Killswitch Engage Story

by Colin Hunter

Howard Jones is disarmingly friendly.     His phone voice is a
warm, expressive baritone frequently punctuated by booming belly laughs.

He uses phrases like "really neat" and "silly fun" to
describe the experience of performing for a live audience.

He mentions his mom a lot.

All of which is rather surprising, given that Jones is
lead screamer for Killswitch Engage, a hardcore metal band whose
aural assaults seem capable of collapsing buildings, let alone eardrums.

But the juxtaposition of moods -- dichotomies of light and
dark, good and evil -- is a band trademark, which
has earned them a rabid cult following, consistently gushing reviews
and a 2004 Grammy nomination.

("Juxtaposition" and "dichotomies" are also words Jones uses breezily in
conversation, further distancing himself from the stereotypical image of a
heavy metal goon).

For every verse that Jones screams with lung-busting fierceness amid
squealing guitars, there's a chorus that he sings in almost
operatic tone to acoustic accompaniment.

"We're not the typical heavy band," he says on the
phone from the band's tour bus, parked outside a gig
in Omaha, Neb.

"We don't try to act really mean or anything. We're
laughing more often than not. If we enjoy ourselves onstage,
those who are watching will enjoy themselves even more."

That's the plan, Jones says, when the band plays a
sold-out gig at Kitchener's Club Elements Dec. 10, with fellow
aggressors Hatebreed and Bury Your Dead.

"We're lighthearted guys," Jones says, "and we want to have
a lighthearted fun time."

Again, a tad surprising. The band's new album, As Daylight
Dies, features songs with titles like Reject Yourself, The Arms
of Sorrow, and My Curse.

But Jones (who is not to be confused with the
'80s British synth-pop crooner by the same name), says the
songs are invariably about overcoming negative feelings, not wallowing in
them."Even if there are darker moments, there's always a glimmer
of hope in each song."

It's a style of songwriting that comes naturally to Jones,
who grew up listening to and performing the gamut of
musical styles, from jazz to classical to heavy metal.

"My mother always had the radio on, and I grew
up singing in choirs at school," he recalls. "I still
remember the first song I heard that struck me on
an emotional level was The Beatles' Let It Be. I
remember where I was when I heard it, sitting in
the living room of our house before school, when I
was five. Music had an effect on me from that
point on."

Though Killswitch Engage has released four albums since forming in
1998, As Daylight Dies is only the second featuring Jones
as front man.

The band's original vocalist, Jesse Leach, left the band shortly
after the release of the group's second disc, Alive Or
Just Breathing, to spend more time with his new wife
and deal with depression.

Jones, who was already busy leading his own band, Blood
Has Been Shed, accepted the invitation to fill the vacancy
at the mike stand.

Now Jones fronts both bands, screaming/singing his guts out on
relentless tours around the world -- including coveted spots on
Ozzy Osbourne's heavy metal carnival Ozzfest.

These days, the concerts are packed, the albums are selling
well (the new one debuted at No. 32 on the
Billboard 200 album chart three weeks ago), and the critical
praise is piling up. Such successes are reassuring, especially after
years of slugging it out on gruelling tours, playing a
genre of music usually snubbed by critics.

It's a reminder, Jones says, that "there's always hope for
a better tomorrow."

He pauses for a moment, thinking about what he has
just said.

"Wow," he adds, "I couldn't have sounded any more cheesy
just now."

But that's OK. He'll juxtapose the cheesy comment with a
monstrous slab of throaty screaming during the concert -- just
the kind of dichotomy he likes.

chunter@therecord.com