Right before the turn of the century, casual jam sessions between a group of friends unassumingly lit the fuse for an insane 25-year ride to follow…
Hailing from Western Massachusetts (where the only thing icier than the freeway in winter is the blunt sense of humor shared by the locals), Killswitch Engage — Adam Dutkiewicz [guitar], Joel Stroetzel [guitar], Mike D’Antonio [bass], Justin Foley [drums], and Jesse Leach [vocals] — always stood apart. For as deadly serious as their airtight technical riffing is, they also knew how to have a good time, riling up crowds with uncontainable energy and unpredictable performances. They could bludgeon with the best of them or serve up the kind of sing-along banger you could blast with the windows down.
From day one, they naturally appealed to the headbangers, hardcore kids, and heartbroken alike.
In 2002, Alive Or Just Breathing sent shockwaves through the culture, claiming a spot on Decibel’s “The Top 100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time.” They generated north of 3 billion streams and picked up gold and platinum plaques for The End of Heartache and As Day Light Dies respectively. They notably received three GRAMMY® Award nominations for “Best Metal Performance” and cracked the Top 10 on the Billboard 200 with a trio of consecutive releases: Killswitch Engage [2009], Disarm The Descent [2013], and Incarnate [2016]. Meanwhile, 2019’s Atonement represented a critical high watermark with praise from Forbes, Revolver, and NME who christened it “one of the most engaged and exciting records that Killswitch has ever made.” The guys have not only packed houses on repeated successful headline tours across the globe, but they have consistently held their own sharing bills with acts from Iron Maiden, Slipknot, and Slayer to My Chemical Romance, Rise Against, and Coheed & Cambria.
