Roadrunner Records recently conducted an interview with vocalist Jesse Leach of Massachusetts metallers Killswitch Engage. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow can be read below.
Roadrunner Records: The new album is basically finished. What was your personal creative process when you were writing?
Jesse: Oh, man, it was intense. I had a loose idea of what I wanted to do with the direction of the lyrics, and the good thing is we had started the record before touring. I didn’t feel satisfied, I felt a lot of pressure to get so much done in such a short amount of time, and my mindset was like, “Well, I can write this record now, and try to get it done before we tour, or we can go out on the road, and I can live with these guys and get back into the feel of things, and have sort of a better perspective on my role in the band.” For me, it felt better to get back out there on the road and live, and that helped the record out a lot. ‘Cause just seeing how these guys interact with the fans, hearing the stories from the road, catching me up to speed over nine years of stuff that’s been going on…and reflecting on my own personal life, and thinking, wow, it’s been a decade since I’ve been in this band. My life has changed so much. So I think that was the trigger for me, was reflecting on the past, reflecting on their past, and kinda tying it all together. And it’s kind of a concept record in a way. It’s really about suffering in life, and perseverance.
Roadrunner Records: When you were writing, how did you avoid the mental pressure of being too influenced by your own past, or the band’s history?
Jesse: I think a lot of inspiration came from the music itself. I would listen to the instrumental tracks over and over again, and free write. I wouldn’t think about writing a specific part, but just the feeling the music gave me, the notes, the general feeling you get from the music, and I would free write for hours, pages and pages of stuff, then go back and sort of do it again but try to organize those thoughts. A lot of the writing came from the music itself. And then outside of that, I would take long bike rides, cause I’m really into biking these days to stay in shape, just 20-, 30-mile bike rides, and when I’d get an idea I’d stop and speak into my phone, record stuff, whistle things…so basically just living it. Everything I did, I found a way to make it work for me as a writer. Just constantly writing, finding inspiration from different things.
Read the entire interview from Roadrunner Records.
Upcoming Shows:
Nov. 24 – San Bernardino, CA – NOS Event Center [California Metalfest VI]
Nov. 25 – San Francisco, CA – Slim’s
Nov. 27 – Seattle, WA – Studio Seven
Nov. 28 – Portland, OR – Hawthorne
Nov. 30 – Boulder, CO – Fox Theater
Dec. 01 – Kansas City, KS – Beaumont Club
Dec. 02 – Dallas, TX – Trees
Dec. 04 – Tampa, FL – State Theater
Dec. 05 – Pensacola, FL – Vinyl
Dec. 07 – Asheville, NC – Orange Peel
Dec. 08 – Atlanta, GA – Masquerade
Dec. 10 – Chicago, IL – Bottom Lounge
Dec. 11 – Columbus, OH – Alrosa Villa
Dec. 12 – Toronto, ON – Opera House
Dec. 14 – Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom
Dec. 16 – Lancaster, PA – Chameleon Club
Dec. 17 – Brooklyn, NY – Willamsburg Music Hall
Dec. 18 – Burlington, VT – Higher Ground
Dec. 19 – Northampton, MA – Pearl Street
Dec. 20 – Portland, ME – State Theater
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It’s Official: ‘Jesse Leach’ Rejoins ‘Killswitch Engage’ [Feb. 2012]
‘Killswitch Engage’ ‘Jesse Leach’ ‘Blew Us Away In Auditions’ [Feb. 2012]
‘Jesse Leach’ On New ‘Killswitch Engage’ Material: ‘People Are Gonna Be Really Surprised’ [Feb. 2012]
‘Killswitch Engage’ Singer: ‘Metal Has Changed, But I’ve Changed As Well’ [April 2012]
‘Killswitch Engage’ Performs Brand New Song In Michigan; Video Available [July 2012]
‘Killswitch Engage’ To Perform Entire ‘Alive Or Just Breathing’ Album At ‘California Metalfest VI’ [Sept. 2012]
‘Killswitch Engage’ To Embark On ‘Alive Or Just Breathing’ 10th-Anniversary Tour [Oct. 2012]
‘Jesse Leach’ Completes Laying Down Vocals On New ‘Killswitch Engage’ Album [Nov. 2012]
‘Killswitch Engage’ Taps Producer ‘Andy Sneap’ For New Album Mix [Nov. 2012]
‘Jesse Leach’ Says New Album Contains Some Of Band’s ‘Fastest’ Material To Date [Nov. 2012]