KILLSWITCH ENGAGE singer Jesse Leach spoke with Revolver about the status of the new TIMES OF GRACE album – his side project with KILLSWITCH ENGAGE guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz.
Now I don’t know about you but if you dig KILLSWITCH ENGAGE the way I do, you most certainly gotta check out TIMES OF GRACE, if you haven’t already.
TIMES OF GRACE released their debut album, “The Hymn Of A Broken Man” back in January 2011 via Roadrunner Records which went on to sell around 10,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release.
Dutkiewicz and Leach had originally worked together on KILLSWITCH ENGAGE’s self-titled debut album and 2002’s “Alive Or Just Breathing” – absolutely essential listening for any metalhead by the way. Leach, of course left KILLSWITCH ENGAGE shortly after the second album’s release but rejoined the band in early 2012 following the departure of his replacement, Howard Jones. However it was during that gap that Leach and Dutkiewcz, reconvened for the TIMES OF GRACE project. Does it sound at all like KILLSWITCH ENGAGE? You bet your ass it does.
“The album is done,” Jesse says (see video below). “We have two quarantine versions of a song [being released soon]. One is an old-school one reworked. The other one is a new cover that you won’t see on this next record. ‘Cause it’s not just not one record — it’s gonna be a record and another release. And we hope to have it out this year.”
Regarding the musical direction of the new TIMES OF GRACE material, Jesse said: “It’s definitely different from the last record. We decided to really sort of set ourselves apart from the KILLSWITCH sound. I think the last record had a lot of KILLSWITCH in it, and we made a conscious departure to write more artistically indulgent songs, a little more rock-orientated, some post-metal, I guess, if you will — effects-driven guitars, very big, atmospheric-sounding stuff and acousticy, more blues, rock-driven stuff as well. So there’s less of the quote-unquote metalcorish genre and more of a genuine heavy metal, rock and roll experimental record. And I’m super stoked on it — I’m very proud of it. And I will say this too — Adam takes center stage a lot more on this record. It’s very much a 50/50 album when it comes to vocals. You’re gonna hear a lot more of Adam’s voice, and he has come such a long way with his voice and his lyrics. I’m so proud of him. I think it’s the best work that we have done as musicians in this particular genre ever, I would say.”
TIMES OF GRACE originally entered Signature Sound studio in San Diego, California in late 2017 to begin recording material for its new LP. Sitting behind the drum kit during the sessions was Dan Gluszak, who previously played drums for TIMES OF GRACE on tour and has since been named an official member of the band.
Check the video below…