Some of you may know Howard Jones from the legendary time he spend in Killswitch Engage. He spent 10 years in the band from 2002 – 2012. The first album that Howard appeared on was 2004’s ‘The End of Heartache’. Howard replaced singer Jesse Leach that had fell into a depression and decided to quit the band telling the band via email right before they had some shows lined up. Killswitch quickly started looking for a replacement. The previous album ‘Alive Or Just Breathing’ was the last to feature Leach. The album had some critical response so the success of ‘The End Of Heartache’ sealed the deal that the band had made the right decision in selecting a new vocalist. The title track was nominated for Best Metal Performance for the 47th Annual Grammy Awards. The album also was certified Gold by the RIAA on December 7, 2007. Killswitch Engage was/is one of those bands that instantly grabbed the attention of most metal heads. Not just any band can cover Dio’s “Holy Diver” and still be accepted by the metal world. In 2012 Howard left the band to gain control of his diabetes, which had been hard to control while on tour. There wasn’t much time off for him as he almost immediately formed Devil You Know. The original lineup of the band was Howard on vocals, Francesco Artusato (All Shall Perish, Hiss of Atrocities) – guitars, Ryan Wombacher (Bleeding Through) – bass, backing vocals, Roy Lev-Ari (Hiss of Atrocities) – guitars and John Sankey (Divine Heresy, Fear Factory)– drums. Since then Roy Lev-Ari and John Sankey have left the band. The current drummer of the band is Mike Sciulara (Extinction A.D.). I was fortunate enough to see the band a couple times while on tour with Coal Chamber and on stage they put on an amazing show. Howard’s vocals are still brilliant and he carries that same perfect tone he made so famous in Killswitch. Devil You Know released two albums ‘The Beauty of Destruction’ (2014) and ‘They Bleed Red’ (2015). The on July 26, 2017, the band announced via social media that they have changed their name to Light the Torch. The band in a way wanted a fresh start, and I believe the name has a better ring to it. The band is now set to release their debut under the name Light The Torch with ‘Revival’ which will be out on March 30, 2018. The singles “Calm Before The Storm” and “Die Alone” has already been released from the album and if this is any indication the album is going to be a complete success.
This week on Talk Toomey: The Metal Nexus Podcast host Joshua Toomey welcomed the man with the golden pipes himself Howard Jones. The two tell a slew of tour stories from over the years of playing stages across the country and abroad. The guys also talk about their JNCO jeans from back in the late 90’s that were so popular. The jean company tried to make a comeback but failed and announced recently they would be closing the door yet again. Toomey also refers to Howard as “the voice that killed nu metal”. He talks about having to dump the name Devil You Know and now going by Light The Torch. They also talk fishing, some hilarious things Howard has done on stage and upcoming tour for Light The Torch. Howard Jones also recently was photographed hanging out with his former band mates in Killswitch Engage and about spending time with them he said “They Are Friends Who Saw Me At My Worst…It Was Good To See Them Again”. You can see Light The Torch’s official video for “Die Alone” above and hear the entire interview with Toomey below.
