Liz Ramanand, Loudwire It’s been one hell of a year for Jesse Leach , who reunited with Killswitch Engage at the beginning of 2012. The band’s first performance back together occurred at the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival, and they were also part of this year’s Trespass America Festival over the summer with Five Finger Death Punch, Trivium and more. Leach, who was the band’s original singer, came back into the lineup after longtime vocalist Howard Jones left the band in late 2011. He and the rest of Killswitch have just finished up recording their first album together in 10 years. They are also celebrating the tenth anniversary of the band’s debut disc, ‘Alive or Just Breathing’ by performing it in its entirety during a headlining trek that features support from Shadows Fall and Acaro. When we recently spoke with Jesse Leach, he expressed his excitement about the upcoming album, the tour and more. I was at the first show at the New England Hardcore and Metal Festival earlier this year – how has your experience of rejoining the band been from that show to now? It’s been amazing and so much fun. It’s hard to put into words, my life’s just completely changed. I’ve had so much fun with these guys and we just finished recording our record that I’m super proud of. It’s been great. What has been the funniest thing a fan has said to you since coming back into the fold? You know probably some of the criticisms that people give me, I think it’s hilarious – to me – about how I don’t sing the same as Howard [Jones]. It’s not necessarily funny to most people but it is for me because we’re such different singers. I think it’s hilarious that people constantly want to compare us — it’s funny in a different kind of way. Fans have definitely been really sweet but occasionally you get the people that don’t care and they say what they want to say. As far as “Ha Ha” funny, [guitarist] Adam [Dutkiewicz] is the one that gets all the funny ones. To play ‘Alive or Just Breathing’ in full after 10 years, what does this mean to you? It’s surreal, it’s strange. I have a lot of love for that record but I had to do a lot of listening to it again – we’re playing it from start to finish. I look back on who I was 10 years ago as a singer and a person and I’ve changed so much. It’s just amazing for the fan to pay tribute to those fans who still care about that record, it’s just astonishing to me and it was definitely a career defining record. It’s and honor is basically how I feel, it’s an honor to perform this record. Again, I’m a different person but those lyrics still ring true for the most part for me. It just feels good to be able to do this for the fans and for us it’s just a fan thing to do in between since the [new] record isn’t out yet, so we wanted to hit the road and have some fun and give the fans something special because it’s been ten years. Looking back on it now, what did recording that album teach you that you took with you to record future albums in your career? [Laughs] Recording that record taught me that I had to use my voice properly and be more confident. I think that process, being under the microscope the way that I was for that record with Adam – we both learned a lot from that record. It made me really want to learn my instrument better and have control over it because what I hear in my head was difficult to produce. What I was hearing in my head and what was coming out wasn’t what I wanted it to be – it was just me being critical of myself but then again you should be. It kind of kickstarted me to be like, “alright I got to figure this thing out.” I wanted to become a better singer and become more confident. You guys killed on the Trespass American Festival – and you’re headed on tour with Shadows Fall later this month. No doubt this tour will be a memorable one what are you looking forward to most about this trek? Probably just hanging out, we got Shadows Fall and my buddies in a band called Acaro. It’s pretty much all of the Massachusetts boys getting together – I live in New York now but it’s going to be a reunion of sorts. I’m sure there’s going to be plenty of antics and stuff going on. That and obviously just playing, if all goes well we’ll slide in another new song. Yeah I can’t wait for this new record – I literally finished just two days ago so I’m still buzzed from it. For you guys going from Trespass America and doing the big festival shows to more intimate clubs, do you prefer the smaller venues versus the bigger ones? I like them both but they definitely offer different things. The one thing I’m looking forward to with smaller clubs, especially for this record, is the intimacy of the crowd. There’s not going to be a huge divide where the audience is ten feet away from the stage and we’re ten feet above them. The intimacy is great the emotion comes off better and for this record it’s important. There was a Facebook post on the vocals being done for the new Killswitch Engage album; how was the recording process like for you? For the new record it was great, I came off tour I was filled with energy, ready to go, we knocked out a bunch of stuff. I had joined the band, the record was there, we’re on tour so I really didn’t have time to write. I took the past two months not only recording but writing so I’m there with an idea, being in the other room writing and going to Adam saying, “Here’s my idea I just wrote, what do you think?” So there’s real spontaneity some of the songs that we just finished up. I had maybe five or six solid ideas when I came off tour and the rest had to be developed as we were recording it. It was exciting but at the same time tough because for me I’m digging deep down into my emotions and my psyche trying to come up with stuff that is honest and emotive and relevant, hopefully for the listener. It’s tiring but well worth, anything that’s worth achieving you got to suffer a little bit for it. I think mentally and spiritually and a little bit physically we were suffering but all of that made for an amazing record that I’m really proud of. How has the vibe of working on the new record been with the other members? These guys have welcomed me back with open arms and just very encouraging and digging the stuff that I’m doing and these guys were just like, “Wow we’re really excited, we feel like it’s been a long time since we’ve been this excited about music,” and that just makes me feel amazing. It makes me feel like I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing. What can you tell me about where you guys are at with the progression of the new album and maybe a possible timeline or when fans can get a single? Yeah it’s funny, I basically said to management and everybody, “I don’t want to know anything, don’t tell me anything” so I couldn’t even tell you when the record is coming out [Laughs] I don’t know if we’re doing a single before the record . As far as what the album is about and how it sounds and feels – it’s everything, it’s emotive, it’s personal, it’s spiritual, it’s political, it’s everything – my view of the world and some of the songs are written through the eyes of someone else like how I living vicariously through somebody trying to be almost like a storyteller. The music is definitely the fastest Killswitch record ever, it’s very heavy but still maintains the signature Killswitch hooky, melodic stuff their too. There’s definitely melody attached but I pulled out some new styles vocally, yelling and screaming and growling and layers and it sounds massive. The newest song ‘No End In Sight’ that you guys play live, how does this song represent what we can expect from the new album? That song is the weakest song on the whole record. [Laughs] That’s my opinion, I actually almost wouldn’t mind if it wasn’t even on the record because I think other stuff is much better but probably since we played it and fans know we’ll put it on but in my opinion that’s definitely the weakest songs. Now that the record is done in retrospect that would not be the song that we would be playing live. When will we see the return of your character Salty Rizz? [Laughs] I don’t know! I don’t think that’s going to be a repeat character, I’ve done other characters for videos for fun and I think that’s the one that got the least amount of attention. My approach to promos and stuff – when you’re on tour, it doesn’t matter who you’re working with, what company they want you to do these video update things and when it comes to music I’m a fairly serious guy when I’m onstage. We had to do these and I was just like, “I’ll do them I don’t care, I’ll do something stupid.” There’s more stupidity to come but I don’t know if it will be Salty Rizz or not. Killswitch Engage kick off their ‘Alive or Just Breathing’ tour with a headlining appearance at California MetalFest on Nov. 24. The trek wraps Dec. 29 in Clifton Park, N.Y. Click here for a full list of dates. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/killswitch-engage-members-discuss-new-song-jesse-leachs-return-more/” title=”Next: Watch Our Video Interview With Killswitch Engage” align=”center”]
NewstedHeavyMetal.com It’s been a quiet couple of years for Jason Newsted , who most recently was heard contributing to the Ian Gillan – Tony Iommi project, WhoCares, but the former Metallica bassist is ready to make his presence felt again by launching an official website and offering fans an introductory video. The message on Newsted’s site reads, “Jason Newsted here, it’s really me … LOOK!! It’s time for me to reconnect with all my fans and friends out there around the world with the launch of my OFFICIAL online presence. I want YOU to be the first to know about what’s happening with me and all of my projects: past, present, and FUTURE! So send me your email by signing up here on the website and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.” The new website, which can be found at NewstedHeavyMetal.com , also features a video from the bassist re-introducing himself and stating his goals, before finally cranking up the studio board and rocking out to some metal before the picture fades to black. The website also features some pretty cool merch, with t-shirts signifying “Jason’s Back.” Check it out here . At present, only the introductory message is part of the news, but the launch of the website suggests that something new may be coming from the rocker. In addition to his WhoCares contribution, Newsted toured with Papa Wheelie last year. Watch Jason Newsted’s Website Introduction [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-metallica-songs/” title=”Next: 10 Best Metallica Songs” align=”center”]
Photos: Octane / Facebook: Drowning Pool Hollywood Undead and their new single ‘We Are’ have beat out Digital Summer, but will they be able to do it again against their new opponents? Drowning Pool shake things up with their brand new single ‘Saturday Night’ off of their forthcoming album. The band’s upcoming fifth studio disc does not have a title yet, but it’s due out in early 2013 and is the first record that will feature new vocalist Jasen Moreno, who replaced former frontman Ryan McCombs. So will Drowning Pool stay in the Cage Match until ‘Saturday Night’ or will Hollywood Undead continue on the path to victory with ‘We Are’? Get in on the action and vote for your favorite track below! (This Cage Match will run until Friday, Nov. 16, at 8AM ET. Fans can vote once per hour! So come back and vote often to make sure your favorite song wins!) Listen to Hollywood Undead, ‘We Are’ Listen to Drowning Pool, ‘Saturday Night’ Sorry, you need to have javascript running to see this poll. Email Me When Cage Match Winners Are Announced Enter your email address below to receive the Loudwire newsletter, which will include notification of the daily winner of the Cage Match, as well as our top stories of the day. Email Rules of Cage Match: Fans can vote once per hour for their favorite song. If a song remains the reigning champ for five straight cage matches, it is retired to the Loudwire Cage Match Hall of Fame. With so many great songs out there, we have to give other bands a chance!
Warner Bros. / EA Linkin Park recently teamed with the EA video game ‘Medal of Honor Warfighter’ to showcase their latest single, ‘Castle of Glass,’ and the band is now teaming with Loudwire to offer fans the chance to win a great prize package based around the game and the band’s latest album. The prize package includes a copy of ‘Medal of Honor Warfighter’ (in either PlayStation or Xbox format), Linkin Park’s current CD, ‘Living Things,’ a Linkin Park t-shirt and a ‘Medal of Honor’ / Linkin Park digital badge. Linkin Park are off to a solid start with their ‘Living Things’ album. ‘Burn It Down’ was a major hit over the summer, and the band have followed with ‘Lost in the Echo,’ while both ‘Powerless’ and ‘Castle of Glass’ have received lots of buzz, as well. You can watch the ‘Castle of Glass’ video below. The Linkin Park ‘Living Things’ album is currently available in stores and online . So is ‘Medal of Honor Warfighter,’ which can be purchased here . And be sure to hit “like” here on Facebook in order to unlock exciting exclusive ‘Medal of Honor Warfighter’ game content, including tips and tricks from Linkin Park. To enter to win the Linkin Park ‘Medal of Honor Warfighter’ prize package, follow @loudwire and @linkinpark on Twitter and ReTweet this announcement of the giveway. Be sure to get in on the contest now, as it ends Nov. 19. Watch Linkin Park’s ‘Castle of Glass’ Video [button href=”http://loudwire.com/linkin-park-in-the-end-top-21st-century-hard-rock-songs/” title=”Next: Linkin Park – Top 21st Century Hard Rock Songs” align=”center”]
Photos: Facebook: Digital Summer / HIM Digital Summer are on a roll with their song ‘Forget You,’ as they beat out Flyleaf in the last Cage Match. Will they be able to do it again versus today’s competition? Finnish love metallers HIM heat things up with their brand new tune ‘Strange World’ off of their new compilation disc ‘XX-Two Decades of Love Metal.’ The song itself was originally released by Kevin Grivois, known by the artist name Ké, in the 90s. It’s said to be one of the personal favorites of HIM frontman Ville Valo. So will Digital Summer continue on the path to victory, or will HIM take an extraordinary win with ‘Strange World’? Get in on the action and vote for your favorite track in the poll below! (This Cage Match will run until Monday, Nov. 12, at 8AM ET. Fans can vote once per hour! So come back and vote often to make sure your favorite song wins!) Listen to Digital Summer, ‘Forget You’ Listen to HIM, ‘Strange World’ ? Sorry, you need to have javascript running to see this poll. ? Email Me When Cage Match Winners Are Announced Enter your email address below to receive the Loudwire newsletter, which will include notification of the daily winner of the Cage Match, as well as our top stories of the day. Email Rules of Cage Match: Fans can vote once per hour for their favorite song. If a song remains the reigning champ for five straight cage matches, it is retired to the Loudwire Cage Match Hall of Fame. With so many great songs out there, we have to give other bands a chance!
Jason Merritt, Getty Images / Facebook: I See Stars Falling in Reverse singer Ronnie Radke has courted his own amount of trouble over the years, but he’s doing his best to change that path and that means distancing himself from up-and-coming rockers I See Stars . Radke reveals that the young band has been kicked off ‘The Thug in Me Is You’ tour at his request. Radke, who previously dealt with substance abuse issues of his own, says that the time had come for I See Stars to go after failing to live up to the second chance they were given after their own arrest for drug possession earlier this year. The singer offered a full Facebook posting to explain his reasoning for the band’s exit from the tour. It reads as follows: I wanted to let everyone know I See Stars is no longer on the tour. We had offered them the tour several months back and then not long after we sent the offer, the entire band was arrested for drug possession. If you have been following my story, you know I am very serious about my sobriety and have been sober for 4+ years now. I decided to remove them from the tour at that time as I did not want drug users in my environment. After we informed them they would no longer be on the tour for that reason, their label approached us and asked us to give them a 2nd chance, they assured us the band would not use drugs and they would be professional on my tour. We came to an agreement and I gave them their 2nd chance. Throughout this entire tour, they have been unprofessional. They have rarely showed up on time and have caused undue difficulty on my crew plus employees of the various venues. It’s been next to impossible to keep the show running on time. I feel at this point we have no choice but to continue on without them. We’re simply trying to deliver the best possible show to all you guys and we don’t feel like we can do that with I See Stars. We’re stoked to continue on with Enter Shikari, Letlive and Matt Toka (on select dates). I’ll see you at the shows. Love and respect, Ronnie. Back in late August, multiple members of I See Stars were arrested in Kansas for alleged possession of hallucinogenic drugs. At the time, singer Devin Oliver tweeted about it, calling it “the worst 13 hours of my life” and vowed it would be his “first and last time in jail.” [button href=”http://loudwire.com/falling-in-reverse-ronnie-radke-reportedly-arrested-throwing-mic-stands-into-crowd/” title=”Next: Falling in Reverse’s Ronnie Radke Arrested for Microphone Throwing” align=”center”]
Michael Buckner, Getty Images In today’s social media world, we have more access than ever to our favorite rockers, and that means often seeing more than just the idol onstage but the actual person as well. One such case is happening at present with Motley Crue ‘s Nikki Sixx , who is sharing with fans his personal anguish as he deals with his grandfather’s battle with cancer. Sixx has been very open in sharing his own issues with fans over the years. He chronicled his early career drug dependency in the book ‘The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star.’ He then opened up musically about the experience, forming the band Sixx: A.M. to share his thoughts musically. Plus, he’s become a radio personality with his ‘Sixx Sense’ show over the years, which gives him another outlet to speak his mind. In a deeply personal and cathartic letter written to his fans via his Facebook page , Sixx is attempting not only to share what he’s going through, but to open discussion with others dealing with similar issues. The letter reads as follows: I’ve been sharing my insides with you for so long I guess there is no reason to stop now. On some level this is how I connect and hopefully relate some event, place or time to each others lives … I agree it’s odd to do it on Facebook or Twitter (or any other social media portal) but I guess like you, I am trying to work out the wrinkles, iron out the kinks and maybe feel some relief from the pain that comes with life sometimes. It’s been really hard holding it together the last few months with my grandfather Tom being so sick. Watching him change daily breaks my heart as he is slowly breaking down. The doctors gave him 3 to 6 months to live 4 months ago … This prostate cancer is a ticking time bomb and our hearts are breaking in slow motion … The reality of it all is kicking in for my whole family … Why do I tell you this? Cause maybe I am not the only one in pain. We all deal with it in different ways. I can’t run to a bottle or a bindle of powder so I talk about it and as it happens, usually write music about it … This man was there for me like a father. He never let me down … he was a role model and my biggest fan … The water run’s deep between us so the blade of the knife also hits the bone … Love is a two edged swords … So we learn with death at our footsteps… Thank you for listening … I actually would love to hear your story too. We at Loudwire send our positive thoughts to Nikki Sixx as he goes through this difficult period. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/motley-crue-nikki-sixx-sex-twitter-dave-mustaine-sixx-a-m/” title=”Next: Nikki Sixx Talks Twitter + Sixx: A.M.’s Future” align=”center”]