“People expect more and more from you with every record,” sighs Killswitch Engage guitarist and notorious joker Adam Dutkiewicz. “It’s the same thing every time we record an album.” You could forgive them for feeling the heat when it came to writing their self- titled new album.
Having turned around the blow of losing original vocalist Jesse Leach, by recruiting Howard Jones and creating 2004’s much acclaimed , Killswitch released an album that would be hailed by many as their greatest effort yet, a claim backed up by the highest sales the band have achieved to date. The flipside was that the metalcore godfathers had given birth to a release that they have struggled to escape the shadow of. Though there are fans who argue that 2006’s is the superior of the two albums – citing improved vocals from Howard and more focused song writing among other arguments – the general consensus is that it did not quite live up to its predecessor.
Regardless of which camp you fall into, the fact that the band were perceived to have dropped the ball when it came to moving to the ‘next level’ means that there’s high expectations for them to deliver on their fifth album. “I don’t think we ever try and sound like something in particular,” says Adam. “I think once you do that you kind of set yourself up with boundaries.
We just try and make the music we like, something we can live with and not be bummed every time we hear it.” All the same, given the band’s size .
