KILLSWITCH ENGAGE vocalist JESSE LEACH has paid tribute to METALLICA, calling the thrash titans "the forefathers of all of this stuff" during a recent radio appearance.
Speaking with Mike "Radioactive MikeZ" Zara on the "Wired In The Empire" program on 96.7 KCAL-FM, Leach reflected on METALLICA's enormous influence and singled out the band's self-titled 1991 release — universally known as "The Black Album" — for praise. "It's got so many hits on it... such a radical change for that band," he said, before naming a personal favorite: "'Enter Sandman' was a big one for me. I still love that song."
Leach reserved his highest praise for METALLICA's early catalogue. "They're the forefathers of all of this stuff, and just those first four records alone — untouchable," he said, referencing the run from Kill 'Em All through ...And Justice For All.
Asked how he might approach covering "Enter Sandman," the metalcore frontman floated a strikingly different interpretation: "I would do an acoustic version... 12 strings and make it sort of psychedelic... a psychedelic lullaby."
The comments come as KILLSWITCH ENGAGE continue to ride momentum from their latest album, This Consequence, released in February 2025 via Metal Blade Records. The record is the Massachusetts band's ninth studio album and the sixth to feature Leach, who returned to the fold in 2012, and spawned singles including "Forever Aligned," the Top 10 hit "I Believe," "Collusion" and "Aftermath."
The band launched a U.S. tour this month with a fittingly heavy supporting bill featuring MACHINE HEAD, IRON REAGAN and HAVOK. Having helped define the 2000s metalcore wave alongside peers like SHADOWS FALL and UNEARTH, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE remain one of the genre's most enduring and respected names.
For Leach, the admiration for METALLICA is clearly rooted in genuine fandom — a reminder that even established metal frontmen still carry the songs that first pulled them toward heavy music.