JAN/FEB 2011 ISSUE MMUSICMAG.COM SPOTLIGHT

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Jesse leach, adam dutkiewicz

times of grace SONGS INSPIRE US + MUSIC MOVES US a nearly broken man repairs himself with the M CONNECTS US help of an old friend

Spending two weekS hoSpitalized the table. this just felt like something and immobile in 2007 left killswitch engage different from the beginning.” guitarist adam dutkiewicz plenty of time although leach left killswitch engage to think. Rather than dwell on his current in 2002 after repeatedly straining his voice, circumstances (surgery for a severe back he and dutkiewicz remained friends. the injury he suffered while on tour in england), two still worked well together, although it dutkiewicz started composing what became wasn’t exactly like old times. “there was The Hymn of a Broken Man, the debut album definitely some of that old chemistry, but by his side project with former killswitch at the same time, it was actually much JAN/FEB 2011 singer Jesse leach. “out of necessity, to easier now because of Jesse growing up keep my sanity, i started drumming up musical and learning how to sing,” dutkiewicz says. M MUSIC & MUSICIANS ideas while i was lying in a hospital bed,” “Back when he was in killswitch engage MAGAZINE dutkiewicz says. that was nearly four years he was still learning himself as a vocalist, ago—so what took so long? “we wanted which is one of the main reasons why he to handle this with kid gloves because of left: he couldn’t handle the pressure of how sensitive a situation it is,” dutkiewicz being on the road and taking care of his says. “like, ‘adam is putting a record out, throat.” the songs originated during a grim why isn’t it a killswitch record? is he leaving time in dutkiewicz’s life and evolved through killswitch? what about killswitch?’” a handful of personal crises he and leach the answer to all those questions dealt with over the intervening three years. was simple. “i wrote most of these songs the resulting album is even darker than the from a hospital bed, and the foundations of pair expected—but in a good way. “it is a what the songs are lyrically stem from me cathartic thing, it makes us feel better by and where i was at that point,” dutkiewicz letting all the bad stuff out,” dutkiewicz says. explains. “i’ve never done an entire record “at the same time, it’s mostly a positive spin of music like that before, and that’s not on how you have to remain hopeful and turn how killswitch writes their music. we things around when things get weird.” do it collectively. we all bring ideas to –Eric R. Danton

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