Biography Killswitch Engage
Killswitch Engage (often abbreviated as KSE or Killswitch) is a metalcore band from Westfield, Massachusetts. Formed in 1999 following the disbandment of the bands Overcast and Aftershock, Killswitch Engage's line-up consists of vocalist Howard Jones, bassist Mike D'Antonio, guitarists Joel Stroetzel and Adam Dutkiewicz, and drummer Justin Foley. Signed to Roadrunner Records, Killswitch Engage has released four studio albums and one DVD.
Killswitch Engage rose to fame with its 2004 release The End of Heartache, which peaked at number 21 on the Billboard 200, and was certified gold in December 2007 for over 500,000 shipments in the United States. The title track, "The End of Heartache", was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2004, and a live DVD titled World Ablaze was released in 2006. Killswitch Engage has attended Reading and Leeds Festivals, Ozzfest, Download Festival and the Warped Tour, and is scheduled to continue touring until April 2008.
The band's name originated from the break-up of Overcast and Aftershock, taking things that pushed and elevated the band and putting it into a new one. D'Antonio commented "basically shutting everything down that we once knew and starting over. Killswitch which is like turning everything off. Like if someone?s hand gets caught in something in a metal working shop the foreman will press one button that will turn off the machines. A Killswitch. Then the engage is just turning it back on or something like that".
Killswitch Engage began writing new material for its second album in November 2001. With a larger recording budget, the band entered Zing Studios in Westfield, Massachusetts in November and was able to spend more time "getting things right". Mixed in January at Backstage Studios by producer Andy Sneap, the album was titled Alive or Just Breathing after lyrics in the song "Just Barely Breathing". A music video for the single "My Last Serenade" increased the band's exposure, and the album peaked at number 37 on the Top Heatseekers chart. Written and recorded for two guitarists, the band decided to expand and become a five-piece after the album's release when Dutkiewicz moved to guitar, and former Aftershock drummer Tom Gomes joined as drummer. Kevin Boyce of CMJ New Music Report described the record as "more addictive than crack cocaine that's been smothered in caffeine and nicotine and drenched with chocolate", and Jason D. Taylor of All Music Guide said the release is "a pure metal album that seemingly has ignored any fashionable trend and instead relies solely on skill and expertise to sculpt some of meatiest heavy metal since the glory days of Metallica and Slayer".
The band immediately started to search for a replacement vocalist and found Howard Jones of Blood Has Been Shed. Jones disliked Killswitch Engage's sound when he first heard it. He commented "I was like, ?Meh.? I come from hardcore and dirtier metal, and Killswitch sounded so clean. But the more I listened to it, I realized there?s some really good songs here". After hearing of Leach's vocal problems, Jones contacted the band and was accepted as the replacement. Without listening to the self-titled album and Alive or Just Breathing in their entirety, Jones had to memorize seven songs for his debut at the 2002 Hellfest.
The new lineup played on the Road Rage tour in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands in 2002 with 36 Crazyfists and Five Pointe O. Touring continued throughout the remainder of the year, and in 2003 the first song to feature Jones, "When Darkness Falls", appeared on the soundtrack of the 2003 horror film Freddy vs. Jason. Following the 2003 Ozzfest, drummer Gomes left the band as he wished to spend more time with his wife, to pursue his band Something of a Silhouette, and because he was tired of touring. He was replaced by Justin Foley of Blood Has Been Shed and Red Tide, and Foley's first tour with the band was the MTV2 Headbangers Ball in 2003.
In late 2004, the band supported Slayer on its U.S. Jagermusic dates and headlined shows with From Autumn to Ashes, Eighteen Visions, and 36 Crazyfists. "The End of Heartache" became the main single for the movie Apocalypse, and in 2004 the song was nominated in the Best Metal Performance category for the 47th annual Grammy Awards. The award was given to Motörhead for "Whiplash". In late 2004, The End of Heartache was re-released as a special edition album, with a second disc featuring various live performances, a Japanese bonus track, and a re-recorded version of "Irreversal". During the summer of 2005, the band returned for Ozzfest, and on November 1, 2005, Alive or Just Breathing was re-released as part of Roadrunner Records' 25th anniversary. On November 22, 2005, a live DVD titled World Ablaze was released. The DVD contained a live concert at the Palladium in Worcester, Massachusetts, an hour-long documentary, and all the band's music videos. The DVD went gold in the U.S. on April 8, 2006 for sales over 50,000.
Recorded in three months, As Daylight Dies was released on November 21, 2006 and peaked at number 32 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart with sales of 60,000 copies in its first week. It also entered the Australia album chart at number 29. Mixed by Dutkiewicz, the album received mostly positive critical reviews ? Thom Jurek of All Music Guide called it "a Top Five metal candidate for 2006 for sure". Decibel Magazine contributor Nick Terry said "To call As Daylight Dies addictive would be an understatement. That it outdoes its already impressive enough predecessor could almost go without saying". Cosmo Lee of Stylus Magazine commented "the album is astonishingly badly sequenced", although thought it contributed to the album being "less emotionally heavy-handed, and a lot more fun". As of November 27, 2007, As Daylight Dies has sold more than 300,000 units in the United States.
The album's first single, "My Curse", peaked at number 21 spot on the Hot Mainstream Rock chart. "The Arms of Sorrow" peaked at number 31 on the same chart. A cover of Dio's "Holy Diver" originally recorded for a Kerrang! compilation album titled High Voltage, peaked at number 13 on the Mainstream Rock charts. Early in 2007, the band had to cancel three of its European tour dates with The Haunted due to Dutkiewicz suffering back problems. He required emergency back surgery and was replaced on the tour by ex-Soilwork guitarist Peter Wichers.
Killswitch Engage played the 2007 Download Festival with the bands Iron Maiden, Linkin Park, Slayer, and Marilyn Manson. Other tours the band attended included Bamboozle 2007 and the Warped Tour. On August 6, 2007, Dutkiewicz was forced to leave the Warped Tour so he could fully recover from his back surgery and continue daily physical therapy. He was replaced by Killswitch's guitar technician Josh Mihlek for select songs, until his return on August 14, 2007. Killswitch Engage are scheduled to play the Soundwave Festival in February and March in 2008 in Australia. Other bands attending include The Offspring, Incubus, As I Lay Dying, Alexisonfire, Haste The Day, Saosin, and Carpathian. The band will tour until April 2008, where they may discuss writing a new record.
Killswitch Engage rose to fame with its 2004 release The End of Heartache, which peaked at number 21 on the Billboard 200, and was certified gold in December 2007 for over 500,000 shipments in the United States. The title track, "The End of Heartache", was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2004, and a live DVD titled World Ablaze was released in 2006. Killswitch Engage has attended Reading and Leeds Festivals, Ozzfest, Download Festival and the Warped Tour, and is scheduled to continue touring until April 2008.
History
Early days
Following the break-up of his band Overcast in 1998, bassist Mike D'Antonio jammed with Aftershock drummer Adam Dutkiewicz. As both bands had disbanded, Dutkiewicz recruited guitarist Joel Stroetzel from Aftershock, and Jesse Leach of Nothing Stays Gold as vocalist. Former Overcast vocalist Brian Fair was considered for the role, although he was unable to join due to obligations with his band Shadows Fall. D'Antonio said the band was initially going to be for fun, and a "thing to do on the side".The band's name originated from the break-up of Overcast and Aftershock, taking things that pushed and elevated the band and putting it into a new one. D'Antonio commented "basically shutting everything down that we once knew and starting over. Killswitch which is like turning everything off. Like if someone?s hand gets caught in something in a metal working shop the foreman will press one button that will turn off the machines. A Killswitch. Then the engage is just turning it back on or something like that".
Signed to a label, self-titled and Alive or Just Breathing
While touring with Steve Young and Shadows Fall, and opening for In Flames, record label Ferret Music took notice of Killswitch Engage and signed the band to its label. The band released its self-titled debut album as a four-piece, and although the album was not an initial financial success or entered any charts, it garnered the interest of Ferret Music founder Carl Severson. Severson, who worked at Roadrunner Records at the time, handed Killswitch Engage to several Roadrunner representatives. An A&R of the company, Mike Gitter, contacted D'Antonio and attended several of the band's shows, and his interest led him to offer the band a recording contract with Roadrunner. Declining offers from several smaller labels, the band accepted the Roadrunner deal as they thought the company had the resources to promote and distribute Killswitch Engage releases.Killswitch Engage began writing new material for its second album in November 2001. With a larger recording budget, the band entered Zing Studios in Westfield, Massachusetts in November and was able to spend more time "getting things right". Mixed in January at Backstage Studios by producer Andy Sneap, the album was titled Alive or Just Breathing after lyrics in the song "Just Barely Breathing". A music video for the single "My Last Serenade" increased the band's exposure, and the album peaked at number 37 on the Top Heatseekers chart. Written and recorded for two guitarists, the band decided to expand and become a five-piece after the album's release when Dutkiewicz moved to guitar, and former Aftershock drummer Tom Gomes joined as drummer. Kevin Boyce of CMJ New Music Report described the record as "more addictive than crack cocaine that's been smothered in caffeine and nicotine and drenched with chocolate", and Jason D. Taylor of All Music Guide said the release is "a pure metal album that seemingly has ignored any fashionable trend and instead relies solely on skill and expertise to sculpt some of meatiest heavy metal since the glory days of Metallica and Slayer".
New lead singer and drummer
According to D'Antonio, Leach's voice was unable to last the full set while touring. The band would perform for four days and take a day off so Leach could rest his voice, and sometimes the band's set would last 10 minutes. At the end of their first tour, the band members suggested Leach take voice lessons to improve his vocal cords. To rectify his voice Leach would of had to stop drinking, stop smoking, and not enter nightclubs as he was allergic to smoke. He got married on April 20 and was missing his wife, and although he planned to return to the band, Leach sent the band an e-mail telling the members he quit. D'Antonio thought that "after three years of hanging out with the dude, and considering him a brother, to just get an email was a little bit harsh".The band immediately started to search for a replacement vocalist and found Howard Jones of Blood Has Been Shed. Jones disliked Killswitch Engage's sound when he first heard it. He commented "I was like, ?Meh.? I come from hardcore and dirtier metal, and Killswitch sounded so clean. But the more I listened to it, I realized there?s some really good songs here". After hearing of Leach's vocal problems, Jones contacted the band and was accepted as the replacement. Without listening to the self-titled album and Alive or Just Breathing in their entirety, Jones had to memorize seven songs for his debut at the 2002 Hellfest.
The new lineup played on the Road Rage tour in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands in 2002 with 36 Crazyfists and Five Pointe O. Touring continued throughout the remainder of the year, and in 2003 the first song to feature Jones, "When Darkness Falls", appeared on the soundtrack of the 2003 horror film Freddy vs. Jason. Following the 2003 Ozzfest, drummer Gomes left the band as he wished to spend more time with his wife, to pursue his band Something of a Silhouette, and because he was tired of touring. He was replaced by Justin Foley of Blood Has Been Shed and Red Tide, and Foley's first tour with the band was the MTV2 Headbangers Ball in 2003.
The End of Heartache
The End of Heartache was released on May 11, 2004, and peaked at number 21 on the Billboard 200 with sales of 38,000 in its first week, and peaked at number 39 on the Australian album chart following an Australian tour with Anthrax. The album went on to sell more than 500,000 copies in the U.S and was certified gold on December 7, 2007. The album received mostly positive reviews, with Jon Caramanica of Rolling Stone calling the album a "stunning collection, retaining much of their signature musical brutality". Ed Rivaria of All Music Guide commented "riff upon riff are piled sky-high into each number that follows, it's the unpredictable rhythmic shifts used to build and then relieve internal pressure that fuel the Killswitch Engage power source".In late 2004, the band supported Slayer on its U.S. Jagermusic dates and headlined shows with From Autumn to Ashes, Eighteen Visions, and 36 Crazyfists. "The End of Heartache" became the main single for the movie Apocalypse, and in 2004 the song was nominated in the Best Metal Performance category for the 47th annual Grammy Awards. The award was given to Motörhead for "Whiplash". In late 2004, The End of Heartache was re-released as a special edition album, with a second disc featuring various live performances, a Japanese bonus track, and a re-recorded version of "Irreversal". During the summer of 2005, the band returned for Ozzfest, and on November 1, 2005, Alive or Just Breathing was re-released as part of Roadrunner Records' 25th anniversary. On November 22, 2005, a live DVD titled World Ablaze was released. The DVD contained a live concert at the Palladium in Worcester, Massachusetts, an hour-long documentary, and all the band's music videos. The DVD went gold in the U.S. on April 8, 2006 for sales over 50,000.
As Daylight Dies
Killswitch Engage played the Reading and Leeds Festivals in August 2006, having played Australian dates without Dutkiewicz who was suffering from back problems, and needed corrective surgery. On May 23, 2006, the song "This Fire Burns" was released on the WWE Wreckless Intent album. The song was intended to be the new theme for RAW star Randy Orton; however, it was scrapped and later became the theme for the WWE Judgment Day 2006 pay-per-view. "This Fire Burns" is used as the theme for ECW wrestler CM Punk.Recorded in three months, As Daylight Dies was released on November 21, 2006 and peaked at number 32 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart with sales of 60,000 copies in its first week. It also entered the Australia album chart at number 29. Mixed by Dutkiewicz, the album received mostly positive critical reviews ? Thom Jurek of All Music Guide called it "a Top Five metal candidate for 2006 for sure". Decibel Magazine contributor Nick Terry said "To call As Daylight Dies addictive would be an understatement. That it outdoes its already impressive enough predecessor could almost go without saying". Cosmo Lee of Stylus Magazine commented "the album is astonishingly badly sequenced", although thought it contributed to the album being "less emotionally heavy-handed, and a lot more fun". As of November 27, 2007, As Daylight Dies has sold more than 300,000 units in the United States.
The album's first single, "My Curse", peaked at number 21 spot on the Hot Mainstream Rock chart. "The Arms of Sorrow" peaked at number 31 on the same chart. A cover of Dio's "Holy Diver" originally recorded for a Kerrang! compilation album titled High Voltage, peaked at number 13 on the Mainstream Rock charts. Early in 2007, the band had to cancel three of its European tour dates with The Haunted due to Dutkiewicz suffering back problems. He required emergency back surgery and was replaced on the tour by ex-Soilwork guitarist Peter Wichers.
Further tours
Killswitch Engage headlined the No Fear Tour in early 2007 with Dragonforce, Chimaira, and He Is Legend. Due to Dutkiewicz's back problems, he was replaced by Damageplan and The Mercy Clinic frontman Patrick Lachman, who was formerly the guitarist for Diesel Machine and Halford. Dutkiewicz recovered and was able to finish No Fear tour, and the band began filming its video for As Daylight Dies's second single, "The Arms of Sorrow".Killswitch Engage played the 2007 Download Festival with the bands Iron Maiden, Linkin Park, Slayer, and Marilyn Manson. Other tours the band attended included Bamboozle 2007 and the Warped Tour. On August 6, 2007, Dutkiewicz was forced to leave the Warped Tour so he could fully recover from his back surgery and continue daily physical therapy. He was replaced by Killswitch's guitar technician Josh Mihlek for select songs, until his return on August 14, 2007. Killswitch Engage are scheduled to play the Soundwave Festival in February and March in 2008 in Australia. Other bands attending include The Offspring, Incubus, As I Lay Dying, Alexisonfire, Haste The Day, Saosin, and Carpathian. The band will tour until April 2008, where they may discuss writing a new record.
Band members
Current members
- Howard Jones ? lead vocals (2002?present)
- Adam Dutkiewicz ? drums (1999?2003), lead and rhythm guitar, backing vocals, (2003?present)
- Joel Stroetzel ? lead and rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1999?present)
- Mike D'Antonio ? bass (1999?present)
- Justin Foley ? drums (2003?present)
Former members
- Jesse Leach ? vocals (1999?2002)
- Tom Gomes ? drums (2002?2003)
Discography
- 2000: Killswitch Engage
- 2002: Alive or Just Breathing
- 2004: The End of Heartache
- 2006: As Daylight Dies
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killswitch Engage
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Links
http://www.sonorika.com/killswitchengage/biographyhttp://www.bioandlyrics.com/killswitchengage
