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”]
RCA Elvis Presley’s ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ have just been turned blood red, as remix master Andy Rehfeldt has given the classic rock ‘n’ roll track a technical death metal makeover. Originally written by Carl Perkins, ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ was taken to new heights by ‘The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’ –Elvis Presley. Country legend Johnny Cash also had a hand in creating the concept for the ’50s track after telling Perkins a story about how a military airman, who Cash met while serving in Germany, had dubbed his military regulation air shoes as “blue suede shoes.” Shortly after, Perkins was playing a dance party when he saw a man lambast the girl he was dancing with for stepping on his blue suede shoes. Perkins began to write the classic track that very night. ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ certainly has a rich history, having been covered by acts such as Black Sabbath , Jimi Hendrix, Helloween and the Beatles, but Rehfeldt is likely the first to turn the song into technical death metal madness. Rehfeldt, who has made viral ‘Radio Disney’ makeovers of Slipknot ‘s ‘Wait and Bleed’ and Slayer ‘s ‘Angel of Death,’ along with death metal versions of the Jonas Brothers’ ‘Paranoid’ and Justin Bieber’s ‘Baby,’ has created another hilarious remix spliced with video of Elvis Presley performing ‘Blue Suede Shoes.’ If you want to see Elvis Presley shred on his acoustic guitar and unleash demonic gutturals while shakin’ those morally corrupting hips like only he can, then check out this death metal version of the classic, ‘Blue Suede Shoes.’ Elvis Presley, ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ (Death Metal Version) [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-death-metal-makeovers-of-pop-songs/” title=”Next: Watch the 10 Best Death Metal Makeovers of Pop Songs” align=”center”]
Rock and metal stars got into the Halloween spirit this year, dressing up in all sorts of wacky costumes, and in some cases, as each other. From frightening, to confusing, bizarre and hilarious, members of Metallica , Machine Head , Motley Crue , Iwrestledabearonce + more acts showcased their Halloween spirit with some awesome costumes. Check them out below! Nikki Sixx’s Crazy Clown Makeup Machine Head’s Robb Flynn as a Viking Machine Head’s Adam Duce as a Caveman Iwrestledabearonce as Korn! Lacuna Coil’s ‘Creepy’ Cristina Scabbia Lacuna Coil Full Band Costumes Sammy Hagar in Paradise + Metallica’s James Hetfield as Sammy Hagar Bring Me the Horizon Goes Transgender Every Time I Die Werewolf Betraying the Martyrs Go Black Metal Oceano’s Assorted Mix [button href=”http://loudwire.com/black-sabbath-horror-movies-that-inspired-band-names” title=”See the Horror Movies that Inspired Band Names” align=”center”]
Charley Gallay, Getty Images / MakeMeZombie.com If the famed zombie apocalypse were to happen, it’s obvious that rock and metal’s finest musicians would be among the most dangerous. Being starstruck certainly wouldn’t help as you attempt to run for your life, and those brave enough to ask for an autograph would most likely end up as brunch for the undead. It may be a strange experience meeting the zombified version of your favorite musician, so to help in the identification process and limit any sort of uncertainty, we’ve put together a collage with the theme of ‘What If Every Rocker Turned Into a Zombie’ with the help of MakeMeZombie.com . Axl Rose: ‘Live?!’ vs. ‘Like a Suicide’ Even if Axl Rose had the zombie infection consume his brain, leaving the singer as nothing more than a mindless flesh-eater, he probably still wouldn’t appear for a Guns N’ Roses reunion. Perhaps the feud is instinct by this point, where even the most primal areas of his brain retains the opinion that his former bandmates are jerks. Scott Gries, Getty Images / MakeMeZombie.com Corey Taylor vs. Gory Taylor Assuming Corey Taylor isn’t wearing his Slipknot mask when he gets bit, this is the singer’s future zombie face. It’s a shame that those lovely blue eyes will turn a rotten yellow, but Taylor is still in there somewhere, as evidenced by the cigarette carefully placed behind his ear. Ethan Miller, Getty Images / MakeMeZombie.com Nikki Sixx vs. Nikki Sixx Sixx Sixx Now that’s a zombie face! Drug overdoses couldn’t kill Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx , even when he was actually pronounced dead, so this zombified Nikki Sixx is strictly hypothetical. Valerie Macon, Getty Images / MakeMeZombie.com Amy Lee: ‘My Last Breath’ vs. ‘Bring Me to Life’ Zombie or not, Evanescence singer Amy Lee can still inspire a profound rush of blood to you-know-where. If you find zombie Amy Lee during your escape from hoards of flesh-eating freaks, we strongly advise against trying to put the moves on Lee. Such a mistake will result in dire consequences … use your imagination. Danny Martindale, Getty Images / MakeMeZombie.com James Hetfield vs. James Deadfield Admittedly, Metallica’s James Hetfield looks pretty awesome as a zombie. As one of the kings of the ‘tough metal guy’ face, Hetfield would likely be seen as some sort of zombie elite. Though a zombie Hetfield would be depressing for fans, at least there would be a guarantee of no more ‘Lulu’ performances. Stephen Lovekin, Getty Images / MakeMeZombie.com Rob Halford: ‘Living After Midnight’ vs. ‘Killing Machine’ Here comes the Killing Machine! Not even the ‘Metal God’ is immortal against the zombie virus. Imagine Rob Halford riding full speed on the ‘Painkiller’ motorcycle, sawing through drooling undead monsters in an attempt to save the world. He’d leave a fairly impressive line of entrails behind, but if Halford was to get bit, this would be the result. Theo Wargo, Getty Images / MakeMeZombie.com Dave Mustaine vs. Grave Mustaine Damn, zombie Dave Mustaine looks a little worse for the ware in his zombified state. Apparently, the zombie virus causes a select few to develop a nasty case of lazy eye. Have you ever seen a carrot-topped zombie? If so, kindly tell us what film in the comments section. Seriously, we need to see a redheaded zombie. Kevin Winter, Getty Images / MakeMeZombie.com Maynard James Keenan: ‘The Patient’ vs. ‘The Hollow’ It would be a great tragedy to lose the brains of Maynard James Keenan , especially if they’re eaten by infected freaks. If you stumble upon the brain of Maynard Keenan during your exodus from Arizona, please preserve it in a jar for the possibility of some great post-apocalyptic music. George De Sota, Getty Images / MakeMeZombie.com Trent Reznor: ‘Pretty’ vs. ‘Hate Machine’ Tough break, Trent . One of those damn zombies snatched out your eyeball and sucked out your brilliant brain through the socket. Admittedly, the Nine Inch Nails mastermind still looks pretty handsome, and as long as that gorgeous wife of his remains healthy, an undead life could still have its moments. Ethan Miller, Getty Images / MakeMeZombie.com ‘The Prince of Darkness’ vs. ‘The Prince of Deadness’ Sharon!!! Ozzy Osbourne looks pretty terrifying as a member of the undead. The ‘Bark at the Moon’ singer would probably be better suited as a werewolf, but unfortunately the choice rarely belongs to the victim. Charley Gallay, Getty Images / MakeMeZombie.com Rob Zombie vs. uhhhhh… Rob Zombie Oh man, we tried to zombify Rob Zombie , but he ended up looking exactly the same! Could it be that the musician and filmmaker has been among the walking dead this entire time? If so, this whole zombie apocalypse thing could happen during Zombie’s next altercation with Marilyn Manson. If he sinks his teeth into Manson, the virus would spread throughout rock concerts worldwide. We’re not about to stop going to shows, so the infection seems unavoidable. Goodbye, cruel world; a life without rock concerts would turn our brains into mush anyway. Frazer Harrison, Getty Images [button href=”http://ultimateclassicrock.com/rock-zombies/” title=”Check Out More Rockers as Zombies” align=”center”]
Ethan Miller, Getty Images Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich is a man of many faces, and as a member of metal’s most commercially successful band, there’s often a camera nearby to capture each golden pose. The expressionist affectation; the triumph through exertion; the elegance in despondency; the rudimentary essence of profound creation … Yes, these faces are often peculiar, but like Michelangelo’s ‘David’ or Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Mona Lisa,’ Lars Ulrich’s many expressions are conceptual masterpieces. Please take a moment to gaze upon Mr. Ulrich and his many faces: ‘The O-Face of Ecstasy’ Ethan Miller, Getty Images ‘The Taster’ Ethan Miller, Getty Images ‘The Limp Leer’ Frank Micelotta, Getty Images ‘The Catcher of Snowflakes’ Ethan Miller, Getty Images ‘The Frown of a Lover Lost’ Neilsen Barnard, Getty Images ‘The Unintended Drumstick to the Groin’ Jeff Fusco, Getty Images ‘The Perplexed Fixation’ Ethan Miller, Getty Images ‘The Misunderstanding of Hide and Seek’ Kevin Winter, Getty Images ‘The Duckbilled Smooch’ Noel Vasquez, Getty Images ‘The Incontinence Revelation’ Jeff Fusco, Getty Images ‘The French Tickler’ Kevin Winter, Getty Images ‘The Constipation Demonstration’ Ethan Miller, Getty Images ‘The Wandering Jaw’ Paul Hawthorne, Getty Images [button href=”http://ultimatemetallica.com” title=”Click Here for Complete Metallica Coverage” align=”center”]
Adult Swim It’d be easy to forget that Dethklok are seen as an animated band, since braintrust Brendon Small is such a skilled guitar player, and the music isn’t secondary to the hilarious and bombastic plots of the show ’Metalocalypse.’ Strip away the funny and fantastical elements of the ‘Metalocalypse’ cartoon and listen to the music of ‘Dethalbum III,’ and it’ll become painfully obvious why metalheads love the show, the band and Small. First of all, the guitar riffs rip and snort. They are as well-constructed and as gnarly as it gets, fitting squarely into the melodic death metal categorization. But here is where the humorous aspect certainly adds some levity to music that is serious as a delinquent tax bill. How can you not have a chuckle at a song titled ‘I Ejaculate Fire’ before launching into fast and furious headbanging, courtesy of guitarwork so swift that it likely burned the fingerprints right off Small’s fingers? Small has rendered himself a more than capable riffsmith. Journeyman drummer Gene Hoglan’s footwork is as complex, propulsive and powerful as ever, with the percussion and blast beats being a signature and anchoring element of Dethklok’s sound. ‘Crush the Industry’ is a death metal gem, loaded with fills, guttural growling and overall chilling atmosphere. Put simply, it crushes skulls. ‘Andromeda’ sounds like it could have been reared in Florida, after hang sessions with Cannibal Corpse, Six Feet Under and Obituary, as it hacks a deep groove, thanks to its riffery. The galloping solo is as potent as moonshine. Most of the songs hover at four to five minutes, which is just enough time to get in, scramble your brain and get out, moving on to the next slab o’ metallic goodness. ‘Dethalbum III’ is certainly not extra progressive nor is it dynamically dazzling or esoterically experimental, but we don’t want it to be, either. It’s the extremity of the music that keeps us tuned in for 12 tracks. Another standout track is ‘Impeach God,’ which features an opening salvo so vivid, you can almost imagine fingers sailing up and down a fretboard. ‘Killstardo Abominate’ is a battering ram, as is ‘Biological Warfare.’ The riffwork on ‘Skyhunter’ is also exceptionally standout. ‘Dethalbum III’ is able to take a super serious (and often gore-slathered) genre like death metal and make it ‘deth metal.’ That is, it fuses skilled playing with a sense of humor, which is often not the case in the genre’s offerings. Big ups to Small for having created and continued his own genre. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/dethklok-discharge-crotch-blazing-new-video-for-i-ejaculate-fire-nsfw/” title=”Next: Watch Dethklok’s ‘I Ejaculate Fire’ Video” align=”center”]
Conan Colons, forward slashes, backward slashes, dots and coms — writing a URL can be a tricky business. And who better to set the record straight than rock’s very own Slash ? Slash weighed in on the subject during last night’s (Oct. 15) episode of ‘ Conan ‘ during the ‘Fan Corrections’ segment, which finds viewers sending in videos where they point out what they think are mistakes in the show. According to a YouTube user calling himself JRok34, the URL ‘Conan’ provides for ‘Fan Corrections’ submissions — which includes a small photo of Slash’s head where the slash should be — is incorrect, because it should be leaning forward. ( Forward Slash — get it?) For the definitive answer, Conan turned to Slash himself, who taped a brief response from a recording studio wherein he pointed out that because the picture shows him looking ahead, it’s very much a forward Slash — and then he demonstrated the difference between that and a back Slash by turning around and showing his back to the camera. Having made his case, he concluded by adding, “Sorry, JRok34, but you don’t know s— about HTTP addresses.” Hard to argue with that logic, no? Check out the video below to watch Slash kick his knowledge of all things internet.