Just as the individual components of chocolate and peanut butter became a different entity combined in the hands of a guy named Reese, elements from Metalcore progenitors Overcast and Aftershock coalesced in 1999 and immediately began writing a unique new chapter in the genre’s history as Killswitch Engage.
Killswitch Engage had little trouble attracting interest with its self-released eponymous debut album in 2000, which garnered the band a contract with Roadrunner, the band’s only label affiliation to date.
Killswitch Engage has been cited as one of the foundational architects of modern Metalcore — a melodic, clean/dirty blend of Hardcore and Extreme Metal, with influential elements of Thrash and Gothenburg Metal — and the Massachusetts quintet has enjoyed the nearly impossible tandem of commercial success and critical acclaim, all accomplished in spite of a tumultuous string of lineup shifts and medical issues that might have derailed lesser bands.
In the wake of Overcast’s 1998 dissolution, bassist Mike D’Antonio jammed with Aftershock guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz — then manning the drums — who enlisted Aftershock guitarist Joel Stroetzel and Nothing Stays Gold vocalist Jesse Leach to form the first iteration of Killswitch Engage. After signing with Roadrunner, Killswitch Engage brought Overcast guitarist Pete Cortese into the fold, but he departed before the band’s label debut, 2002’s Alive or Just Breathing. For the subsequent tour, Dutkiewicz returned to guitar and drummer Tom Gomes joined, expanding the band to a quintet. But just days into the Just Breathing tour, Leach, newly married, depressed and suffering from throat issues, quit the band and was replaced by Blood Has Been Shed vocalist Howard Jones. After the band’s 2003 Ozzfest appearance, Gomes was replaced by Justin Foley; that lineup recorded the next three Killswitch Engage albums.
Back surgery sidelined Dutkiewicz in 2007 and temps were used on tours; similar issues kept Jones off the road in 2010. Leach and All That Remains vocalist Philip Labonte platooned at the mic until Jones officially quit early in 2012. Leach was welcomed back; his first recording was 2013’s Disarm the Descent, which was critically hailed and spawned the Grammy-nominated “In Due Time.” The band’s seventh album, the just released Incarnate, was highly praised — even its more reserved reviews remarked on Leach’s powerhouse vocals and the band’s unflagging passion and ambition.
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This article appears in Apr 20-27, 2016.
