By Jim Shea

The most important tool a band needs in order to survive is to market itself. Today, the music business takes a lot of hard work and dedication and many bands have thrived because of that. Take Killswitch Engage, for instance-this Massachusetts metal band has impressed many following stints at Ozzfest 2003, Headbanger’s Ball Tour, and the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival. One thing you probably don’t know about Killswitch Engage is that they’re willing to open up to new fans-and they’ve already shown that.

Killswitch Engage started out in 1998 from the ashes of Overcast-a metalcore band that featured current Shadows Fall singer Brian Fair. Guitarist Joel Stroetzel, along with bassist Mike D’Anotino, formed Killswitch Engage after they brought in guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz (who originally played drums for the band) and singer Jesse Leach. The band released their self-titled debut through Ferret Records and after a year’s worth of touring, they were signed to Roadrunner Records. Their first Roadrunner album, Alive or Just Breathing?, became an overnight hit. Just when things seemed to be going smoothly for the band, Leach departed from Killswitch Engage, because he wanted to spend time close to home to deal with personal issues.

After a few months of soul searching, the band proudly debuted their new singer, Howard Jones, at Hellfest 2002 in Syracuse. Stroetzel says, “For one thing, it’s a different vibe on-stage. Jesse was kind of a spiritual guy; he was really into the thing. Howard is all about having a good time; he definitely helps out the band.” However, the band still keeps in touch with Leach, who now sings for Seemless. “Jesse remains a good friend; he still helps us out with some of the stuff,” Stroetzel says. In November 2004, Leach made a special appearance with the band during their performance on the Jagermeister Tour.

With Jones behind the mic, Killswitch Engage went on to produce their second Roadrunner album, called The End Of Heartache. As many critics agreed that The End Of Heartache met expectations. The fans answered to their new album in numbers as The End Of Heartache reached number 21 on the Billboard charts and sold over 37,000 copies in the first week. Due to the resounding success Killswitch Engage’s latest album received, the band has recently released a two-CD digipak version of The End Of Heartache, which includes live tracks, b-sides and a song featuring both Jones and Leach on vocals.

One member of Killswitch Engage that fans always love to see is guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz. For those of you who don’t know, Dutkiewicz has earned a reputation for crazy on-stage antics, such as playing the cowbell before every performance and wearing outrageous getups. However, Dutkiewicz is not the same person behind the scene according to Stroetzel, “(It’s) awesome hanging out with Adam, he doesn’t really throw antics in the studio like he does on-stage. He sees things in a producer perspective.” With that said, Dutkiewicz has worked on albums from bands such as From Autumn To Ashes, Every Time I Die and The Agony Scene.

Earlier this year, the same company who organizes the summer’s Vans Warped Tour festival started the “Taste of Chaos” tour, which has been dubbed by some fans as the winter version of Warped Tour. Bands such as The Used, My Chemical Romance, Senses Fail and Underoath performed at this year’s Taste of Chaos tour, but Killswitch Engage’s addition to the bill stood out the most. “We’ve been doing metal shows for three to four years, so it was fun try out something new,” says Stroetzel, who performed on Taste Of Chaos. Stroetzel agrees that Killswitch Engage “definitely got a new audience by playing on Taste of Chaos.” It’s obvious that the band accomplished just that, as the Taste of Chaos sold out for nearly all of the dates. Further evidence that Killswitch Engage has indeed opened up to a new audience is a recent poll on the band’s Web site, which shows that most people would like to see the band tour with Thrice.

Now that Taste of Chaos is all said and done, the band will be returning to their metal roots at this year’s Ozzfest Second Stage, alongside bands such as Rob Zombie, As I Lay Dying, In Flames, Arch Enemy and “Battle For Ozzfest” winners A Dozen Furies. Stroetzel reveals that the band was also offered a slot for this year’s Warped Tour, but said, “We decided to do Ozzfest because the main reason was due to the Taste of Chaos. We were catching flack from metal fans for being on Taste of Chaos.” On the other hand, Stroetzel has no regrets at all for performing on the Taste of Chaos tour. “It was definitely fun trying out something new,” he said.

Killswitch Engage is currently preparing for their Second Stage slot on Ozzfest 2005 with heavy metal legends Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden set to appear on the Main Stage. Although the band has made no plans for after their run on Ozzfest, Stroetzel says that the band will eventually work on a new album that gives the fans what they want.

Killswitch Engage have widened their fan base by participating in the Taste Of Chaos tour, but return to metal with Ozzfest. (Image courtesy www.roadrunnerrecords.be)