Killswitch Engage’s Mike D’Antonio Rejects A.I. Claims: "I Don’t Wanna Be Associated With It"
The bassist calls out speculation that his artwork was A.I.-generated, emphasizing his hands-on creative process and frustration with modern assumptions.
- Mike D’Antonio shuts down A.I. rumors—his album cover was not machine-generated. After eight months and ten thousand photos, he’s had enough of the internet’s nonsense.
- Killswitch Engage’s bassist/designer is not amused—‘I killed myself making that fricking cover art,’ he says. A.I.? Not in his house.
- The internet thinks everything is A.I. now—meanwhile, Ghost’s Papa V is running around, Ozzy’s final show is coming, and Dragon Age is imploding. The real dystopia is here.
Another day, another internet conspiracy theory—this time, aimed at Killswitch Engage bassist and graphic designer Mike D’Antonio, who’s had to crawl out of the art cave he’s been living in for the past eight months just to tell people to shut the hell up about A.I. Apparently, some online detectives (aka Reddit comment sections and that one dude on X with an anime profile pic) decided that the cover for Killswitch Engage’s new album, This Consequence, was the spawn of Skynet.
His response? A beautiful cocktail of frustration, exhaustion, and pure Gonzo rage.
“The cover art was not done by A.I., no matter what people are saying on the Internet. I killed myself making that fricking cover art, so don’t tell me I just typed some words into a computer and it popped out, ‘cause that’s—eight months later, that’s not what happened. It took ten thousand photos and a lot of time. So, I just wanted to put that out there.”
READ ALSO:
Alright, let’s just pause for a second—ten thousand photos? Who even has that kind of patience? I can barely take five selfies without giving up and deciding I guess I look fine.
But wait, there’s more:
“I guess I should be flattered that people think it’s so good [that it could have been generated using A.I.],” Mike continued. “But I’m not. I hate it. I don’t wanna be associated with A.I. Other people can do that. I’m fine with it. A.I. is just a whole new form of artwork. People can’t afford it or can’t be creative, they should definitely go gravitate towards that stuff. It’s not for me. I’m an artist. I should be able to do my own sh1t. And that’s what I do.”
A chef’s kiss of a statement. The man said “I hate it” like a dad finding out his kid listens to SoundCloud rap. And let’s be real: if you’ve spent literal months painstakingly crafting something, just for some Twitter goblins to go “Meh, looks like Midjourney,” you’d be pissed too.
Oh, and before I forget:
- "This Consequence" drops February 21, 2025, via Metal Blade Records. It’s Killswitch Engage’s ninth album and the sixth with Jesse Leach, who rejoined in 2012.
- Follows up Atonement (2019)—which had Howard Jones and Chuck Billy as guest vocalists. That album was the third full-length since Leach’s return.
- North American tour incoming! First since late 2022, kicks off March 5 in Nashville and wraps April 12 in Portland, Maine—featuring Kublai Khan TX, Fit For A King, and Frozen Soul as support.
The Internet Thinks Everything Is A.I. Now
This is 2025. We’re living in a world where A.I. can write corporate emails, order Taco Bell for you, and probably gaslight your ex better than you ever could—so it’s no surprise people assume everything is now generated by some soulless algorithm. But Mike D’Antonio? Nope. Old-school. Human hands. Blood, sweat, and Photoshop layers.
Which raises the real question: Why is everyone so hellbent on assuming artists are just feeding their work into a robot overlord?
- Because we live in hell.
- Because people love a dumb conspiracy theory.
- Because most of us haven’t put effort into anything since our 8th-grade science fair project.
Seriously, the vibes are bad right now. EA’s CEO is out here blaming Dragon Age’s failure on not having live-service microtransactions (yes, really). Meanwhile, Ozzy Osbourne is about to play his last-ever concert—for real this time—and we all know it’s going to end in tears, heavy riffs, and possibly a lost bat or two.
And over in Ghost’s world? They’ve got a new Papa running around (Papa V Perpetua, which sounds like a cologne or an Assassin’s Creed character, take your pick). Meanwhile, people on X are debating whether Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull is the last grumpy old man with taste, or just mad at iPhones.
Mike D’Antonio: A Man Who Does His Own Sh*t
And let’s not forget: Killswitch Engage isn’t exactly new to this whole having an identity crisis because of the internet thing. This is the same band that’s spent decades juggling lineup changes, metalcore revivals, and the occasional tour with bands that make you question if we’ve just looped back to 2008 Warped Tour.
But one thing remains consistent—Mike D’Antonio’s commitment to Doing His Own Sh*t™.
- He’s been designing album covers for years. This isn’t new.
- He probably spent more time staring at this cover than you did deciding which gas station snack to buy at 3 AM.
- If A.I. could replicate his work, we’d all be out of jobs already.
So while the internet continues its raging debate over whether A.I. art is the future, the enemy, or just really bad at drawing hands, Mike D’Antonio is out here, stressed, tired, and angry—but most importantly, human.
Got a tip for us? Email: [email protected]
Tim Lambesis Teases Final Mixes and Upcoming Tours.
