Killswitch Engage frontman Jesse Leach says he would put out a reggae album if he thought he could get away with it.
The singer says he hates the restrictions that genres put on musicians and admits that if he wrote the music he truly wanted to write, his fans would not be impressed.
He has a number of side projects including blues rock band Seemless, hardcore metal outfit The Empire Shall Fall and rock act Times of Grace. Last year, promoting his lo-fi solo project Aliken, he said he had no time for fans who want to pigeonhole him as a metal singer.
Leach tells Hysteria: “I hate terms of segregation and genre. They are necessary for people to sort of understand in a language to describe what you’re hearing. For me, I grow very weary and extremely bored with genres.
“And the fact that Killswitch is the kind of band that it is, it kind of forced us in a sense, to write within specific parameters because people expect that of us, and that’s fine, I get it.
“At the end of the day, it’s what keeps the beast moving and keeps the fans happy. But that’s why I do so many things on the side. Even stuff that doesn’t see the light of day. I just can’t stick to one style.
“I’m a huge reggae lover. I’m huge punk rock lover. Jazz, classical, you name it – I like it. It’s about knowing your strengths and weaknesses. I’m pretty decent at what I do with Killswitch, and I tend to stick to that.
“But my true loves and what I’d rather be spending my time doing, I don’t think it would jive with most of my fans. If could put out a reggae record, I would.”
Leach last month wrapped up a DJ and spoken word tour of Australia.
