New England metallers Killswitch Engage have announced the departure of long-serving frontman Howard Jones.

Jones, previously of hardcore metal act Blood Has Been Shed, joined Killswitch in 2002 and made his vocal debut on their third album, 2004’s ‘The End of Heartache’. It is said Jones has left the band for “personal reasons”.

His place at recent live shows has been filled by All That Remains vocalist Jesse Leach, although the band have stated that Leach will not be joining Killswitch full time.

The band have posted an official statement, which can be read below.

“To our family, friends and fans: We have decided to continue on without Howard Jones as the singer of KILLSWITCH ENGAGE. We love Howard and are thankful for the nine years that we’ve had him in the band. Out of respect for everyone involved, we will not be discussing the specific reasons behind this decision. Howard is a part of our family and always will be, and we wish him well. He has left big shoes to fill, so we certainly have our work cut out for us to find the next singer of KILLSWITCH, something we plan on making priority #1 going forward. Most importantly, thanks to all of you for all the support throughout the years and for sticking by us for all this time. We really do appreciate it and we very much look forward to having a new record for all of you in the not too distant future that we can all be proud of.”