NOW KILLSWITCH ENGAGE RIFFS ARE BEING USED AS HIP-HOP SAMPLES.

Have Killswitch Engage reached cultural ubiquity? It’s hard to believe, but — together with original American New Wavers Lamb of God — the Masshole metalcore pioneers have reached the top of the modern metal popularity heirarchy and just might be about to pop mainstream culture’s bubble. The moment of Zen for me came not when Axl and I watched the Hulk-like security guards of New Jersey’s Starland Ballroom sing along to every song at their show there last year, but 10 minutes ago when I realized Killswitch Engage riffs are now being used as samples in hip-hop songs.

Is the party over for Killswitch or has it just begun?

I made this startling discovery when I clicked through to read a full story on Lambgoat, the headline of which boasted that some person or band named Hyro Da Hero had recruited members of Quicksand and Failure. I like both Quicksand and Failure so naturally I clicked, and then I clicked again to visit Hyro Da Hero’s MySpace for a listen. And while I’m staring at the blinged out mug pictured at right I’m greeted by the opening notes of “Glimpse into America,” which is actually a straight sample of KsE’s “My Curse.” How the hell did Killswitch go from a bunch of dirty, sweaty metal dudes to having their riffs sampled in hip-hop songs?

Part of me hates when a metal band I’ve watched grow from relative obscurity becomes so ubiquitous their riffs are used as samples in hip-hop songs. But I really can’t fault Killswitch, nor can I be angry. Their riffs are just so damn good and they’ve earned every bit of success they’ve had, have and will have. KsE’s later output might not be as great as their earlier stuff, but there’s no denying that all of their material is solid and that the band served an integral role in reinvigorating a completely stale U.S. metal scene in the early part of this decade. Might Killswitch be the metal band of our generation that crosses over to the mainstream? It certainly seems as if they’re gunning for it whatwith the announcement that Brendan O’Brien is producing their new album, and if the apparent acceptance of their music into the hip-hop world is any indication they’re well on their way.

But is it possible for a metal band, let alone any band at all, to weather the ever-splintering music world and emerge as a crossover? In these times of iPods, MySpace and file-sharing people are free to pick and choose what they like, unhindered by the constraints of radio formats or those pesky plastic bits called “albums.” And even within the limited scope of metal, the pool of talent is so deep that there’s a limitless choice of micro-genres in which a would-be-fan can indulge. In other words: is ubiquity even possible in 2009? Is it possible for any metal band to achieve the level of success of a Black Sabbath or a Metallica?

Reb. Neilstein may be an ordained Rabbi of the Satanic Sect of Judaism practiced at the MetalSucks Mansion, but he certainly doesn’t claim to know all the answers. Feel free to weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section below.

-VN