Now that the official announcement is out of the way, Jesse Leach can start talking publicly about his reunion with Killswitch Engage — and he hasn’t wasted any time, offering a few hints about what fans can expect from the band’s new material during a recent radio interview.

Leach discussed the steps that led to his rejoining the band, starting with the glimmer of a thought that, even if he didn’t come back full-time, he’d be interested in an ‘Alive or Just Breathing’ reunion tour. And even when he decided he wanted back in, he didn’t take anything for granted; as he told it during the interview, “I went and called their manager and said, ‘Put me on the list for the tryouts. Let me do this the right way. Put me on the list and I’ll be one of those many to audition.’

“I was the last one to show up for the auditions, I was the last one in line,” Leach recalled, sharing his nervousness about tackling the material the band recorded with his recently departed replacement, Howard Jones. “And I went in there and sang seven of the songs and I actually felt really good about it, and I’ve fallen in love with those songs since.”

Leach also reflected on his departure from the band in 2002, saying, “I was going through a bit of a depression. I had just gotten married and I was missing my wife.” He added, “I was suppressing those feelings and not feeling comfortable talking to the guys about it. We’re on our first big tour, and the last thing they want is the singer complaining about [his] problems. For me, not being able to voice those issues, and being a young guy — I was a kid back them — it just kind of messed with my head.”

Having spent some time with the 14 demos the band cooked up prior to his return, Leach shared a few thoughts on the new material. “I can tell you right now from the demos, the people are gonna be really surprised; they’re setting the bar up high once again,” he said, promising, “It’s really fast and it’s really heavy. It’s not what people are going to anticipate, I’m sure. I literally am getting chills right now talking about it. It’s gonna blow the doors off people, man. It’s gonna be great.”

Listen to the full interview below:

Jesse Leach Talks Killswitch Engage Reunion with Brock & the Fat Guy on 94.7 The End

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