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Howard Jones (American singer)
Howard Jones (born July 20, 1970) is an American metalcore vocalist best known as the former lead singer of Killswitch Engage and Blood Has Been Shed. He is the current vocalist of Light the Torch, formerly known as Devil You Know, and SION with YouTuber/guitarist Jared Dines.
Jones' vocal performances have been described as "emotive and strident", and he has been referred to as "one of metalcore's finest singers".
Born in Columbus, Ohio, in 1970, Jones quickly became interested in metal. He has stated that his journey into heavier music came from one of his high school friends: “I’m getting exposed to a lot of music. I listened to radio and stuff like that all the time. But then he’s the one that really exposed me to metal and death metal, just all that. So it was kind of him. Age of 14 or 15, he’s just got tapes and CDs and I just started absorbing it. I just loved it. That was kind of it. I think it was like '85 when we started listening to Stryper. That time you’re just pulling from all this stuff. So I’m watching MTV, but I’m still listening to everything. If I can get my ears on it I’m absorbing it. That was a good time for me.” He would often search for underground bands to listen to. During his high school years, he would always listen to something while walking in the hallways. During his teen years, Jones started to suffer from anxiety and depression.
Jones' love for heavy music led to him making music in the underground band Driven in 1996, releasing a single album. He later performed with Blood Has Been Shed from 1997 to 2004, releasing 3 studio albums. In 2002, after hearing about Jesse Leach's departure, Jones contacted Killswitch Engage and tried out for them. Jones was then accepted by the band, beating out Philip Labonte of All That Remains. Jones then had to quickly memorize seven songs for his debut at the 2002 Hellfest. During his time with Killswitch Engage, they released the gold-certified album The End of Heartache, the platinum-certified As Daylight Dies, as well as a second self-titled album which was their biggest commercial success at that point, peaking at number 7 on the Billboard 200 along with becoming their first to top the US Hard Rock Albums Chart. He and the band also contributed to the God of War: Blood & Metal soundtrack with the song “My Obsession”. Jones' lyrics introduced a more introspective and emotionally resonant tone than previous records, which helped broaden the band’s appeal and emotional range. During the band's 2010 winter tour, Jones temporarily stepped away to deal with personal issues related to his mental health. Jones then officially left the band after nearly ten years in 2012, but remained a close friend. He would go on to collaborate with them again for the single "The Signal Fire" from their album Atonement. Jones still makes sporadic appearances when Killswitch Engage goes on tour, surprising crowds and singing alongside Leach.
Leach has praised Jones for elevating the band’s mainstream reach, spotlighting The End of Heartache as the turning point for the band’s global impact. Jones has also filled in for other bands, such as Trivium and Five Finger Death Punch.
Jones started Devil You Know with guitarist Francesco Artusato (All Shall Perish) and drummer John Sankey (Devolved, Fear Factory and Divine Heresy). Billed as a supergroup, they released two albums, The Beauty of Destruction (2014) and They Bleed Red (2015). Following Sankey's departure and his attempt to claim the copyright of the band's name, the rest of the band members started again with a fresh name, Light the Torch, with the addition of a new drummer. Jones stated “There was just too much negativity. And so it needed to be cut, and an even better way to change the name, change the style of music, but it’s still the guys who were bonded together to do it. It’s a completely separate thing. And I don’t know how many of those songs [from Devil You Know] will ever see the light of day from us in a live setting, but it’s just part of the journey.” Light the Torch then released Revival in 2018, with Jones claiming he felt a renewed love for music. In 2021, they released their second record, You Will Be the Death of Me.
In 2020, Jones released a cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s song "Simple Man". It received 600,000 views by June 2021, with Jones stating that he didn't expect the reception.
In March 2021, Jones joined with heavy metal YouTuber Jared Dines and producer Hiram Hernandez to release "The Blade" as part of a new project named Sion.
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Howard Jones (American singer)
Howard Jones (born July 20, 1970) is an American metalcore vocalist best known as the former lead singer of Killswitch Engage and Blood Has Been Shed. He is the current vocalist of Light the Torch, formerly known as Devil You Know, and SION with YouTuber/guitarist Jared Dines.
Jones' vocal performances have been described as "emotive and strident", and he has been referred to as "one of metalcore's finest singers".
Born in Columbus, Ohio, in 1970, Jones quickly became interested in metal. He has stated that his journey into heavier music came from one of his high school friends: “I’m getting exposed to a lot of music. I listened to radio and stuff like that all the time. But then he’s the one that really exposed me to metal and death metal, just all that. So it was kind of him. Age of 14 or 15, he’s just got tapes and CDs and I just started absorbing it. I just loved it. That was kind of it. I think it was like '85 when we started listening to Stryper. That time you’re just pulling from all this stuff. So I’m watching MTV, but I’m still listening to everything. If I can get my ears on it I’m absorbing it. That was a good time for me.” He would often search for underground bands to listen to. During his high school years, he would always listen to something while walking in the hallways. During his teen years, Jones started to suffer from anxiety and depression.
Jones' love for heavy music led to him making music in the underground band Driven in 1996, releasing a single album. He later performed with Blood Has Been Shed from 1997 to 2004, releasing 3 studio albums. In 2002, after hearing about Jesse Leach's departure, Jones contacted Killswitch Engage and tried out for them. Jones was then accepted by the band, beating out Philip Labonte of All That Remains. Jones then had to quickly memorize seven songs for his debut at the 2002 Hellfest. During his time with Killswitch Engage, they released the gold-certified album The End of Heartache, the platinum-certified As Daylight Dies, as well as a second self-titled album which was their biggest commercial success at that point, peaking at number 7 on the Billboard 200 along with becoming their first to top the US Hard Rock Albums Chart. He and the band also contributed to the God of War: Blood & Metal soundtrack with the song “My Obsession”. Jones' lyrics introduced a more introspective and emotionally resonant tone than previous records, which helped broaden the band’s appeal and emotional range. During the band's 2010 winter tour, Jones temporarily stepped away to deal with personal issues related to his mental health. Jones then officially left the band after nearly ten years in 2012, but remained a close friend. He would go on to collaborate with them again for the single "The Signal Fire" from their album Atonement. Jones still makes sporadic appearances when Killswitch Engage goes on tour, surprising crowds and singing alongside Leach.
Leach has praised Jones for elevating the band’s mainstream reach, spotlighting The End of Heartache as the turning point for the band’s global impact. Jones has also filled in for other bands, such as Trivium and Five Finger Death Punch.
Jones started Devil You Know with guitarist Francesco Artusato (All Shall Perish) and drummer John Sankey (Devolved, Fear Factory and Divine Heresy). Billed as a supergroup, they released two albums, The Beauty of Destruction (2014) and They Bleed Red (2015). Following Sankey's departure and his attempt to claim the copyright of the band's name, the rest of the band members started again with a fresh name, Light the Torch, with the addition of a new drummer. Jones stated “There was just too much negativity. And so it needed to be cut, and an even better way to change the name, change the style of music, but it’s still the guys who were bonded together to do it. It’s a completely separate thing. And I don’t know how many of those songs [from Devil You Know] will ever see the light of day from us in a live setting, but it’s just part of the journey.” Light the Torch then released Revival in 2018, with Jones claiming he felt a renewed love for music. In 2021, they released their second record, You Will Be the Death of Me.
In 2020, Jones released a cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s song "Simple Man". It received 600,000 views by June 2021, with Jones stating that he didn't expect the reception.
In March 2021, Jones joined with heavy metal YouTuber Jared Dines and producer Hiram Hernandez to release "The Blade" as part of a new project named Sion.