KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's JESSE LEACH On His 2018 Vocal Surgery: It 'Changed Everything'

In a new interview with JJ Tartaglia of This Day In Metal, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE frontman Jesse Leach was asked how his singing voice has been holding up on the band's current tour, eight years after the vocal surgery and therapy he underwent during the recording process of KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's "Atonement" album. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Amazing. Thank you, [vocal coach] Melissa Cross, [creator of the instructional video series] 'The Zen Of Screaming'. She saved my life. Having that surgery in 2018 changed everything, and I've just learned so much technique and then also just changing my lifestyle and rest. I sleep a lot. On days off, I'm pretty quiet. I don't rage as much as I used to. I used to be a party animal. And it's also nice to go on stage and not have to worry about it. I used to always have it in the back of my mind, like, 'Oh, is this show gonna suck? Am I gonna go out of key?' Now it's more just about enjoying the moment and being present and exchanging that energy with the audience, which is liberating. And I'm actually having way more fun at 48 than I did in my 20s. I feel like I'm more in shape, I'm happier and my voice is, I think, at its best now, finally. I finally figured it out after 30 fricking years doing this. I'm decent now."

Back in 2019, Leach told Forbes that the vocal surgery and therapy he underwent in 2018 "was a total blessing in disguise. Singing on a broken instrument for so long and not realizing it, I didn't know what the end result was going to be, but it was a very humbling experience," he explained. "That and just having to be quite for the better part of two months and not speaking at all, it really just put into perspective how precious it is. We as human beings abuse it and use it for terrible things, so for me I was very determined when I came out on the other side of this to make it count. Part of that was making sure I take care of it, and getting proper training, and learning how to speak. I actually speak differently because of it too, so it goes all the way down to every single aspect of your voice. When I wake up in the morning, I do a vocal warm-up, I make sure I'm in key with where I'm supposed to be; what I've learned from my coach Melissa Cross. It changed everything, and my state of mind too. I took it very serious. In the past, I would get vocal lessons here and there and just kind of roll with it, but it never hit me as hard thinking this could be the end of my career. I took it a lot more serious, and because of that the techniques clicked better, and I totally owe Melissa Cross and the doctors that did the surgery. My career was saved because of them, and I think the performance on the record shows that."

In a separate interview with Music Feeds, Leach said that he went through a "full-on depression" after he found out about the severity of the problem. "I spiralled into a very dark place," he said. "But at the same time, being quiet and not being able to use my voice for the better part of two months was very monastic and meditative. And realizing the gift that we do have as humans with our voice and what we do with it. We can either waste it and be fickle with it and use it for negative things, for hatred, and to knock people down, or we can speak of goals and dreams and positivity and love.

"When you can't speak, the body and the brain pushes out other senses and my sense of hearing and the feeling of the vibe of people in the social environment was heightened," he continued. "So as much as I got depressed and had a hard time with it, I look back on that as a very big learning experience for me as a human being."

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE recently completed a U.S. tour with support from MACHINE HEAD, IRON REAGAN and HAVOK.

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's latest studio album, "This Consequence", came out in February 2025 via Metal Blade. "This Consequence" was KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's ninth LP overall, and sixth with Leach, who rejoined the band in 2012.

"This Consequence" arrived alongside a hugely successful winter/spring 2025 tour, yielded a Top 10 single with "I Believe" and landed the band on the covers of Revolver and Outburn.

In the summer of 2025, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE completed the massive "Summer Of Loud" tour, co-headlining alongside BEARTOOTH, I PREVAIL and PARKWAY DRIVE.

Fans got their first taste of "This Consequence" with pulverizing track "Forever Aligned", swiftly followed by "I Believe". More recently, the group shared videos for "Collusion" and "Aftermath".