Killswitch Engage’s Jesse Leach Says These Are His Five Favorite Metal Vocalists

There’s a lot going on in Killswitch Engage frontman Jesse Leach‘s vocals. There’s his big, clean, melodic singing; there’s his harsh shrieking; there’s his deep bellowing — it’s crazy how much he can do. So what influences went into Jesse’s nuanced chops? Now, in a video interview, he’s listed his top five metal vocalists.

Speaking with our friends at The Pit, Jesse delivered his list of metal’s top five throats:

“I’d say, number one, Dan Swano, from Edge of Sanity and a plethora of other bands. To me, he’s the first guy that really blended the growling and the yelling and the screaming with beautiful melodic vocals, which led to bands like Opeth. He was there at the beginning of that whole scene and very much influenced Killswitch Engage. I would say European metal in general, whether it be Swedish, Scandinavian, that music really inspired me and everyone in Killswitch to do the style that we did. We were coming from more of a hardcore scene but hearing those styles mixed, that was everything. And to me, Dan Swano…you look at the early Edge of Sanity stuff, it’s just mindblowing. I think Crimson…that, to me, just blew my mind, that you could do that. That it worked, that it was coherent.

“Next up, Mike Patton. Who doesn’t love Mike Patton? The guy is just a pure artist. He doesn’t give a shit what you think about him; he does what he wants. And he can sing his face off…and scream. Great vocalist, a true artist and a badass.

“Next up, I’d say Lars Petrov from Entombed, rest in peace. One of the best, most brutal, harsh, even just angsty, punk rock death metal. His voice was just everything. His attitude, the way he carried himself…true metal.

“Next up, speaking of death metal, George ‘Corpsegrinder’ Fisher. One of the best voices on the planet. Untouchable. And just the nicest dude you’ll meet. But just a beast on the mic. No vocal fry, no tricks, no nothing, just straight, raw brutality. Incredible vocalist…

“Last I’d say, Jonas [Renkse] from Katatonia. Katatonia have been a huge…I just haven’t stopped listening to them for the past few years! Just an incredible band, and his voice is just angelic. It’s beautiful. It’s got melancholy, it’s got strength, it’s got frustration…it’s just an incredible voice. Big, big fan of that guy.”

You can watch the video below: