“I pushed myself to down-pick faster and make the riffs more aggressive. Maybe it’s the old man in me struggling to feel young and fighting back against aging”: How Killswitch Engage went to thrash metal bootcamp to deliver their face-ripping return

Killswitch Engage's Joel Stroetzel and Dutkiewicz rock their Caparison S-styles onstage. Fluoro green stage lights illuminate the dark.

They’ve never followed traditions or expectations, and that’s what has kept Killswitch Engage at the top of the metal hierarchy for 25 years, despite facing numerous challenges along the way – maybe even from the start.

At a time when extreme bands were expected to rip and roar (sensitivity be damned), Killswitch Engage bucked the system by releasing the groundbreaking 2002 album Alive or Just Breathing, which intertwined soaring melodic vocals with raging, caustic riffs.