Party: Killswitch Engage at the Academy Dublin

Party: Killswitch Engage at the Academy Dublin

Killswitch Engage Live at The Academy, Wednesday August 1st

Tickets €32.50 Inc. booking fee on sale 10.00am Friday February 9th from Ticketmaster

Doors 7.00pm | Over 18’s | ID Required

Within every musical movement of any importance, there are those few whose monikers are synonymous with specific strains of artistic achievement. It is from the creative leadership of these trailblazers that dozens of descendants have undeniably drawn inspiration. To mention one of these bands in conversation is to mentally conjure a musical identity, a fellowship of fans and of multiple inspired acts.

Killswitch Engage has become one such entity. Built organically from the most potent components of melodic, heavy and catchy-as-hell European death metal and the almost spiritual essence of the most grimy, urgent and forever yearning American hardcore, the brilliantly individual and self-described “Massholes” in Killswitch (as fans often abbreviate it) have come to define a generational shift equal parts inevitable and by design, as cultural earthquakes and uprisings often are.

The arrival of their self-titled debut and their Roadrunner-released follow-up, the Decibel Magazine “Hall of Fame” classic Alive or Just Breathing, heralded the dawn of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal and introduced the world to the soulful declarations-against-the- darkness of pensive, uplifting singer Jesse Leach. The singer’s thoughtful lyrics were paired with the dynamic, fluid and unstoppable riffing of drummer-turned-guitarist/producer and on-stage madman Adam Dutkiewicz. Joel Stroetzel’s guitar sound, tone and technique remain driving, persistent and immediate, laying the foundation for the band’s dueling guitar style. Co-founding member and illustrative architect Mike D’Antonio has long served as an anchor personally, professionally and rhythmically and has designed the band’s cover and album art from the beginning. He has been backed, for most of the band’s career, by drummer Justin Foley, whose polyrhythms drove Blood Has Been Shed for years and whose command behind the kit in Killswitch is undeniable. The decade that followed after Kerrang! promised that Killswitch’s fresh reinvigoration of the genre would “kill nu-metal dead” saw the band sell millions across the globe, including two certified gold albums in the U.S.: The End of Heartache (the first following Leach’s departure) and As Daylight Dies. From Ozzfest to Warped Tour to Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, from the cover of Revolver to their first Grammy nomination, to headlining slots at major international festivals and beyond, Killswitch Engage have maintained a high-minded artistic standard of achievement even as their stage show has offered enthusiastic positivity alongside the histrionics.

“My Last Serenade,” “Fixation on the Darkness,” “The End of Heartache,” “My Curse,” “Rose of Sharyn” and “When Darkness Falls” are just the beginning of a mammoth list of anthems imprinted upon the collective psyche of an underground generation. They’re embedded through participatory singing at festivals, theatre performances and solitary drives to work, school and to visit long distance loved ones fueled by the crackle of Killswitch on Rock Radio, specialty stations and all over SiriusXM.

When Killswitch Engage found themselves singer-less for a second time in 2012, Leach was gunning to reclaim his old spot. His passion was renewed for the songs he wrote with the band and he connected with the stuff that had come after as he explored it. “That was the big thing for me. Could I handle [the later stuff]? Could I live in the music?” he recalls. “I’m not the type of singer to just go up there and run through the motions. So when I started to fall in love with those songs, it all became really clear.” Learning to enjoy the road again while supporting the album he and Adam had made as members of Times of Grace helped, as well. The remaining Killswitch members saw the fire and passion Leach brought to his auditions, making the decision to invite him back a no- brainer. “Jesse had come in with so much passion and fire, he said, ‘I’m ready, man I’m ready to do this. Hire me!’” Adam D. recalls. “He had an advantage, of course, with his own songs. And he did the newer songs justice, which was very important. So even after trying a couple people out, the choice was obvious to us.”

Leach’s homecoming with Killswitch Engage has coincided with the band’s definitive work. Killswitch’s sixth studio album is their first with Leach behind the mic in over 10 years. Disarm The Descent is their most accomplished, versatile and electric contribution to an already historic discography that will remain forever etched in the annals of heavy metal.

As Metallica once took a hold of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and punk to create thrash, Killswitch Engage have reclaimed the combustible fire of that explosively experimental moment when they first combined the seemingly disparate energy of At The Gates and Carcass with the art-noise of Bloodlet and Deadguy. The middle ground where irresistible force meets immovable object has always been the name of the KsE game. They’ve once again harnessed the past for a momentous future, making the best of the rest their own with unrivaled catchiness and songcraft.