| Jesse Leach | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Jesse David Leach |
| Born | July 3, 1978 |
| Genres | Metalcore, Heavy metal, Groove metal, Hard rock, Southern rock |
| Occupations | Singer |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Labels | Roadrunner Records, Ferret Music, Angel Side Side |
| Associated acts | Seemless, Killswitch Engage, Corrin, Nothing Stays Gold, The Empire Shall Fall, Times of Grace |
Jesse David Leach (b. July 3, 1978) is an American musician from Providence, Rhode Island, and is best known as being the former lead vocalist of Killswitch Engage and later for being the vocalist for the blues rock band Seemless. He is also the current singer for the hardcore metal band The Empire Shall Fall and Times of Grace.
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Leach's first band, Corrin, formed in the early-90s. Corrin recorded four songs in 1996 which were eventually released as a CD by Propaganda Machine in 1998 after the band's breakup. The tracklist is 1.Violated, 2.Pariah 3.Unremission, 4. Lifeless, 5. Winter Souls, 6. Distance, 7. A Life of My Own (Cro-Mags), 8. Seed of Cain, 9. Plutonian Shores. Downloadable copies of these tracks are available at http://www.brianhull.net/music/ . "Seed of Cain" can be found on a music sampler available on the iTunes store online as well.
Leach's second band, Nothing Stays Gold, formed in the mid-90s. They put out a single ep before splitting in 97/98.
Meanwhile, some remaining members of Overcast and Aftershock were forming a new band in the Massachusetts area and were seeking a vocalist. In 1999, Leach joined bassist Mike D'Antonio, guitarist Joel Stroetzel, and drummer Adam Dutkiewicz to form Killswitch Engage. Their self-titled debut was released on July 11, 2000.
Killswitch Engage's next effort, Alive or Just Breathing, was released on May 21, 2002, putting Killswitch Engage at the forefront of the metalcore scene. Two weeks prior to going on tour, however, Leach married his fiancée. When he was not contacting his wife, Leach would sit alone in the tour bus for hours after shows and simply wait for the remaining band members to return. Leach's passion for his music combined with his emotional struggles of the time made him unable to exercise control over his screaming. He would blow his voice out after a few shows and struggled with the rest of the tour. Leach also began suffering from a mild depression which grew worse as the tour continued. According to Mike D'Antonio in an interview for Killswitch's "(Set This) World Ablaze" DVD, "It seemed like there was always this dark cloud over Jesse's head." His depression led him to resign from the band & drop out of the public eye for some time. Leach wrote an email to the band explaining why he left. Quoting Leach from his interview in the DVD, "I didn't have the mental energy to face them, or even call them on the phone rather. I was at a point in my life where I just didn't want to face any of them so I wrote them a long email explaining, like, I'm just done. Explaining what every song meant to me, explaining what the whole experience was to me, and I said 'Bye. Ya know? You're not going to be able to find me, I'm going on my honeymoon finally. And, uh, don't try and call me don't try and contact me, I'm done. Done with music, period.'"
Leach reconciled with his former bandmates at the Roadrunner United 25th anniversary concert, performing a duet with then singer Howard Jones. The entire band played on stage, minus Adam D, who had been out with an injury (and was replaced by Andreas Kisser of Sepultura, with both Howard and Jesse singing "My Last Serenade". The song ended with the two embracing, and Leach thanking the crowd for their support through his difficult times.)
In 2003 Jesse joined a blues rock band called Seemless. Seemless toured the US many times with bands like Fu-Manchu, The Sword, Trivium, and In Flames. Seemless is known for explosive, emotive live shows and showcases Leach's new-found soulful blues-y vocals. Touring with Seemless also showed the music world Jesse was back and able to complete tours. Seemless has released two albums so far and has had multiple videos featured on MTV's Headbangers ball. In 2006 their video for the single "Cast No Shadow" made MTV's Top Ten new videos. Seemless is currently writing new songs and playing out occasionally. Due to drummer Derek Kerswill's involvement with the MA metal band Unearth, among other projects, Seemless has taken a hiatus from the touring life.
In 2008, Jesse Leach formed the band, The Empire Shall Fall, with friends in his area. The band have now released their first independent album "Awaken" which was released on November 17, 2009.
Also, he worked on another album with Killswitch Engage bandmate, Adam Dutkiewicz. Leach has stated that the working title for the project with Adam D. is Times of Grace. Dutkiewicz also takes lead vocals on several tracks, and was released on January 18, 2011. The album's first single, "Strength in Numbers", was released October 15 via Roadrunner Records as a free digital download for 72 hours for those who signed up for the band's mailing list. The song is now available for purchase on iTunes. The album was made with the support of Killswitch Engage.
When Jesse wrote songs for the Killswitch Engage album, Alive or Just Breathing, the songs had deep meanings behind them. The following meanings are quoted from his interviews:
Numbered Days
'Numbered Days' is about the system of Babylon, and how the time will be coming soon for them to tumble and fall. I really believe the time is approaching swiftly.
Self Revolution
'Self Revolution' is exactly what it says. It's time to make a change within yourself, and that's up to the individual.
Fixation On The Darkness
'Fixation On The Darkness' to me is really about what the title says. It's really just looking inside yourself, we all have that darkness, and we all have that light, and just finding the balance between these two things. But for that particular song, I'm really looking at the dark side of things and that change can be made, and there are ways to overcome your situation and your problems, and the dark side of your soul.
My Last Serenade
'My Last Serenade' has a lot of meanings for me. It's really about burning bridges. There comes a time when you have to leave people behind and just let them know that you care and there's only so much love you can give somebody until they drag you down with them.
Life To Lifeless
"'Life To Lifeless' was my way of dealing with September 11th, and there are really no words for it, so I just leaned on the old philosophy: we live, we die, some people live to live some more. Life continues and if it doesn't continue, there is an afterlife. I firmly believe that. So things happen for a reason."
Just Barely Breathing
'Just Barely Breathing' is really my question to people. They need to look into themselves and ask themselves are they really alive? Are they really living life to the fullest? Or are they just getting by? And if so, if you're not happy, you need to make a change. Make a difference in the world.
To The Sons Of Man
'To The Sons of Man' is a direct song to the people, and really, the lyrics speak for themselves.
Temple From The Within
'Temple From The Within' is my ode to spirituality and the way I feel towards life. Times when I feel I can't keep pushing. I find a way and I know it's not me. It's another force so that's me paying my respects.
Vide Infra
'Vida Infra' is the good old unity song. It speaks about how there is no one else who is better than another person, and we should all have the chance for equality, and just overall to embrace love and respect for your fellow man.
Rise Inside
'Rise Inside' is really the Killswitch Engage Anthem. It tells people that no matter who you are in your life, I'm here for a reason and I'm doing the best I can to do that. We really need to embrace love and not forsake each other as human beings and realize that we are all one deep down inside. Believe it or not, I'm willing to stand up and speak my mind and tell them how I feel about things.
Leach played a small role in the 1999 film "Outside Providence", directed by Michael Corrente. The film is an adaptation of Peter Farrelly's 1988 novel of the same name. Leach played a boy named Decenz.
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