Jones' vocal performances have been described as "emotive and strident", and he has been referred to as "one of metalcore's finest singers".[3]
Early years
Born in Columbus, Ohio, in 1970, Jones quickly became interested in metal music. Some of his classmates viewed him as an outcast, but he still had a group of friends that enjoyed the same music. 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 school hallways. If someone approached him, he would discuss music until eventually sharing what was on his mind.[4]
Career
Jones started 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. In 2002, he joined Killswitch Engage as their new vocalist after Jesse Leach left the band. During his time with Killswitch Engage, they released a gold-certified album, The End of Heartache,[5] a platinum-certified album As Daylight Dies,[6] as well as a second self-titled album. Jones 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. His later band Light the Torch would also tour with Killswitch Engage, and he would appear with the band onstage to perform the song, as well as other songs from his time with them, often as a duet 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.[7]
Jones still makes sporadic appearances when Killswitch Engage goes on tour, surprising crowds and singing alongside Leach.[8] Jones has also filled in for other bands, such as Trivium and Five Finger Death Punch.[9][10]
Jones started Devil You Know with guitarist Francesco Artusato (All Shall Perish) and drummer John Sankey (Devolved, Fear Factory and Divine Heresy). After 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. The band has released 4 studio albums, with their most recent being released in 2021.
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.[11]
In March 2021, Jones joined with heavy metal YouTuberJared Dines and producer Hiram Hernandez to release "The Blade" as part of a new project named Sion.[12]
On December 3, 2024, Jones via his Instagram confirmed that he and former Killswitch Engage bandmate Adam Dutkiewicz were almost finished mixing a debut album for their new band called Burn Eternal.[13][bettersourceneeded] In July 2025, Jones stated that he started working on a solo album.[14]
Personal life
Jones is an avid fisherman and owns property on the Red River of the North in Manitoba, Canada. He is a frequent guest on Jamey Jasta's podcast on the GaS Digital Network. Jones left Killswitch Engage in early 2012 to allow himself to manage his type 2 diabetes, which was worsened by a hectic touring lifestyle.[15] In 2014, Jones stated that his diabetes put him in a coma for three days.[16]
Jones later stated “I was going insane. It never occurred to me to get help. For years, I just tried to fight through it and I was driving those guys berserk. My anxiety was building and building, and near the end, there were a lot of times I’d sit in the back of the bus or lie in my bunk for hours on end without speaking to anyone.”
In 2015, Jones revealed that he had struggled with anxiety and depression for a long time, which had been worsened by his rise to fame in Killswitch Engage. He revealed that he had come close to committing suicide in 2009, when he had aimed a .44 Magnum revolver at his head in his apartment in Connecticut, and that the police had intervened after being notified by a concerned neighbor.[17] In 2018, he teamed up with his former band to raise awareness for mental health;[18] the resulting song "The Signal Fire" appears on the 2019 album Atonement.[19]
In 2007, Killswitch Engage would win Best International Band at that year's Metal Hammer Golden God Awards.[23] That same year, the band would win both Most Outstanding Metal/Hardcore Band of the Year and Act of the Year at the Boston Music Awards. As Daylight Dies was also nominated for album of the year. Individually, Jones was nominated for the National Male Vocalist of the Year.[24]
In 2014, Jones and his new band, Devil You Know (now known as Light the Torch) won the Best New Band award at that year’s Metal Hammer Golden God awards.[25]
↑ Dario (September 22, 2006). "Interview mit Killswitch Engage". www.allschools.de (in German). Archived from the original on July 30, 2016. Retrieved May 9, 2017. [...] Howard ist in vielen belangen ein eher gelassener Typ, der seine Meinung nicht unbedingt jedem aufbindet, dass wird auch sehr deutlich wenn man auf das Thema Straight Edge zu sprechen kommt: Ich denke, dass es für mich das Richtige ist, wenn es für jemanden anders aussieht, dann ist das in Ordnung. [...] (Howard is in many respects a rather serene guy who does not necessarily tie his opinion to anyone, that is also very clear when the topic of straight edge comes: I think it's the right thing for me, if it looks different for someone, it's all right).
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