thePULSE
These New Masters Are Breaking the Metal Mold
By Craig Lindberg
It’s been a busy couple of years for homegrown metal giants Killswitch Engage. The success of As Daylight Dies, the third studio album for metal masters Roadrunner Records, catapulted KsE into the mainstream on the strength of “The Curse” and the cover of Ronnie James Dio’s “Holy Diver,” the latter of which is found on the re-release of Dayight.
So you would think the initial success of the band’s latest, self-titled release, which debuted at number seven on the Billboard Top 200, would be a surprise to no one, right?
Wrong.
No one was more surprised than the members of KsE themselves.
“We were on tour when the album was released,” says lead singer Howard Jones. “As Daylight Dies went gold the same day we debuted at #7 on Billboard. I remember thinking, ‘Not bad for a bunch of goofy guys from Massachusetts.’ It was a pretty amazing day.”
The new album offers a sort of departure for KsE. Working with an outside producer, Brendan O’Brien, for the first time, KsE was looking to break out of the mould they themselves had created.
“We consciously wanted to do something a little different. This album was more than just putting parts together,” says Howard, “We all got together to get back to writing as a band. There was more input from everyone this time; we think the results are pretty amazing.”
The throngs of KsE fans obviously agree.
The first single and video for “Reckoning” may have helped the album debut at number seven; however, it’s the strength of the rest of the tracks on Killswitch Engage that have kept the album in the top 40 since its release.
No easy feat for a band in this genre.
KsE has held true to the sound that has spawned many imitators (I challenge you to find an unsigned metal band that doesn’t cite KsE as an influence); however they have spread their wings with their latest effort. “I generally write with broad strokes,” states Howard. “I took a different approach to getting my point across this time, working with Brendan was a great experience I tried to be more up front with my message. I think it fit the feel of this album perfectly.”
This mainstream popularity has kept the guys in KsE busy touring, playing Ozzfest and Music as a Weapon and using their only day off between tours to play the “Rock the Ink” festival, the brainchild of local monster music promoter Dan Hartwell, in Providence, RI last October.
The latest tour for the rolling juggernaut that is Killswitch Engage is the Mayhem Festival, which showcases many in the Roadrunner stable of artists. KsE find themselves taking the stage just before the likes of Slayer and Marilyn Manson.
“Yeah, it’s not like Slayer draws anyone,” Howard jokes. “This tour is sort of like…day camp. You’re not just playing your set, you’re doing signings and meet and greets. It’s like an amusement park, you just go from one ride to the next, each one a little different than the last, but each one is great!”
The guys in KsE find themselves in a very enviable situation for a metal band, obtaining considerable mainstream success while staying true to their sound AND branching out creatively.
Did I mention they’re having the time of their lives in the process?
Killswitch Engage have found the formula all aspiring musicians seek but so few find.
Listen well to the KsE message. These are the new masters.
