Guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz says the next KILLSWITCH ENGAGE album is more of a group effort when it comes to writing the new material
In a recent interview with TotalRock, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz spoke about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band’s follow-up to 2019’s “Atonement” album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “We’re still at demo stages, but we have quite a bit of demos. And Jesse‘s [Leach, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE singer] been writing and rewriting and going back to the little chopping block. We decided to have everybody in the band become a part of the lyric writing too. So Jesse will bring ideas. We say, ‘We like this. We don’t like this. This is the idea. Carry on with that.'”
Asked how the process of making a KILLSWITCH ENGAGE has evolved over the years, Adam said: “In the past, I took a lot of it on my shoulders, to handle a lot of the duties. But I think the last record, in particular, everyone was just — they felt like a bit detached almost, because I was doing almost everything on my own. And I think they’re just, like, ‘We don’t even feel like we made a record.’ So they wanna be more of a part of the production process and the writing process. So I’ve made sure to keep everybody looped in and in the same circle. Communication’s key to anything.”
He continued: “I do my best to try to make something that we’re kind of proud of. So, at the end of the day, it’s up to me to make sure that everybody in the band is happy and we’re all going in the same direction.”
Touching on the musical direction of the new KILLSWITCH ENGAGE material, Adam said: “We’re still doing what we do. We’re just trying to push the boundaries and shake it up a little bit and make it not the same thing we’ve been doing for 20-something years.”
“Atonement” made its debut in August 2019 through Metal Blade Records in the United States and via Sony Music Entertainment in all other parts of the globe. This exceptional album featured notable guest appearances by the former KILLSWITCH ENGAGE vocalist Howard Jones and the frontman of TESTAMENT, Chuck Billy. The release marked the band’s third full-length album since the return of Jesse Leach, who rejoined the group in 2012.
Fast forward to July 2021, and Jesse Leach and Adam Dutkiewicz unveiled the second album from their TIMES OF GRACE project, titled “Songs Of Loss And Separation.” This release came via the band’s very own imprint label, Wicked Good Records, with distribution handled by ADA Worldwide.