JESSE LEACH
The Killswitch Engage frontman talks double-denim, second chances, and finding healing through ‘vision quests’
WORDS: PARIS FAWCETT
IN THE EARLY 2000s, Killswitch Engage helped revitalise a scene that was growing restless with nu metal. They became figureheads for the New Wave Of American Heavy Metal and inspired a generation of metalcore bands that continue to thrive today. Frontman Jesse Leach departed just as the band exploded after 2002’s Alive Or Just Breathing, but made a triumphant return a decade later and has carried the band to new heights ever since. So what better way to celebrate the band’s enduring legacy than letting you loose to ask him questions about psychedelics, double-denim and the drunkest rock stars he’s ever seen?
The New Wave Of American Heavy Metal: actual scene or a load of media bollocks?
Rory Atkins, Twitter “I think those things were happening whether or not you want to call it the New Wave Of American Heavy Metal, which is a term I still don’t understand. It didn’t matter if you gave it a name or not. The shows were packed, the bands were exciting. I think because of the label, people were able to latch onto it and it did help the momentum of the music… I hate to say it, but it did help to get a soundbite and give it to people to understand that this is happening. It’s not just Iron Maiden, Motörhead and Metallica, there’s something new going on here.”