Joël Stroetzel - Killswitch Engage

June 11 2009 (Bataclan - Paris)

It's a few hours before their show with DIR EN GREY that I had a meeting with the most nice guy on the band, Joel Stroetzel, always smiling and fun to speak with. And it's around only a "Perrier" (where's the beer???!!!) that he answered to my questions about the upcoming album and tonight's show.

Fab: So, are you happy to be here in Paris ?
Joel Stroetzel (Guitare): Oh absolutely, absolutely. It's a beautiful place. We've always had very cool shows here.

Fab: Are you gonna play some new songs tonight?
Joel Stroetzel: We will. We've been rehearsing two or three, but I'm not sure which one we are going to play tonight. It's kind of decided in the last minute.

Fab: Your new album is due to be released on june 30th… Could you speak about it?
Joel Stroetzel: (cutting) June 30th in the USA, but I'm not sure, maybe sooner in Europe (ndlr: June 29th).

Fab: Could you speak about it, the songwriting process?
Joel Stroetzel: Actually, the writing process was kind of the same, we just go home...We never write on the road, we wait 'till we get home to do that. Justin (Foley - Drummer) is down in Saint Louis, but really the rest of us are closer to the Massachusetts - Connecticut area, so he flies in every other week, and we rehearse 4 days like 6 or 7 hours. It's very easy to write the songs, they came up, after having been touring so long. It's cool to be in the writing mode (again). It comes very naturally I guess. And about the recording, we changed things up a little bit with Brendan O'Brien, a different producer. The drums were recorded down in Atlanta, Georgia and then we came back up in Massachusetts to do guitars and all that stuff. So, it was a little bit different as we use usually do this without an outside producer.

Fab: So it was a big change for you, working with an outside producer?
Joel Stroetzel: It was kind of refreshing in a lot of ways, frustrating in others because we had our way to do this, but I think in the end it was good because of that, you know? He did an awesome job. Yeah, it was a different experience but I think hopefully a good one (laughter).

Fab: And about the cover artwork?
Joel Stroetzel: It was just an image that Mike (D'Antonio) our bass player had carried on for a while. Trying to do something straightforward, simple, easy, with different textures and colours, with an aggressive kind of look to it. So we said "that's cool, let's roll with it".

Fab: And for you, it defines very well KSE?
Joel Stroetzel: Well, I'm not really sure, it's just a straightforward image of what the record is about. Straightforward with the sound, maybe less progressive than the other things that we've done in the past.

Fab: On your website, you're offering different packages when buying this new album, with special t-shirt designed by Mike D. & goodies. It's your way to thank your loyal fans, offering quality stuff while other bands just choose this easiest way?
Joel Stroetzel: We try to be a lot more (involved) with the fan club on the last couple of years. On the last tour, we did a "Meet & greet" every day with the fans, to sign t-shirts, etc… So it's kind of a fun thing to do, you know, to get people involved.

Fab: You're a band with multiple talents as Howard Jones (Lead Vocal) is a band manager, Mike D. is a Graphic artist who's designing for a lot of other bands, or Adam Dutkiewicz (Guitar) who's a record producer. How do you manage all this? And do you think, as I think, that it's a complementary momentum for the creativity of the band?
Joel Stroetzel: Yeah, as a band, we've always been a kind of self-continuing, you know. The production, the writing of the song, the artwork, everything happens within the band. It all comes out of our own stubbornness in the end, kind of our own way to do things. It allows us kind of stay honest, and to do exactly what we wanna do. That's part of the frustration (thing), in a good way, I mean that in a good way, working on a project which is very different, having somebody else on the inside. It's kind of a strange thing.
(Thinking and smiling) I'm not sure if I'm telling you the right answer (to your question)…

Fab: In a way (laughter), I just wanted to know how do you manage doing all this stuff outside the band, and if it helps you for the creativity?
Joel Stroetzel: Oh yes, ok, I understand. I think it's important for people to do their own things. When you do things for KSE, you have to keep everyone fresh, you know, because you'll get tired and it will be only faint and you have to focus on these stuffs. So we have our little side-projects, and yeah, I think it's important for people to do their own things, when there's time. We're then more fresh when we come back for KSE.

And I forgot to mention that before we start the writing, maybe in September, we were taking a month off as we finished touring for about two years. We say "let's just take a month or so, some time away (from each other)", try not to beat ourselves too much, to clear our heads, and, rest. And so when we came back together, we were excited to see each other again, to play without pressure.

(Thinking) Another thing I might add too, it's almost like there is two lives, it comes that we have two lives. The life on the road that usually happens for about a year or two year, and there's 6 month, one year at home. And between, at home, see the wives, work in a studio environment, it's kind a like, it's right about the time we get tired of all the touring, and it kind of works out, when it's time to go home and make the record. It keeps things interesting.

Fab: I will now follow the "trend", speaking about Guitar Hero, as your song "My Curse" was used for the GH III. Could you tell us a little bit more about your involvement into this?
Joel Stroetzel: It was actually a last minute opportunity that we had. I guess they have an extra spot at the very last minute. I'm not that much of a video player, but some of the other guys are. But it was a really good opportunity for us and for the people to hear the song. And "My Curse" would probably be harder for us to play (laughter).

Fab: That's exactly what Lars Ulrich from METALLICA said, that is was more difficult for him because it's not music, it's just a video game, more of a coordination game.
Joel Stroetzel: Yeah.

Fab : You've signed with Roadrunner in 2002 if I'm correct. What are your feeling 7 years after?
Joel Stroetzel: They've always been really good to us, letting us do our own thing, they never tried to turn us into a radio rock band. So, yeah, I think it was a really good choice. It's good to have, all over the years, a record label that stood by us and were good to us when we lost our original singer (ndlr: Jesse Leach), they didn't want us to stop, they said "we'll help you find a new guy, to keep doing it because we love you guys…".

But after this record that's coming out next, we'll just have only one more in our contract. I'm not sure of what will happen from there. If we'll put something out to Roadrunner, or if Roadrunner will make an offer to us for ten years…It's still up in the air.

Fab: Do you have a special fun facts about touring you can share with us?
Joel Stroetzel: (Amused laughter). A lot of times, it's kind of a blurry. Everybody in the band likes to drink, listening to crazy music and stuff. And we've met some crazy people, with strange piercings, dragon-like contact lenses, yes, pretty crazy-looking people. But they all seemed to be pretty nice and into the music. And you've got sometimes people jumping on stage, girls taking their tops off. That's always fun.

Fab: I noticed there was a lot of girls waiting outside.
Joel Stroetzel: Yeah, that's not bad (laughter).

Fab: What are you plans for the close future?
Joel Stroetzel: We're doing some club shows and festivals for the next couple of weeks, we go home, the record comes out, and then we're going to do, I think it's the MAYHEM tour in the States, it's with Marylin Manson and Slayer (Rockstar Mayhem Fest), it's a big metal festival in the US for the summer. And then, hopefully, to get back here in Europe by the end of the year. But that's still up in the air.

Fab: And did you hear about the HELLFEST, the biggest metal festival in France?
Joel Stroetzel: Euh, (hesitating), I think I heard about it.

Fab: But then, there's so much festival during the summer.
Joel Stroetzel: Yeah (laughter). We hit a few, but…

Fab: With which bands would you love to tour?
Joel Stroetzel: One of those bands that we've always said than we'd love to tour with, and thought it would never actually happened, because growing up they were broken up, it's FAITH NO MORE. Most of us were pretty huge fans, and we were lucky enough to tour with them for one show in Donington, the Download Festival.

Fab: What was your personal involvement in the making of the new album ?
Joel Stroetzel: Which songs did I write? Still working on the songs titles (laughter). "Save Me", "A light in a darkened world" and "Take Me Away". These are the songs that I wrote. Mike did a few and Justin did "Starting Over", …yeah, it's kind of a combination of everybody.

Fab: And what have been the inspirations for writing the new stuff? Books, movies?
Joel Stroetzel: I mean for us,i tend to hear a lot of riffs in my head and I try to translate them through the guitar, and then you write a song. You try to make it work with your instrument. But as far as influences, I love European metal like IN FLAMES, SOILWORK, with more melodic guitar. Still heavy but melodic. But our biggest influences would be IN FLAMES.

Fab: Last question, anything special for tonight's show, except new songs?
Joel Stroetzel: Oh we've got this new staging thing, some ramps that people will be around and around on. So yeah, we'll see what happens!!!