For more than 25 years, Killswitch Engage has defined the sound and spirit of modern metalcore — blending raw emotion, technical precision, and an unwavering sense of purpose. With a career that spans nine studio albums, countless world tours, and a lineup that has weathered both triumphs and challenges, the band continues to evolve while staying true to its roots. At the heart of that evolution is vocalist Jesse Leach, whose journey of self-discovery and resilience mirrors the band’s own story.
We caught up with Leach aboard ShipRocked 2025 to talk about the band’s 25th anniversary, their powerful new album This Consequence, his passion for supporting emerging artists, and why good food, honest conversation, and compassion still drive everything he does.
Has a destination ever influenced a song?
The first time I went to New Orleans it struck me. There was a certain spirit in that energy. This is post-Katrina, too. I wrote a song years ago with a band called The Empire Shall Fall called “As The City Sleeps.” It’s about the forgotten people that are left behind after a disaster. Katrina was huge. New Orleans just has a vibe to begin with. It’s one of my favorite places to stop off on tour, especially if we have a day off. You can get into a lot of trouble there, but there’s a lot of really good food and just a vibe. It’s like no other. I love New Orleans.
What are your favorite ShipRocked memories and why do you love ShipRocked?
I don’t know if I have a favorite memory. For me, it’s just the culture here. You’re not going to run into people who are going to be bitter and angry. There’s a lot of love, a lot of openness, a lot of sincerity. I’ve had deep conversations with people with tears in their eyes, talking about their lives, about surviving cancer, about deaths in the family, about recovering from addiction.
Everyone’s just open and beautiful here. That’s why I’m here again. It’s fun to do the Stowaway thing, but I don’t have to be here. I’m here because I want to be here. I really enjoy the people of ShipRocked. You guys have created an atmosphere and a vibe here that is impeccable. Just quality human beings and a lot of love. That’s in general how I feel about this cruise.
What do you always have in your suitcase?
Dental floss, toothpicks. Cleaning your teeth is essential. I don’t ever want to be the guy with food stuck in my teeth. I always bring my Nintendo Switch wherever I go, because it helps me sort of turn my brain off at the airport. Or if I can’t sleep at night, I’ll jump on and play Zelda. I got my little nerdy Nintendo Switch with me at all times when I travel.
What experiences in life are left on your bucket list?
Iceland. I’ve never been to Iceland, and it’s high on my list of places to go and see the volcanoes. It’s just deciding whether or not you go in the winter to see the Northern Lights or in the summer, so you can explore. That’s been high on my list for a long time. It’s surprising because the amount of traveling that we’ve done, especially with Killswitch, that we’ve never been there. I’ll get there eventually.
You’ve got a new album, This Consequence. Can you tell me about it?
This Consequence is a record I am super proud of. There’s something in that record of a real pain, a real desire for a message to come across, a righteous anger. A desire for people to wake up and see the manipulation and the division that we’re subjugated to through the people up on top who claim to care for us. The importance for me with the message is that we all have something in common. Our commonalities far outweigh our differences as the human race, and we’re led to focus on our differences. There’s power in what they’re doing, and I believe the division needs to stop.
We need to realize that we can come together and inflict change. We can change the world. I know this sounds far reaching and sort of like ‘John Lennon “Imagine”,’ but I do believe we have this power and that we can come together and make things better. We don’t have to be engaged in warfare all the time. We don’t have to be divided over politics. We find common ground with each other as people. That, to me, is the main driving message of this album — come together, find your commonalities, and live in compassion and love.
Do you have a favorite song on the album you want to tell the story behind?
“Broken Glass” probably stands out because it was the first song on this record that sort of changed the trajectory of the album. It changed everything. We ended up scrapping a bunch of songs after that song was written because it just felt like that energy was palatable. It was anger. The song is about abuse. It’s about surviving an abusive relationship from the perspective of the person who’s being abused and finding the strength to pick up and move on and get away from that situation.
I wrote it in such a way where it’s almost like if you took a book and you ripped out a couple of chapters and gave somebody the book, you can fill in the blanks of what’s going on in the narrative. I don’t go right out and say what happens with the last line of the song, which is “Now I watch you collapse.” That signifies something drastic has happened to the person who is the abuser. There’s a little bit of revenge in there, but it doesn’t say what it is. It’s a nice story, but also something that can help raise awareness to people who are in abusive situations to know that you can get away and people who are abusers beware. Instant karma will come for you.
Any favorite DWP Festival moments in the past?
When you ask me to remember a festival or a date on tour, I couldn’t. I just know that I’m a fan of music, and if there’s a band on the bill that I love, I’m there. Side stage, I’m one of those guys. I don’t hide unless I have to take care of my voice. I love going and watching bands side stage.
I have a vivid memory. I’m not sure if it was one of The Cult play live, one of my favorite bands, and getting to see Ian Astbury and his swagger on stage. What a cool, mystical shaman rock star. He’s taking the tambourine and smacking it and then bouncing it off the stage and grabbing it. Just the epitome of cool. I’m just fanboying, geeking out the whole time. They wrap up the set and I sneak over and grab the tambourine. I asked the drum tech, but I have one of his tambourines at my house.
What’s your perfect day off on the road? What do you do?
The perfect day off would be having some quiet time to myself, which I usually will either go for a long walk or a bike ride. I love going to see old cathedrals. I love sitting in quiet places. I love going out in nature or park museums. I love being immersed in the culture. Another fun thing too, is just going to a local pub or a bar and schmoozing with the locals and listening to people’s stories and then asking locals where do they go for a drink? Or discovering the stuff that you wouldn’t normally see if you’re just being a tourist.
I think the more you do it as a musician, the more you travel, you get better at it. I know certain cities where I know where I want to go. I know where I’m going to get my cup of coffee or have a drink later, or get a good meal. It’s just about getting out there and experiencing because you’re blessed to be out there. It’s such a privilege. Instead of just being hungover in your hotel, go out and do something. Any chance I get, I’m researching on Google days before.
Do you have any special spots you’d tell others to visit?
I wouldn’t tell anyone my secrets. Get away from my spots! My wife and I, we love just disappearing. Yesterday, for example, we got off the boat and went halfway across the island, far away from all the touristy stuff. We sat with some locals and hung out and had some good food on a quiet beach. There was one point where we’re walking the edge of the beach and there’s just nobody there. It’s just sand, coral, and all you hear is the waves lapping up on the shore. You can’t get that at a touristy bar with like 60 people.
I loved on Instagram that you were asking bands to send you tracks and you would collab on the track. I think it’s amazing that you’re engaging with up and coming bands. Why do you do it?
I think it’s important. I love the idea of getting behind the scenes and helping bands along. My hope is that they put my name on a track and it boosts their profile. It helps to have them seen and I’m only working with people that I enjoy their music. It helps me too, because I’d eventually like to get into production and get behind the scenes.
I love the art of making a song. What makes a song good? Being able to hear a song and suggesting a change here or there, or helping somebody with their lyrics. To me that’s just fun. It is a job and I do get compensated for it. But to me, it’s another way to just continue to carve a path with music but giving back in a way too, because I know that I can help in some way. It’s fun, I love it.
Do you still live in Catskills in New York?
We’re deep, deep in the forest now. We were in the Woodstock area, but we moved out of there and now we’re in a place called the Sundown Wild Forest, and it is out there. It is like a good 20-minute drive to anything. So, you’re talking like no light pollution. You can see every star in the sky, coyotes howling in the distance. Just beautiful, beautiful nature. We were home and we tried so hard to discover the northern lights. My wife and I were driving around for hours and wherever they were, we weren’t.
Do you have any good tips to overcome jetlag?
Hydration is super, super important. An airplane will dehydrate you very quickly. So, replenish your water, get proper sleep, take some vitamins too. I take sea moss everyday. It’s huge for vitamins and minerals. Rest and hydration are huge for jet lag.
Then whenever you get to your destination, don’t go to bed. Power through, stay up. No naps. Naps are dangerous. They’re going to pull you in for hours. Power through that first night’s sleep and then get up at the time you normally would and make sure you do that for 2 or 3 days and your jet lag goes away pretty quickly.
What’s your perfect day in the Catskill Mountains? Any places you would tell people to visit?
We have secret spots where we go. My perfect day would be what we did for my birthday a few years back. We park one vehicle at the river and park down river with another vehicle. We inflate some tubes and we sit on the river, and we have beers and snacks, and we just drift down the river a couple of miles. Then we all go out to eat. My friends and I just have a nice dinner and sit by the fire under the stars. That’s one of my favorite things to do in the summer. Just hanging out on a river all day long. Those mountain streams are like pure clean water and it’s a little cold. On hot summer days, that’s the best thing to do.
Do you have any hobbies outside of music, other than Nintendo Switch?
I love cooking. I’m always in the kitchen. Italian food tends to be my sweet spot because that’s what I grew up with. That’s what I really enjoy; simmering a sauce and making pasta from scratch. To me it’s an expression of love. It’s a love language. I love having people over, hosting and cooking, and just sitting around and having a meal together and seeing people enjoy your food. There’s a certain connection that happens with that.
I grew up around that; my mother and my aunts just sitting around and having a big family. I used to sit and watch my mom make pizzas every Friday. We had a Friday pizza night. I started taking on the job of cooking for my family at eight. I just wanted to learn the craft. I admire and love chefs and restaurant people and restaurants. Hospitality people are my kind of people, I love it — something about it.