Well, this is starting off 2012 in the metal world with a bang: Just several hours ago, we learned that Howard Jones has left Killswitch Engage after nine years in the band. After starting with the band a year before their major breakthrough album, “The End of Heartache”, Jones and KsE toured an insane amount over the years and watched as the band rose to the top of the heap of the current metal world.
When reading the band’s press release, you hear a lot of the band’s niceties about Howard, such as “we love Howard”; “we wish him the best of luck” and things like that. But we all know there’s more to the story than just saying he left for “personal reasons”. Fans know that back in early 2010, Jones took time off for those same “personal reasons” right before a tour, which the band found friend Phil Labonte of All That Remains to fill in on that tour. There’s been plenty of rumors for that leave and now his exit- whether if it was due to impregnating a porn star (I’m sorry, you’re in a band, impregnating porn stars is just a occupational hazard. I don’t buy that one.) or due to alcohol and drug issues (sounds far more likely). Whether or not any of these rumors are true remains to be seen, but the whole deal seems shocking due to the fact that Jones had been doing shows with the band, recording and preparing to play with the band at the upcoming New England Metal & Hardcore Festival.
But now with Jones gone, the band is forced to find a new lead singer. Quickly. Labonte has already stated over Twitter that he will not take over that spot and there’s no reason. All That Remains has grown to rival KsE in popularity and it would seem dumb for him to jump ship. There’s always a chance that they could find an unknown to take over, but with an album due out this year and presumably a lot of touring behind it- the idea of taking months to find a singer probably isn’t in the cards right now.
But I know what all old school KsE fans are thinking right now- a little “Back to the Future” action and recruit ex-lead singer Jesse Leach to rejoin the band. Leach left the band originally due to depression issues, which hurt the singer for a few years. But recently, Leach has become involved in a few projects, including Times of Grace, with KsE guitarist Adam Dukitiewcz. The rest of the band have seemed to keep a good relationship with Leach, which could mean his return. With this option, it’s definitely not a lock by any stretch, but right now- it could make the most sense. Old school fans would salivate at his return, and it could spark a sense of renewed creativity within the band. The only question remains: will Leach want to tour that extensively once again? The heavy amount of touring was one of the main factors for his first exit and we’ll see if this comes to fruition.
I’m not picking sides either: even though I think there was some pretty nasty stuff that went down behind Jones’ exit, I’m not blaming either side. But when the band looks for a lead singer very soon, I am sure that the guys will give their old buddy a shot to make a huge comeback.
Stay Tuned…
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