On Friday, January 12, 2024, Howard Jones posted a photo of himself and Adam Dutkiewicz in the studio to his Instagram, which included the following message:
“Vocals are done, now Adam has some tracking and mixing to do. We can’t wait to share all these songs with you.”
Adam Dutkiewicz previously discussed how the project came together, telling TotalRock‘s “Louder” radio show:
“Howard just hit me up. He was, like, ‘Why don’t you write some music for me?’ And I was, like, ‘Sure.’ So yeah, we’re working on a record right now.”
When asked when fans would be able to hear something in the way of music from the new project, Adam Dutkiewicz said:
“I’ve got so much on my plate right now. It’s really hard to schedule anything particularly, like ‘it’s gonna come out at this point,’ ‘it’s gonna come out at this point,’ but we’re just almost at a situation where we can maybe release a single. But I think the entire record’s gonna take a little bit longer than expected. Because now I have to do double duty and record the next KILLSWITCH ENGAGE’s album at the same time. So I’ll be doing that.”
In August 2023, Howard Jones posted on his Instagram that “13 demos” were created for the as-yet-unnamed new group, which hoped to put the finishing touches on the record as soon as possible.
After parting ways with KILLSWITCH ENGAGE in 2012, Howard Jones faced personal challenges related to manic depression and bipolar disorder. Undeterred, he went on to form DEVIL YOU KNOW, a new project featuring guitarist Francesco Artusato (ALL SHALL PERISH) and drummer John Sankey (DEVOLVED). Together with bassist Ryan Wombacher (BLEEDING THROUGH), they recorded two well-received albums, namely 2014’s “The Beauty Of Destruction” and 2015’s “They Bleed Red.” In 2017, the band underwent a name change, becoming LIGHT THE TORCH.
Jesse Leach, the current lead singer of KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, had previously appeared on the band’s self-titled debut and the sophomore album, “Alive Or Just Breathing,” before departing from the group. Howard Jones took on the vocal duties for subsequent KILLSWITCH ENGAGE albums, including “The End Of Heartache,” “As Daylight Dies,” and the 2009 self-titled release. However, he was dismissed from KILLSWITCH ENGAGE 11 years ago, leading to the return of Leach.
In 2012, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE bassist Mike D’Antonio explained to the Boston Globe that Howard Jones‘ departure from the band was prompted by the singer’s personal struggles, which included untreated diabetes over several years. D’Antonio clarified:
“It became very apparent we had to move on without him. Howard didn’t quit.”
That being said, Howard Jones makes an appearance on KILLSWITCH ENGAGE’s latest album, “Atonement” (2019), contributing guest vocals to the track “The Signal Fire”, while you can listen it in the video below:
