Howard Jones to Re-Join Killswitch Engage for Song on New Record

When members leave bands, rarely do they become friends again.

That's not the case with Killswitch Engage and former vocalist Howard Jones. After original vocalist Jesse Leach left the band in 2002, due to his battles with depression, Jones stepped in.

He went on to become one of the most acclaimed metal vocalists in the early 2000s. Jones himself would leave the band in 2012 to manage his type-2 diabetes. This opened the door for original vocalist Jesse Leach to return. He's since recorded 2 more albums with the band and Jones has started his own band, Light the Torch. Formerly known as Devil You Know, Jones has released 3 bands with the outfit.

Light the Torch has joined Killswitch Engage on tour. At recent shows, Howard Jones has taken the stage with KSE to sing "The End of Heartache." In a recent post on Instagram, the band has announced that Jones would join them for a song on their upcoming album.

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Howard was over in England when we were. He was doing press for his band @lightthetorchband. We invited him to hang with us during our two night stint at the 02 arena opening for Iron Maiden. Jesse asked him take the stage to sing “End Of Heartache.” We all had fun, catching up, telling stories and a lot of laughter. So we decided to do it all over again the following night! Yes we filmed it all and recorded it and it will see the light of day at some point soon. For all of us in the band we are proud to all be friends and share a mutual respect for one another. As Jesse stated on his Instagram “They had their issues Howard had his & they parted ways. I’ve seen those issues dissolve, be forgiven & friends reuniting behind the scenes. This level of respect & friendship is admirable & I’m honored to be a part of it. I wasn’t close to Howard during all of this & it wasn’t my business to talk about it. However now I consider Howard a friend. So I decided to shine light on the positive aspects of this history & relationship by extending a hand of solidarity & recognition. So I asked him to sing on a song with me for the new album (which he did) & now to join us on stage to sing a song with us. I’ve learned a great deal since my vocal surgery in May not just about proper technique but about the power of words, music & having a voice. After having a second chance at this as a career I decided to use this voice for what it was intended for, to bring people together. I also feel I have to recognize all of the hard work Howard put in for 9 years with KSE. I am a fan of his voice and now his friend. I want him to do well with his band “Light The Torch” and his career. THAT is what this is about, respect and solidarity, not division & comparison. This is our KSE family. Be sure to check out Howard’s band @lightthetorchband and their newest album “Revival“ out now! . Photo by Tom Bejgrowicz @manalivecreative #KseFamily #KillswitchEngage #Unity #Respect #Solidarity

A post shared by KILLSWITCH ENGAGE (@killswitchengage) on Aug 15, 2018 at 3:18pm PDT