Interview: Justin Foley of Killswitch Engage

A few days ago, before their show in Glasgow, I had the opportunity to have a chat with the drummer from the legendary Killswitch Engage. After a warm welcome and a brief laugh with Adam, we got down to business…

How’s the tour been so far?

Pretty fun. They’ve been pretty good.

BFMV Bullet for my Valentine Killswitch Engage Scotland 2016Incarnate came out earlier this year. How do you feel the response to it has been?

I think it’s been good. We’ve been playing a decent amount of the new songs in the set and folk have been reacting well to them. That’s all you can really judge by. If folk are dancing and singing along to your songs then you must be doing something right.

How do you feel the year has been for the band?

Busy. It’s been a busy year as we’ve been on the road for a lot of it. It’s good though, as we want to work and we have fun doing what we are doing.

What sort of gear do you use live? I remember hearing somewhere that you use Yamaha?

That’s correct. I use Yamaha drums, Zildjian cymbals, Evans heads and ProMark sticks. I use a maple-hybrid kit from Yamaha which sounds freaking awesome.

Who would you say inspired you to start playing drums?

Probably the first guy was John Bonham. The first time I ever learnt and tried to play along to beats was to Zeppelin stuff. I still enjoy playing that stuff at home so nothing’s changed all these years later though. I still can’t play that stuff even 25 years later!

If you weren’t a musician, what would you do?

I’d probably be homeless and living with a lot of cats! I’m not overly sure man. I’m just lucky things worked out with the band as I’m not really that good at anything else!

You’re also a fan of the Yankees if I’m correct…

Yes that’s correct indeed! I’ve currently not got a favourite player as they’re a bit frustrating at the moment. I’d say my all-time favourite player would be Don Mattingly as he was fantastic. Baseball’s not really that common over here though is it?

Not really which is a shame as I quite enjoy it.

Do you have a favourite team?

I lived just outside Chicago for a bit and as a result I’m a bit of a fan of Cubs.

Oh they’ve done really well this year. You must be quite pleased with them then.

Certainly am! Now, what are the band’s plans for the next 6 to 12 months?

Right after this tour we have 2 months off and then we head over to Australia with Fallujah. We’ve got a few tours lined up as well but we’ll wait and see what happens.

Are there any new bands that you’ve come across recently that have really piqued your interest?

Code Orange I’d say. That new song they released recently was unbelievably heavy and we did some shows with them last year. They’re super nice guys as well.

Is there any advice you’d give to new bands?

Play everything you can. You should try and play every show you possibly can as you’ll always meet some new people. We did that with all our other bands prior to Killswitch and it’s helped us out a lot. But no, play as many shows as you can and hang out with your fans.

[dropcap]K[/dropcap]illswitch Engage will release Beyond The Flames: Home Video Vol II, this Friday, December 9. The release is a two-disc Blu-ray and CD package. Watch the trailer below, and [amazon text=pre-order on Amazon&asin=B01M6DLEUQ] now.

Beyond The Flames: Home Video Vol II is a treasure trove of gripping content, containing over 3.5 hours of footage. It is a complete piece that is sure to delight KsE fans, both diehards and casual, due the compelling history of the band and the honesty in which the story is told.

At the heart of this release is the 75-minute documentary that chronicles the return of original vocalist Jesse Leach, after nearly a decade away, to the band he helped form back in 1999.

The release also examines the KsE early years that eventually led to Leach’s initial departure. Produced and directed by KsE storyteller Denise Korycki, this documentary picks up right where their 2005 {Set This} World Ablaze release left off, revealing the untold rest-of-the Killswitch Engage story.

For those KsE fans craving more live footage, Beyond the Flames: Home Video Vol II delivers in spades. Seventeen live performances have been captured from around the globe, including Leach’s first show back in the band, Download Festival, Knotfest, Loud Park Japan, and some surprises along the way. Here, fans can enjoy Killswitch Engage in their most natural state — alive, raw and reunited, doing what they do best.

Additional bonus material includes music videos, unique individual band member profiles, outtakes, and a bonus audio disc of six, previously unreleased live tracks from the band’s now-legendary 2014 “Monster Mosh” show in Worcester, Massachusetts.

The track listing for the live CD is:

  • No End in Sight
  • Life to Lifeless
  • Always
  • In Due Time
  • My Curse
  • The End of Heartache

Killswitch Engage: official | facebook | twitter

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