On Saturday night (September 21), Killswitch Engage played an emotional headline set at the New England Metal & Hardcore Festival in Worcester, Massachusetts, the hometown state of the metalcore legends.
Smashing through an 18-song, hit-filled setlist, the five-piece played a career-spanning gig that included cuts from all eight of the band's studio albums. That included two tracks from Killswitch's oft-overlooked self-titled debut album, with mostly instrumental number Prelude and a riotous Soilborn kicking off their show.
What undoubtedly delighted fans most of all, however, was the appearance of former Killswitch Engage frontman Howard Jones, who joined his ex-bandmates on stage to sing Rose Of Sharyn and Take This Oath, both from 2004's classic The End Of Heartbreak album. Howard also popped on stage to sing The Signal Fire, Killswitch's 2019 single that featured both he and longtime/current vocalist Jesse Leach duetting.
Watch video footage of Howard's appearances with the band below.
Howard Jones left Killswitch Engage in 2012 following almost a decade with the band, later citing mental health issues and the demands that the touring lifestyle had taken on his physical health as the reasons for his departure. "I didn't realise how bad I was," he explained to Metal Hammer in 2016. "I thought the high levels of anxiety I was experiencing was just my lot in life, I didn't realise that there was help on hand for me to be able to deal with that. I thought that I was just meant to feel really nervous around large crowds." Following Jones' departure, Killswitch would reunite with former singer Jesse Leach, who Jones had replaced in the first place in 2003.
Jones has remained active in the metal scene since, most notably with Light The Torch (formerly Devil You Know), who released their most recent album, You Will Be The Death Of Me, in 2021. In December, it was revealed that Jones and Killswitch Engage guitarist Adam D had been working on new music together, though that is yet to be released. A new Killswitch album is also anticipated at some point in the not-too-distant future, with 2024 marking five years since their last studio full-length, Atonement.
