Killswitch Engage frontman Jesse Leach says this is the best hardcore song ever written

Jesse Leach live on stage — (Image credit: Getty)

In the latest issue of Metal Hammer, which hits shops today, Killswitch Engage frontman Jesse Leach faces your questions as Hammer readers grill the singer on the New Wave Of American Heavy Metal, 'vision quests', new Killswitch music and much more.

Given he's a man who knows a thing or two about punk and hardcore music, we weren't too surprised when, upon being asked for his pick as the greatest hardcore song ever written, he had a ready-made answer at hand.

"Sick Of It All's We Stand Alone," shoots back the frontman, who returned to the Killswitch Engage fold in 2012 after ten years away. "That song encapsulates why I love hardcore and punk. It's a total protest song. When I was younger, looking for my identity, I didn't fit in with the mainstream, I didn't fit in with the cool kids, I didn't fit in with all these people. Sick Of It All were one of those bands that made me proud."

Originally released on the 1991 EP of the same name, We Stand Alone remains an empowering, razor-riffed slab of hardcore punk featuring defiant, rallying lyrics from frontman Lou Koller. 'Who are you to make up rules and put us down?' he barks. 'With our friends, we'll stay to the end / And if it comes down to it, we'll stand alone.' The track was also included on the New York hardcore innovators' second full-length album, Just Look Around, released in 1992.

"That song was all about standing on your own," adds Leach. "You don't need help from anybody or society, you don't have to follow all the laws that they throw at you, think for yourself."

Read more from Jesse Leach alongside brand new interviews with the likes of Metallica, Linkin Park, Gojira, Ice-T, Sophie Lloyd and many more, only in the new issue of Metal Hammer magazine. Order yours right now from this link.

Merlin was promoted to Executive Editor of Louder in early 2022, following over ten years working at Metal Hammer. While there, he served as Online Editor and Deputy Editor, before being promoted to Editor in 2016. Before joining Metal Hammer, Merlin worked as Associate Editor at Terrorizer Magazine and has written for Classic Rock, Rock Sound, eFestivals and others. Across his career he has interviewed legends including Ozzy Osbourne, Lemmy, Metallica, Iron Maiden (including getting a trip on Ed Force One courtesy of Bruce Dickinson), Guns N' Roses, KISS, Slipknot, System Of A Down and Meat Loaf. He has also presented and produced the Metal Hammer Podcast, presented the Metal Hammer Radio Show and is probably responsible for 90% of all nu metal-related content making it onto the site.

With contributions from

Paris Fawcett