Ten years ago, Boston’s Killswitch Engage changed the face of extreme music in America with the record Alive or Just Breathing. The band blended European guitar melodies with the rhythm of hardcore punk and emotive lyrics, both sung and screamed by frontman Jesse Leach. Shortly after the album dropped, Leach, suffering from personal and performance issues, departed; then the Killswitch formula went gold — their next album was nominated for a Grammy, their songs received major radio attention, and MTV came calling. Juxtaposing screamed verses and sung choruses, Killswitch’s signature play, became a staple of American heavy metal. Fast forward to the present, and the band is looking to redeem their original glory: Leach rejoined Killswitch Engage earlier this year and the band began touring the country. Coming to Headliner’s Sunday, December 9, with Shadows Fall and Arco as support, they’ll be playing Alive or Just Breathing in its entirety.
Leach never fully toured to promote the album when it was originally released, but he is committed to making up for lost time. “Now that I get to do it, even on a short US run, it’s a cool way to celebrate [both] ten years and my rejoining the band.” Killswitch even chose venues to match the album’s original context. “We’re doing smaller, intimate venues, so it’s almost showing people what may have been if I had been able to tour on that record.”
Leach spoke to us candidly about his departure ten years ago. He attributes his struggles not only to vocal cord problems, but some emotional turmoil as well.
“I was going through depression and going all out; not being able to control my voice because I couldn’t control my emotions. I would get on stage and all hell broke loose in my mind. I would scream it all out without any technique.”
Leach went to work during his absence: he took vocal lessons with famous metal voice coach Melissa Cross — and it payed off. His summer festival performances with Killswitch garnered accolades from their internet fanbase.
“If you’d told me a year ago that I’d be doing this I would have laughed. It’s one of those things that feels right and it’s been amazing since it happened.” Killswitch’s trip in the WABAC machine promises to be an intense one. Alive or Just Breathing chronicled the inner struggle that Leach — a devout Christian— wrestled with a decade ago. “I was raised a Christian, but was very much drawn to Rastafarian culture at that time — I made reference to Babylon, I against I. I’m using Rasta terminology because I was sitting between faiths trying to figure stuff out.”
That doesn’t mean that Killswitch Engage is abandoning the material that made them famous in Leach’s absence. Their newer material dealt less with philosophy and more with romantic longing, but Leach said he has no problems singing newer songs. “It’s been a challenge to sing material that I did not write, but I’m growing to like it. I think Howard [Jones, Leach’s replacement when he left the band] was putting messages out there and people were not hearing the cry for help.” Jones quit Killswitch late last year, without warning. Despite the inherent darkness in their music, Killswitch keeps shows upbeat and positive. Lead guitarist Adam D. frequently performs wearing a cape and shorts — he is notorious for cracking lewd jokes mid-show. The band has a reputation for refined taste in beer. “When you see Killswitch live, we’re all drinking. But the question is what are we drinking? Nine times out of ten I’m drinking Guiness,” said Leach, unless he can get his mitts on a
local microbrew. “When we travel to a town that has a local brewery, it says on our tour rider — buy local beer. ”
Killswitch Engage seeks positivity when touring. Leach, an avid bicyclist, supports local farmers’ markets, and wants to invest in a biodeisel tour bus. The bicycle, as it turns out, is integral to how Leach writes music. “When I get writer’s block I’ll get on my bike or in my car … I got off the last tour and with my first paycheck, I got myself a really nice bike. It helps with my voice and breathing control. I take the bike out, pop the headphones in, and when an idea pops up I take out my phone and record the lyrics or hum a few bars. Movement is good for my writing.” He can expect to be moving for a while.
After this tour, Killswitch will release their sixth album — Leach promises not only to play a song from it in Toledo, but that it will be their fastest yet. Killswitch will support that record with tours on much bigger stages than Headliner’s. The December 9 show will not only be a seminal look at the history of American heavy metal, but a rare treat.
Tickets to the December 9 show at Headliner’s, 4500 N. Detroit Ave., are $20 advance, $20 at the door. For more information, visit
www.headlinerstoledo.com. The full transcript of this interview is available at NoCleanSinging.com.