With the release of Killswitch Engage’s current CD, “As Daylight Dies,” much is being made about the band’s rise to the forefront of the burgeoning metalcore scene.
The band’s previous CD, the 2004 Grammy-nominated release “The End of the Heartache,” is poised to be certified gold, with sales currently just shy of the 500,000 copies needed for that honor. Few bands in extreme metal or metalcore have ever approached those numbers.
But if a recent phone interview with singer Howard Jones is any indication, you won’t find Killswitch Engage getting caught up in its success or accomplishments. Several times, Jones brushed off questions about his band’s success and influence over the thrashier and screamier direction hard music has taken in recent years.
“We just kind of do what we do and hope for the best,” Jones said. “If you want to dissect it, that’s fine. But we just got lucky. … We’re just trying to enjoy it and make the most of it.”
Killswitch Engage performs Monday in Seattle.
Not surprisingly, Jones isn’t worried about Killswitch Engage having to live up to greater expectations because of its success.
“We’re not really putting any expectations on anything,” he said. “Things have gone much better than we ever thought they would, and so you really couldn’t ask for better than that. So if things progress, cool.
“Music in and of itself is just strange because you never know what’s going to happen the next day. We could fall off of the face of the planet tomorrow.”
Chances seem remote that Killswitch Engage will fall off of the music radar anytime soon. The band has already survived the kind of crisis that would have brought down many other groups.
Formed in 1998 in Westfield, Mass., by bassist Mike D’Antonio, guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz (who started on drums for the group), guitarist Joe Stroetzel and singer Jesse Leach, the band made an early breakthrough with its second CD, 2002’s “Alive or Just Breathing.” It earned rave reviews and a top-40 entry on Billboard’s “heatseeker” chart.
But just as Killswitch Engage seemed to be gaining serious momentum, the band went through a major shakeup with the departures in 2002 of Leach and in 2003 of drummer Tom Gomes.
The loss of Leach was seen as an especially major blow. But Killswitch Engage not only found a new singer in Jones, it also made the transition so smoothly it barely seemed to disrupt what had been an almost nonstop touring cycle.
When touring behind “Alive or Just Breathing” wrapped up, Killswitch Engage which now had both Jones and drummer Justin Foley on board took only a few days off before going into the studio to make the band’s third CD.
The sessions had a bit of drama. Because it would be Jones’ first CD fronting Killswitch Engage, there was some pressure to deliver. The process wasn’t made any easier when Dutkiewicz (known to fans as “Adam D”) emerged as the only band member who was able to come up with a good number of songs for the CD.
Still, the band came out sounding strong as ever, and “The End of Heartache” debuted at number 21 on Billboard’s Top 200 album chart a sign of the vibrant sales that would continue as Killswitch Engage toured behind the third CD.
After that cycle was completed, though, the band realized a hiatus was in order, and about nine months later, reconvened to work on “As Daylight Dies,” showing signs of renewed vigor. Unlike with the previous CD, all five band members contributed to the songwriting, and the band delivered another strong CD.
The band has now started its first-ever full-fledged headlining tour. Jones is hoping it goes better than the band’s first run of dates behind “As Daylight Dies” last fall, which had to be cut short after he developed vocal problems and Dutkiewicz suffered a serious back injury that required surgery.
Jones is back in full voice, but Dutkiewicz is sitting out this tour. Former Damageplan guitarist Pat Lachman is filling in for the time being, as the band plays a set featuring material from all four of its CDs.
Killswitch Engage performs Monday in Seattle.
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