In a new interview with Christina Rowatt of The Void With Christina, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE frontman Jesse Leach was asked if he and his bandmates are working on new music during the coronavirus pandemic. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “No, we’re not. There’s a couple of factors. One I can’t really speak of, ’cause health had something to do with one of the bandmembers. We had a little hairy situation there. But we’re doing better now. We are not writing, and there’s a couple of reasons for that,” he repeated. “Number one is we’ve all just been through the wringer this year mentally and physically for some. So that has been the last thing on our mind.”
Leach continued: “We’ve recently regrouped via Zoom and talked and hung out and have started to talk about the potential of a concert online, like all these bands have done already. We may eventually do that. And we’ve come up with creative ideas on how to make it different, and interesting songs to play and concepts. So that conversation started. It’s something that’ll be in the future. But another reason why there’s not a ton of incentive to write new music right now — number one, we’re not together; number two, TIMES OF GRACE is getting ready to roll out [a new] record,” he said, referring to his side project with KILLSWITCH ENGAGE guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz. “So in order for that to breathe and have its time, and then KILLSWITCH will have its time after, they very, very graciously understood that when TIMES OF GRACE comes out, we’re gonna allow TIMES OF GRACE to breathe. Adam and I are focusing on putting visuals together. And we’ve got the first single and visual done. So we’re very much gonna cater this record to an online experience, allowing TIMES OF GRACE to have their time in the press and the media. So that’s another reason why KILLSWITCH is not working on anything right now.”
KILLSWITCH ENGAGE‘s latest album, “Atonement”, was released in August 2019 via Metal Blade Records in the U.S. and Sony Music Entertainment in the rest of the world. The disc features guest appearances by the band’s former lead singer Howard Jones and TESTAMENT frontman Chuck Billy. It marks the band’s third full-length release since the return of Leach, who rejoined the group in 2012.
Last summer, three singles from KILLSWITCH ENGAGE reached new sales milestones in the U.S. “My Curse” was certified platinum by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association Of America) on September 10 for accumulating a million certified units. That same day, “The End Of Heartache” and KILLSWITCH‘s cover of the DIO classic “Holy Diver” were both certified gold for accumulating half a million units.
According to the RIAA, one equivalent song unit is equal to a single digital song sale, or 150 on-demand audio and/or video streams.
KILLSWITCH ENGAGE recently celebrated two decades as a band with a comprehensive and in-depth 20-year timeline that documented so many of the band’s memorable career milestones and storied history with plenty of captivating images. The clickable, scroll-through timeline boasts flyers from early shows, live shots from festival appearances, and fan tattoos. It also traces major tours, video shoots, album releases, Grammy nominations, lineup changes, and beyond. The timeline functions as a digital museum that effectively tells the complete KILLSWITCH ENGAGE story. The timeline was created specifically for KILLSWITCH ENGAGE fans to enjoy and to reminisce.
