group. However, that was tempered when Killswitch Engage announced open auditions for the vacant singer slot.

Leach was the lead singer for the band’s first two albums — 2000?s self-titled effort and 2002?s Alive Or Just Breathing. After he left the band in 2002, he was replaced by Jones, who recorded three albums with Killswitch Engage.
Source : Bravewords.com 

After much speculation and rumor, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE has re-enlisted their original frontman Jesse Leach as their singer following the recent departure of vocalist Howard Jones. The news was simply broken by a photo of the lineup on the band’s official website.

As previously reported, Jones parted ways with the group at the beginning of the year, citing his battle with Type 2 Diabetes among the reasons. Almost immediately, there was speculation that Leach may rejoin the group. However, that was tempered when Killswitch Engage announced open auditions for the vacant singer slot.

Now, via the new band photo, Killswitch Engage have made it clear that Leach is back in the fold. Leach was the lead singer for the band’s first two albums — 2000?s self-titled effort and 2002?s Alive Or Just Breathing. After he left the band in 2002, he was replaced by Jones, who recorded three albums with Killswitch Engage.

Leach is expected to perform with Killswitch Engage for the first time since the reunion when they headline the New England Metal & Hardcore Festival on April 22nd.

Source : Bravewords.com

Vocalist Jesse Leach, who left Massachusetts metallers KILLSWITCH ENGAGE in 2002, was asked by Australia’s Loud magazine if he has been approached to rejoin the band following the recent exit of his replacement, Howard Jones. “I’m not going to comment,” he responded. “Everyone wants to know… I’d rather those guys go through what they’ve got to go through and whenever they make that decision… They’re good friends of mine, so I’m respecting their space at the moment. It’s more fun, more mystery, too; you don’t have to know everything. These days everybody is on Facebook and tweeting everything that happens. What’s happened to the mystery of music and not knowing everything?”

He added, “My viewpoint is to respectfully step back from the situation and support them. Whatever decision they make will be the right one for them and I look forward to what it is.”

Leach spent most of the past year touring with TIMES OF GRACE, his collaborative project with KILLSWITCH ENGAGE members Adam Dutkiewicz (guitar) and Joel Stroeltzel (guitar). That band’s debut album, “Hymn Of A Broken Man”, came out in January 2011 via Roadrunner Records.

Jones issued a statement regarding his departure from the group, which was announced earlier in the month. Jones wrote in part, “I’ve had a pretty interesting couple of years, to say the least, battling with some personal issues. One of the low points being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes that went unchecked for years. The rest of the band stuck with me through it, and, to be honest, they are the ones that kept me going. The whole experience definitely put a scare in me.”

He continued, “Recently we’ve all been in writing mode, but somehow I couldn’t get excited about the new album and all the touring that would go with it. The guys saw it before I did. In hindsight, I now realize that my heart wasn’t in it.”

Jones thanked the rest of the band for “an amazing decade,” adding, “I have so many good memories, and those are the ones that I will keep.”

The band said in its statement, “We love Howard and are thankful for the nine years that we’ve had him in the band. Out of respect for everyone involved we will not be discussing the specific reasons behind this decision. Howard is a part of our family and always will be, and we wish him well.”

No replacement has been found yet for the 41-year-old Jones, who joined KILLSWITCH in 2002. Jones sang on the band’s last three studio efforts, including 2009’s self-titled set.

Source: Blabbermouth.net