BURN ETERNAL, Featuring KILLSWITCH ENGAGE Guitarist ADAM DUTKIEWICZ And Ex-Singer HOWARD JONES, Signs With METAL BLADE RECORDS

BURN ETERNAL, the new project featuring former KILLSWITCH ENGAGE singer Howard Jones and KILLSWITCH ENGAGE guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz, has inked a deal with Metal Blade Records.

Few names are as revered in metalcore as that of dynamic duo of singer Jones and guitarist/producer Dutkiewicz. There is a certain magic that exists between them that is truly transcendent.

Establishing the blueprint in New England's burgeoning underground — Jones with BLOOD HAS BEEN SHED and Dutkiewicz with AFTERSHOCK and then the legendary KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, the two would go on to join forces and play key roles in what would become seminal KILLSWITCH ENGAGE years between 2002 and 2012. Their contributions to the scene — both together and apart — are undeniable.

When the dust finally settled on the Jones-fronted era of KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, the duo had amassed an impressive resume of awards and accolades together, including the band's first of several Grammy nods for "The End Of Heartache", which also won best album at the 2004 Metal Hammer Golden Gods awards, as well as the 2006 platinum-selling "As Daylight Dies", which remains the best-selling KILLSWITCH ENGAGE album to date.

To the delight of diehard fans and the Internet, the pair reunited for a new and long-gestating but worth-the-wait creative collaboration that will soon see the light of day.

Jones and Dutkiewicz are exploring new aspects of their musical chemistry and partnership with the new project BURN ETERNAL, who will release music soon, as they have signed with Metal Blade Records.

"We couldn't be more excited to announce BURN ETERNAL joining forces with Metal Blade for our debut album," states Jones. "The whole team has been amazing, and we can't wait to get this music out. From an idea while having lunch in London to a completed album, this has been such a fun way to reconnect with my friend. BURN ETERNAL lives!"

Dutkiewicz concurs, saying: "I am wicked excited to finally be able to share my project with Howard with all of you! It feels great to be hanging with an old friend and making more music with him. We're just two goofballs just dicking around in the studio again. We are also excited to be putting it out with the Metal Blade family. Mostly because they truly feel like family, not a corporation. Good vibes abound!"

Metal Blade founder and CEO Brian Slagel is thrilled to bring the band to the roster, saying: "As a huge fan of both Howard and Adam, it is a huge honor to welcome BURN ETERNAL to the Metal Blade family! I am excited for everyone to hear the record! as a fan, I love it! This is going to be fun working with everyone!"

Earlier this year, Adam told Ore Bihovsky of TotalRock's "Louder" radio show that BURN ETERNAL consists of just him and Howard, and described the band's sound as: "It sounds a bit like KILLSWITCH, obviously, because I'm a songwriter for KILLSWITCH. Yeah, it sounds like me and Howard."

Work on BURN ETERNAL's debut LP had been ongoing for at least two years before the effort was mixed in December 2024.

Regarding how the project came together, Adam previously told Bihovsky: "[Howard] just hit me up. He was, like, 'Why don't you write some music for me?' And I was, like, 'Sure.'"

In August 2023, Jones took to his Instagram to write that "13 demos" were created for the new group, which hoped to put the finishing touches on the record "as soon as possible."

Jones left KILLSWITCH ENGAGE in 2012 and battled manic depression and bipolar disorder before forming a new project, DEVIL YOU KNOW, with guitarist Francesco Artusato (ALL SHALL PERISH) and drummer John Sankey (DEVOLVED). Along with bassist Ryan Wombacher (BLEEDING THROUGH),they recorded and toured behind two well-received albums, 2014's "The Beauty Of Destruction" and 2015's "They Bleed Red". In 2017, the band changed its name to LIGHT THE TORCH.

Jones made an appearance on KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's 2019 album "Atonement", contributing guest vocals to the song "The Signal Fire".

Jones discussed his previous mental health issues in a 2016 interview with Metal Hammer. He said: "For a lot of the time during the whole manic depression thing, I didn't realize how bad I was. I thought the high levels of anxiety I was experiencing was just my lot in life, I didn't realize that there was help on hand for me to be able to deal with that. I thought that I was just meant to feel really nervous around large crowds. Now it's like being a kid again, because I can deal with it, so I've got my passion back and it's great."

Asked what made him get back into music after leaving KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, Howard told Heavy New York: "Honestly, I think it was because I was just kind of tired of doing nothing and I don't do much else other than music. I felt like I needed to venture out because I was basically agoraphobic for three years. It's kind of well known. I went off the grid. I didn't have a cell phone for three years — I was gone. It felt, like, 'Okay, maybe I should dip my toe in. I don't have to do it full time. I don't have to do what I don't want to do.' That's all I was thinking. I started moving, I started doing things. It was definitely a struggle, especially for the first few years. I was, like, 'What am I doing?' There's been few things in my life that has been consistent other than music. I just did it. It just took some time, then all of the sudden, the spark showed up. I fell back in love with what I was doing. I really can't explain it. It just sort of happened."

Current KILLSWITCH ENGAGE singer Jesse Leach appeared on the band's self-titled debut and sophomore album, "Alive Or Just Breathing", before exiting the group. Jones took over on vocals for "The End Of Heartache", "As Daylight Dies" and the 2009 self-titled set before being dismissed from KILLSWITCH ENGAGE 14 years ago and being replaced by a returning Leach.

In 2012, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE bassist Mike D'Antonio told Boston Globe that the band's split with Jones was necessitated by the singer's struggle with personal issues, including diabetes that had gone untreated for several years. "It became very apparent we had to move on without him," D'Antonio said.

Photo credit: Travis Shinn