JESSE LEACH ALSO THINKS ADAM D. IS “GOOFY”
Tuesday, September 15th, 2009 at 1:30pm by Axl Rosenberg
Our friends over at Noisecreep have an interesting new interview with former Killswitch Engage front dude Jesse Leach. The gist of the interview is that he doesn’t regret quitting the band seven years ago, just before they were launched into the metal stratosphere, and much prefers making less money and being in bands no one seems to care about. (Okay, I made that last part up. But still.) Here’s the quote I found really interesting:
“I look at the band now, and I don’t even think twice. There’s no way in my brain I could fathom being on stage, doing what they’re doing. Maybe if it were on my own terms, but from what I’ve seen them do, they’ve kind of taken a goofier route with Adam D… I love it, I get it, I respect it … it’s very punk rock and tongue-in-cheek, but that’s not who I am.”
Of course I love Alive or Just Breathing, but really did not enjoy Leach’s Seemless project. Not even a little bit, not even when I was stoned. So, whatever.
He is now apparently fronting a band called Empire Shall Fall, which is literally a one-word change from one of Leach’s lyrics for “Numbered Days.” Maybe Leach can recruit Kerry King to play guitar for that band, and they can be happily un-goofy together.
-AR
Even when you were stoned? I kinda find that hard to believe. Were you really stoned? I mean REALLY stoned?
Regardless of the comparable merits of either band, at least he wasn’t disrespectful or demeaning while acknowledging that all parties are probably better off for having made the decision not to work together anymore. It all boils down to this: If you dig it, cool. It not, that’s fine, too. No one is going to make you listen or turn out to the shows to support. There’s enough room in metal for everyone, children, and there’s no need to work with people who don’t share your artistic vision.
Aside: Of course, any businessperson can tell you that the best artistic decisions don’t necessarily make for the best financial decisions. Everyone has their priorities and we all need to eat, so whatever.
+1
Your logic and good will toward the people who use this website and the subjects we talk about is simultaneously frustrating and heart warming.
I don’t know about logic, but in the spirit of full disclosure I feel I should acknowledge that my patience and “good will” (bless you) are frequently tried here. In fact, I fear that one of these days I’m going to snap, go berserk, and cut a wide, bloody swath through this site’s readership. At that time, I’m likely to make a necklace out of ALL of your ears, smear my body with your gore, make a bikini from your scalps, and play bongo on your skulls – jamming Pig Destroyer all the while, no less. If I lose it, just remember to keep it at a low crawl; that way, maybe I’ll overlook you in my psychotic rage.
Whooooaaaa, maybe I really do need the meds after all……
Axl, for some of the stuff you guys promote on this site, it is beyond me how you could not get into Seemless even a little bit. It took me a few listens at first, but I thoroughly enjoyed both albums; it’s bluesy, groove oriented hard rock with great vocals and decent lyrics. I especially like getting high to it, maybe you should give them another try (in my opinion, the first album is better than the second).
On another note, I feel “Alive or Just Breathing” is the only Killswitch album worth a damn; “Heartache” was OK, but every subsequent release has gotten worse. I respect the band for their musicianship but the lyrical content & style just doesn’t “do it” for me and the music all kind of sounds the same now. Personally, I’m excited about Jesse’s new project with Adam D – “Times of Grace”, which Jesse considers the “Abbey Road of metal albums” (hah, that’s quite a statement and I doubt the album will actually live up to it, but nonetheless I’m intrigued at the notion of those two guys working together again). Noisecreep had an article on it last week sometime:
http://www.noisecreep.com/2009/09/10/former-killswitch-engage-frontman-says-hes-made-the-abbey-road/
I really liked the Seemless albums. It was like heavy blues. I definitely check out Empire Shall Fall.
Uh, all KSE members are big fans of British rock, like radiohead, coldplay, whatever. And considering the name TOG, new album will have something to do with post metal…So it will be a post rock/metal/ambient/shoegaze record, I guess. :)
Some bands are goofy, some aren’t. I prefer the not goofy myself but I don’t hate on (most) goofy bands.
I agree. I can listen to some of the goofy stuff, but I drift towards the non-goof.
At least Jessie just says that being goofy on stage isn’t his style, and leaves it at that.
i interpret this ‘goofy’ as ‘trying to be funny but failing miserably’
adam is lame because his puerile attempts at humour fall well short.
but witty stage banter is not lame, it’s fucking awesome. in metal or other genres. but if you cant manage it, don’t attempt it
Yeah, witty stage banter can be great sometimes. The thing about it is that is has to be WITTY to work.
Sweet Kyuss shirt.
I agree….I don’t so much care about this KsE topic as much as I care about finding a shirt like that one for my very own self.
What else could he say? ‘I made a huge fucking mistake?’ I’m still pissed abut Jesse leaving Killswitch; I can’t imagine that it doesn’t bother him. I dunno. Maybe it doesn’t. He is kind of nuts.
All I know is that Alive or Just Breathing is one of the best fucking records I have ever heard, and its really a shame we never got more material out of that KSE lineup. It was something special.
the tracks up on his new band’s page aren’t bad:
http://www.myspace.com/theempireshallfall
I really don’t think he cares to be honest.
Doesn’t the “goofy” image seem completely at odds with thier music?
I personally dont think KSE would have ever gotten to the point where they are considered a “goofy” band If he had not left the band. He took his music and lyrics very seriously and it came across in their live show. Back in the day Adam D did not do half the shit he does now and I can only think its because the music was better as well as the lyrics/message.
I dont blame Adam D for going that route, how are you supposed to be all serious when 90% of the lyrics Howard writes are all about love and heartbreak and when you ran out of musical ideas years ago. The only thing left to do would be to spice up the live show by acting weird.
Oh and Seemless most definitely had some cool songs, never loved an entire album but they had some solid songs. Go smoke a BIGGER bowl and give it another listen.
Definitely agree wholeheartedly on your Killswitch stance; Jesse’s lyrical content is immeasurably better than Howard’s. It seems like every other song is about heart ache which, in an of itself, wouldn’t be so terrible if used occasionally, but it gets pretty old pretty quickly (unless you’re Glassjaw and the album is called “Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Silence”!).
As for Seemless, I suggest everyone who doesn’t know them check out the songs: “Something’s Got To Give”, “The Wanderer”, “War/Peace”, “Cast No Shadow”, and “Jaded”.
“I went to see LAMB OF GOD in that States and they were alright, but KILLSWITCH ENGAGE opened and it was the gayest show I’ve ever seen,” says Max Cavalera. “I was like, I’m not part of this scene, it’s fucking gay.’ They were acting like they were U2 and I was like, ‘Hmm….’ The attitude was so ridiculous. I don’t know these guys, they’re on my label [Roadrunner] and all, but it was completely disappointing and gay. Like really lame, such a lame band live, everything about the whole attitude. LAMB OF GOD came out and destroyed them and I don’t even like LAMB OF GOD that much, but they were so much better coming after KILLSWITCH ENGAGE. I was like, ‘If that’s what the scene is about, hey fuck it, it ain’t got nothing to do with me.”
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/BlabberMouth.Net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=90554
The Kerry King comment reminded me of the stuff Max said early last year. Looks like none of the old school thrashers “get” the new scene.
Anything Max Cavalera has ever done (yes, including the Nu-Metal garbage) > Killswitch Engage.
+1! Agreed
-1 disagreed
Max Cavalera hasn’t done anything remotely relevant since chaos AD. I am not a KSE fan, but Max talking trash on ANYONE while continuing to release aural diarreah on the masses in the form of Soulfly’s “music” amounts to the pot calling the kettle black.
Agreed.
Jumpdafuckup!
lol, people like metalcore.
goofy or not, KSE still blows.
Damn – Alive or Just Breathing was an amazing record. I haven’t really heard much about the newer work by Leach, but I think I’ll have to check it out.
The first Seemless album was much better than the second – the second one suggested the band had run out of steam.
Good to see Jesse is working with Adam D again with Times Of Grace.
Didn’t like that second one from what I heard.
Dude… I fuckin’ love his shirt.
I was just thinking, he’d better watch his back if he comes to NYC. I would actually kill a man for that shirt. I really don’t know any other way of getting a Kyuss shirt like that.
Meh, another day, another washed up boring dude thinking that taking a chunk out of KSE will translate into album sales. I think it’s a pretty good sign that you and your band are not making good music or money if you are resorting to this. I never hear this kinda shit from good bands like God Forbid, Gojira, Protest the Hero, Between the Buried and Me, Tool or Mastodon. They are too busy making great music to talk shit.
Ummm, did you actually read this?
apparently not…
Yeah and from what I could tell he just used a more tactful approach to essentially the same
end as Kerry.
So your reading comprehension skills are essentially non-existent?
You realize this was the original singer for KSE right? He’s friends with adam.
empire shall fall is sweet. can’t wait to hear the album mixes.
I got a chance to check out The Empire Shall Fall a few months back with Burning Human in MA.It Was a sick fucking show.II have know Jessie for many years he is a great person and an amazing artist.I am stoked for their debut album.I fully agree about Seemless sucking even stoned.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again……KSE is awful. Not sure why this site has such a hard on over these douche bags. Max Cavalera and Kerry King have made their permanent marks in musical/metal history….in twenty years no one is going to remember or care about Kill Switch Engay
You know what you are talking about. That is the smartest statement i’ve heard in a while
Gotta play devil’s advocate here, even though I’m not a fan of KsE or metalcore. Whether any of us like it or not, the metalcore movement of the mid-2000s was just as valid in music history as the thrash movement of the 80s. KsE was right at the forefront of that movement, the same way Slayer and Sepultura were at the forefront of the thrash movement. So 20 years from now, when people are writing about the year 2004 and the metalcore craze, KsE will get the credit they deserve. Just like Slayer always gets mentioned nowadays when talking about 80s thrash. History is history, even if it sucks ass.
This guy single handedly attracted me to Alive or Just Breathing. The album still amazes to this day and his vocals are a big part of it. I secretly wish he was still the frontman at times but hey Howard is still good,
I’m not even thinking about Jesse Leach right now, I just want that fucking shirt.
Seemless was good, but The Empire Shall Fall is GREAT. I seriously recommend you give those guys a good listen; I can’t wait to hear their full-length when it comes out. Jesse seems like a wonderful human being.
Oh, and it’s amazing to me how a band that was as good as KsE used to be could become as awful as KsE is now. Music for high school pussies that can’t get dates.
He’s not wrong. Adam D is goofy as fuck and it’s distracting to say the least. I caught Seemless opening for Trivium back in 2006 and I was bummed that this guy who was part of one of my favorite albums was reduced to singing stoner rock.