Killswitch Engage

Killswitch Engage

Killswitch Engage is an American metalcore band from Westfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1999 after the break-up of Overcast and Aftershock. The group is active and is associated with heavy metal, melodic metalcore, metal and metalcore. It records for Metal Blade Records.

Line-up

The current line-up includes Jesse Leach on vocals, Adam Dutkiewicz and Joel Stroetzel on guitars, Mike D’Antonio on bass and Justin Foley on drums. Other members associated with the band include Pete Cortese, Howard Jones and Tom Gomes. Foley is formerly of Blood Has Been Shed.

Albums and recognition

The band releases nine studio albums and three live performance albums. Its self-titled debut appears in 2000, followed by Alive or Just Breathing in 2002, The End of Heartache in 2004, As Daylight Dies in 2006, another self-titled album in 2009, Disarm the Descent in 2013, Incarnate in 2016, Atonement in 2019 and This Consequence in 2025. The End of Heartache brings the band wider recognition, reaching number 21 on the Billboard 200 and later earning gold certification in the United States for more than 500,000 shipments. The title track is nominated for a Grammy Award in 2005 for Best Metal Performance.

Live releases and festivals

A live DVD, (Set This) World Ablaze, appears in 2005. The band also performs at a wide range of festivals, including Soundwave Festival, Wacken Open Air, Reading and Leeds Festivals, Ozzfest, Download Festival, Rock on the Range, Rock am Ring, Mayhem Festival, Monsters of Rock, Pointfest, Knotfest and Heavy MTL.

Impact

Killswitch Engage sells more than four million records in the United States and is regarded as part of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal. It is also considered one of the early leading bands in metalcore.