{"id":3324,"date":"2016-12-20T15:15:11","date_gmt":"2016-12-20T15:15:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/interview-killswitch-engage\/"},"modified":"2023-02-22T18:17:28","modified_gmt":"2023-02-22T18:17:28","slug":"interview-killswitch-engage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/interview-killswitch-engage\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview:\u00a0Killswitch Engage"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/figure>\n

The last half decade of Killswitch Engage<\/b>\u2019s career is a story that has been told countless times in the music press. Beginning with the departure of the band\u2019s former vocalist Howard Jones – a figure beloved and respected by hardcore and casual fans alike for his incredible vocal prowess that defined so many of their greatest songs.<\/p>\n

But, after a tumultuous period of uncertainty, original vocalist Jesse Leach\u2019s return was the perfect solution – rejuvenating the band at a time where most of their contemporaries were on the wane. This year, the band released \u2018Disarm The Descent\u2019<\/i>\u2019s follow up entitled ‘Incarnate\u2019<\/i>, and have toured pretty relentlessly since then. So what\u2019s it like to be in Killswitch Engage<\/b> right now?<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s good man, everyone\u2019s a little tired \u2018cause we\u2019re approaching the end of a long year, but it\u2019s been good: a lot of good touring and stuff and we\u2019re excited\u201d<\/i> opens guitarist Joel Stroetzel. \u201cWe\u2019ve got a new DVD coming out, probably hopefully start working on a new record next year.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

With ‘Incarnate\u2019<\/i> only hitting shelves in March, thoughts of a new record this early on can often be the sign of a band wanting to move on from a poorly received release, but in KSE<\/b>\u2019s case, the larger gap between albums since Howard\u2019s departure might just mean that the creative itch has been more intense than usual. A mix of the more melodic moodiness that defined a lot of the Howard-era, while still retaining the relentlessness and uplifting nature of the Jesse\u2019s tenure, the band certainly aren\u2019t interested in sweeping this record under the rug, with a quarter of tonight\u2019s set being dedicated to it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hard to say which ones are our favourite, sometimes the ones we play live are different favourites, it depends on crowd reaction. We\u2019ve been doing \u2018Hate By Design\u2019, it\u2019s a good dancey song, people get into that one so that\u2019s always fun. We recently added \u2018Cut Me Loose\u2019 to the set which is going over pretty well too,\u201d<\/i> explains Stroetzel.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

A song that explores suicidal thoughts and finding light in darkness (as Leach\u2019s lyrics often do), \u2018Cut Me Loose\u2019<\/i> is the band\u2019s latest single, and while on the whole ‘Incarnate\u2019<\/i> wasn\u2019t quite as hot as ‘Disarm The Descent\u2019<\/i>, this is undoubtedly one of its standout tracks, and features a music video that juxtaposes self immolation with a performance segment filmed on a salt plain.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was really hot out there, the sun was pretty intense, but yeah we had fun. We made sure there was plenty of cold beer and a tent to hide under between takes. It\u2019s a concept that Jesse and Travis (Shinn) the director came up with together. The song\u2019s about depression and suicide so they thought the guy in the fire backwards would be a cool way to do it, and it\u2019s kind of a nice contrast to the performance part too.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

However, as they look to the future, Killswitch Engage<\/b> aren\u2019t afraid to revisit their past, as this coming January they will tour Australia to celebrate the the 15th anniversary of their seminal record ‘Alive Or Just Breathing\u2019<\/i>. While undeniable Killswitch<\/b> tracks like \u2018My Last Serenade\u2019<\/i> will always have a place in a Killswitch<\/b> set, Stroetzel makes it clear that this is just as much for them as it is for the fans.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s kind of nostalgic for us to go back and play older material like that. We actually did a short Alive Or Just Breathing<\/i> tour back in 2010 for the ten year anniversary. We were supposed to do it in Australia, but the festival was cancelled, so now it\u2019s actually the 15th anniversary of that record. We asked the promoter if we should do this, and people seemed into it, so yeah it\u2019s fun for us. I always liked playing \u2018Element Of One\u2019. We used to play it more – we just have so much material these days that it hasn\u2019t really popped into the set for a while so it\u2019s going to be fun to play that one again.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

Indeed, with such a wealth of material at their behind them, now seems as good a time as any to reflect upon what has brought them to this point. Not only are they revisiting older material, the Massachusetts five-piece have just released a new DVD entitled ‘Beyond The Flames – Home Video Vol. 2\u2019<\/i> and will be the first video release since 2005\u2019s \u2019(Set This) World Ablaze\u2019<\/i> live album.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did a DVD like ten years ago and it was focussed on the live show with the documentary attached, this one\u2019s more focussed on the documentary part of it, and then there\u2019s some bonus stuff, some live raw stuff but it\u2019s mostly the documentary,\u201d<\/i> explains the guitarist. \u201cIt\u2019s kind of about Jesse coming back to the band and where we\u2019ve been over the past five years since his return, so it touches on a lot of stuff.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

“We can\u2019t go off and do 200 shows a year like we did back in the day, but everyone\u2019s still having a fun time\u201d<\/h1>\n

Having now been an active unit for the best part of twenty years, it seems fitting that now should be a time for reflection. Looking outward at the metal world, the old guard are beginning to fade away: Black Sabbath and Aerosmith have already begun their farewell tours, while the mortality of heritage acts Metallica, Iron Maiden and AC\/DC is constantly called into question. This sort of conversation may be some ways off for Killswitch Engage<\/b>, but with a light that burns as brightly and intensely as theirs, will their be a conscious effort to address this on future releases?<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can definitely feel that we\u2019re older now,\u201d<\/i> concedes Joel. \u201cWe can\u2019t go off and do 200 shows a year like we did back in the day, but everyone\u2019s still having a fun time, it\u2019s all about moderation too I think: spend enough time on the road until you get sick of that, then go home and do a record and when you\u2019re sick of being home it\u2019s time to go on the road again, so as long as there\u2019s a balance everybody\u2019s happy.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

While the band can\u2019t deny their age, this doesn\u2019t necessarily mean a compromise in sound is on the horizon. Incarnate<\/i>\u2019s b-sides \u2018Triumph Through Tragedy\u2019<\/i> and \u2018Loyalty\u2019<\/i> contain some of the heaviest moments in the Killswitch<\/b>\u2019s career to date.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think everyone just kind of writes and has their own style, it\u2019s really cool that everyone in the band writes demos and stuff so that we have a lot of material to choose from and everyone\u2019s material is very different, so we just kind of go with what we like regardless of what style it is. Some songs are more melodic than others, some are sludgier, some are thrashier, it doesn\u2019t really matter if everybody likes it.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

With their new retrospective documentary and an anniversary tour on the near horizon, it appears Killswitch Engage<\/b> aren\u2019t interested in looking too far into the future. Sporting one of the most celebrated back catalogues in metal\u2019s history, they have little left to prove, and with live performances as flawless as their recent UK shows, there shouldn\u2019t be too much concern about time catching the band up just yet.<\/p>\n

‘Beyond The Flames – Home Video Vol. 2\u2019<\/i> and ‘Incarnate\u2019<\/i> by Killswitch Engage<\/b> are available now on Roadrunner Records<\/b>.<\/p>\n

Killswitch Engage<\/b> links: Website<\/a>|Facebook<\/a>|Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n

Words by Josh Graham (@jollyboyjosh_<\/a>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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