Killswitch Engage are often noted for inspiring a whole new wave of heavy music, but Killswitch Engage singer Jesse Leach feels that that new wave of music became “oversaturated.”
Leach is referring to the metalcore genre, a genre of heavy music that blossomed in popularity come the early 2000s. In the latest issue of Metal Hammer, Killswitch Engage singer Jesse Leach and band guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz talk with that of Employed To Serve‘s Justine Jones about whether or not the metalcore bands that exploded in popularity around the early 2000s were because of the popularity Killswitch Engage had obtained.
Killswitch Engage guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz is the first to speak up, sharing the following:
“Nope. Not really. People always say we’ve influenced so many bands, but each band has their own identity, I don’t think think anyone ever tried to rip us off.”
Leach is of a different opinion however. Per Leach:
“I have a different perspective. I was only half paying attention to the scene because after I left Killswitch [in 2002] I got more into doom and stoner rock, but these younger bands felt derivative to me. The good ones found their sound over time, but there was an over-saturation of bands who were churning out this big riff, heavy verse, melodic chorus thing. It felt tired, like labels were looking for those bands because they sounded like a band who were becoming successful.”
That said, briefly after sharing this, the Killswitch Engage singer mentions a band he considers to be an exception when it comes to rising above the metalcore saturation.
“Sure, and I look at a band like Architects. They came up around that time and they’ve turned into an incredible band. The ones that had nothing else have been forgotten. It’s the difference between starting a band because you’re passionate and starting one because you want to look cool and get chicks.”
What are your thoughts about the early 2000s metalcore boom? Do you think there are any bands that played off the success of Killswitch Engage?
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Words by: Michael Pementel