In industrial parlance a “kill switch” is a device that instantly shuts down machinery when something goes wrong so things can be reset and started over again. The metaphor is well-suited for metalcore giants Killswitch Engage, who formed their group in 1999 after the bands they had previously belonged to were disbanded.

Pressing the button on their own figurative kill switch, the guys in the band were looking to start over on a fresh new journey. And what an astounding trip it’s been! Now, some 20 years, eight studio albums (including a fistful of gold and platinum hits), and three Grammy nominations later, KSE is still tearing up stages with their intense personas and standard-setting music.

With them for every screeching twist and turn on this frenetic ride over the past decade has been their lighting designer Cody James. A leading metal music LD, James had just finished a tour with Yellowcard when he was introduced to KSE by Derek Iorfida of JDI Productions. The chemistry was as powerful as it was instant.

James has since traveled the world with the KSE. Along the way he’s gained a deep intuitive feel for the band and the personalities of its members, an invaluable asset that has helped him busk mind bending shows.

In this interview, James shares his insights into working with the icons of metal music.

Critics have praised KSE for the energy level they bring to their shows, with phrases like they “hit the stage like a freight train.” So the natural question is how do you keep up with this band as a designer?
“Truth be told, you kind of have to throw caution to the wind. This is why I punt all of my KSE shows. It allows the band to go where they want to go on stage musically, with me always being right there with them. It definitely took some time to get used to keeping up with the guys, but now when we all get locked in the whole show comes at you at a million miles per hour.

KSE is made up of strong personalities. Do you try to reflect the individuality of each band member the way you light him individually at times?
“Yes, one thousand percent! Each member of the band is a completely different person than the next. Like on the band’s song ‘Signal Fire,’ during Adam D’s guitar solo, I go full rig rainbow — and for anyone who is a fan of the band, it really makes sense because Adam is the light hearted comedian of the band and it fits his personality.

“Jesse Leach, the singer of KSE, on the other hand takes the world a bit more seriously and has a message of Unity and Love he tries to spread every night. So, the parts of the show we try to highlight him on are a bit more straightforward and built for the emotion of his words to carry over visually.

“Joel and Mike make my life very easy. Every night they find a light they like during a song and will just hang out and play around in it. They are definitely my free flowing members of the band. For Justin on the drums I really just try not to fry him like an egg with whatever wall of light we usually build behind him. He wouldn’t complain even if I did though.”

How involved is the band in the creative process when you develop their lighting design?
“Honestly not at all. The band has full trust in me and our production manager Josh Mihlek. Josh and I spend about a month before each tour on daily facetime meetings going over design ideas and small tweaks before anything gets built. Josh’s wife Erin is like our secret third member of the design team just having to listen to us going back and forth. She really enjoys when we get on about HUD truss. At the end of it all it’s a giant surprise for the guys in the band on day one. For about a week after every show on the last tour we did, different members of the band would come up to me at the end of the night and comment on something new they finally saw happen for the first time.”

About how many shows have you done with KSE?
“That’s a tough one I’ve never even roughly tried to keep track of it. But, I would have to say it’s somewhere around 200 shows. I will definitely say I’ve done more KSE shows at this point than anyone else.”

Has becoming more familiar with the band changed the way you see them and their music?
“I would say so, when you start working for a new band, at least for me it’s just a job. You get in, do what you have to do, and get out. Then you hope that they like what you do and call you back. But after almost 10 years those guys are my family. I couldn’t imagine missing a show at this point. I didn’t know much about the band or their music when I took the job, but at this point they can play just about any song from any record and I’m ready for it. I have 40 songs on a tour ready to go just in case the guys decide to change things up, which they do on a nightly basis.”

How did you hook up with KSE initially?
“Honestly I’m not sure exactly how it happened. I was out on one of my first tours with Yellowcard on a day off somewhere; I got a phone call from Derek Iorfida from JDI Productions. He has had a relationship with the Band for a lot of years and when they were looking for a new guy they called him and I was his first phone call. So, I finished the tour I was on and headed right out with the KSE guys for our first US tour together.”

In all your shows with KSE are there one or two that stand out as being most memorable?
“First would have to be my first KSE show ever. It was at the diamond ballroom in Oklahoma. During the show I was dealing with a case of serious first show nerves but we were getting through it. About half way through the show I notice that the crowd is all turned around looking at front of house, I think I have done something wrong and the whole audience is getting ready to turn on me.

“Nerves shot through the roof! I turn around to see what’s going on to find Adam D standing inches behind me playing his guitar. At that moment I thought I was fired, I’m sure you could see the panic on my face. I turned to look at our audio guy at the time who was just laughing at me for a little help, Who informed me that nothing was wrong. Adam just likes to go hang out in the crowd during the show. I took it as a little hazing of the new guy and a welcome to the team. Second would have to be getting to play the O2 arena in London. We did 2 nights there supporting Iron Maiden and both nights were just magical.”

What’s the best thing about lighting KSE?
“Freedom! The freedom to be creative and push the envelope on what I think a ‘metal’ show should look like. And Trust! The trust of the band and their management to know I am going to do everything in my power in any situation to give the band the best show possible. Finally, the family — the band is the band obviously but there are 11 of us on the bus and each and every one of us holds the key to an important part of the show. I’ve never been involved in a team of people who worked so well together towards one common goal, and I still get as excited now almost 10 years later to leave for a KSE tour as I did on day one.”