Jesse Leach, the frontman of Massachusetts metalcore icons KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, has opened up about a significant shift in his personal faith in a new interview, stating plainly: "I stopped calling myself a Christian. I believe I am a spiritual being."
Raised in an evangelical household with a minister father, Leach described a childhood spent moving frequently — from Missouri to Philadelphia to Wisconsin — immersed in organized religion. That foundational experience has, over decades of extensive touring and what Leach describes as "increased travel and education," transformed into something far more eclectic and personal.
At the center of his departure from organized religion is a deep discomfort with institutional hypocrisy. "Organized religion can be very ugly behind the facade," he observed. Leach was particularly pointed about the treatment of marginalized communities, including LGBTQ+ individuals, within religious institutions. "The human element of organized religion is what destroys, I believe, any semblance of what a God would be," he said.
Yet Leach was careful not to dismiss everything his upbringing gave him. He acknowledged retaining values absorbed through his Christian background — particularly around compassion, care for the vulnerable, and community mindfulness.
The interview is notable not just for its candor but for the broader conversation it opens about faith, identity, and belonging in the metal community — themes that Leach has never shied away from in his lyrics. KILLSWITCH ENGAGE have long woven personal struggle, perseverance, and spiritual questioning into their music, and this interview reaffirms that those themes are grounded in genuine lived experience rather than genre posturing.
KILLSWITCH ENGAGE released their ninth studio album This Consequence in February 2025, to strong commercial and critical reception. The record was praised for its renewed aggression and the clarity of Leach's vocal performance — a singer who, after his well-documented personal battles and health struggles, sounds more committed than ever.
The band continues to tour and remains one of the most celebrated acts in metalcore, known for melding the technical aggression of New Wave Of American Heavy Metal with melodic accessibility and deeply personal lyrical themes.