New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ RoadRunner Records) Killswitch Engage's 2002 Roadrunner Records debut, Alive Or Just Breathing, has been inducted into the Decibel magazine Hall of Fame in their upcoming December 2012 issue. The piece, which includes interviews with guitarists Adam Dutkiewicz and Joel Stroetzel, bassist Mike D'Antonio, and newly returned frontman
Jesse Leach, delves deep into the history of how the band signed to Roadrunner; the recording sessions; Jesse's departure from the group; and more.
Then-Roadrunner A&R man Mike Gitter called Mike D'Antonio to offer Killswitch a deal; recalls the bassist, "I went to practice the next day and I brought it up to the guys. I said, 'Well, I have some weird news. Roadrunner called me last night and they're looking to sign us.' Everyone laughed. 'You're kidding, right?! Why the heck would they want anything to do with us?!' They made fun of me and blew it off. Then, we started getting interest from a few different labels. That's when it became serious. So, we sat down and discussed which label had the most resources for us to turn this into a full-time job, a job where at the end of it we're not all living in cardboard boxes. It was nerve-wracking, actually. But we figured we'd give it that one shot. What's the worst that could happen? We went into the deal thinking, 'Yup, they're going to drop us. Once they hear the record, we're done.'...We seriously thought we'd be a one-album band. But here we are 13 years later. Rolling and rolling."
Jesse says of his departure from the band, "A lot of my problems early on were tied to me trying to show my emotions physically, to go off, so to speak. It put me in a position where I wasn't singing properly and I'd get over-emotional not having the proper technique. I'd blow my voice a lot...but I was also in a very dark place, personally. I was depressed. I didn't want to hang out with people. I'd go out of the van for the show and go right back into the van after...I knew I was letting the guys down, so I bailed. I'm glad I did, really. It taught me a lot about myself and my voice. I realized I wasn't as good as I thought I was. It hurt and helped me. A lot."
The article's not available online, so go to decibelmagazine.com to order a copy, or find it in a store near you!
Killswitch Engage will be on tour starting November 24, playing Alive Or Just Breathing in its entirety - find a show near you!
