Killswitch Engage @ Irving Plaza 3/18/10

Everyone who knows me knows that I absolutely love Killswitch Engage. Every time they come around, I always try to see them. Thursday night I was lucky enough, at the last minute after it had been announced the show was sold out, to once again catch them in the city. Thursday night at Irving Plaza was no typical Killswitch show, though. For the fifth time, I saw this band like I never have, and probably never will, again.

Before I get to KSE, I have to mention the first opening band, Dark Tranquility. For the most part, I am relatively unfamiliar with DT so I went into their set wondering how they would be. Within the first few seconds of Ghost Town, their set opener, I was blown away. They continued to impress me right until the very end. They had a hard, edgy sound mixed in with a few melodic parts, perfect for moshing and even singing along at some points. They brought a great energy with them and I couldn’t ask for a better opening band. I will definitely be checking them out more in depth.

The Devil Wears Prada was up next. Again, it was my first time seeing them and they did not disappoint. When they hit the stage, everyone went nuts. Literally nuts. Keep in mind a sold out show at Irving Plaza, which is probably no bigger than my basement, means pandemonium. Everyone got moving, pits grew huge, and the crowd surfing commenced. I enjoyed TDWP’s set, but not so much being moved around the entire floor. I did get a kick out of the lead singer’s Penguins shirt, which just shows that after all this fame and glory, these musicians are just your average Joe. TDWP played a nice mix of their older material along with some newer songs and I’m sure everyone had a great time while they were on stage.

Finally, the moment everyone had been waiting for. Killswitch Engage took the stage to roaring shouts and cheers, except this time without their soulful, beloved Howard Jones. It has still not been explained why Jones had to unexpectedly leave the tour for personal reasons. In his place was Phil Labonte, singer of All That Remains and good friend to KSE. I’ve seen Phil before in his natural environment with ATR, but seeing him standing there with KSE was pretty awesome. I will admit things were very well rehearsed for him jumping onto the tour last minute and learning all the songs. His voice was just as great as it always is live and he was probably the best fill in for KSE. Adam, as usual, flaunted a cape and an “interesting” getup, while the rest of the band sported hairy, scraggly beards or hair. The chaos continued for Killswitch’s set, but this time I avoided it in the back of the room.

In the middle of their set came yet another surprise guest: Jesse Leach himself, the original KSE singer. How is that for a real treat! Leach and Labonte sang together for a song, which was cool. Right after that Killswitch played a few songs straight from Alive or Just Breathing while Leach continued to take over. This was an awesome experience to see Leach perform with the rest of KSE. He sounded great, just like he did all those years back. Overall I thought their performance was tight, well put together, fun, energetic, and just plain fantastic. Here is their set list:

Opened with: Rose of Sharyn
Reckoning
When Darkness Falls
A Bid Farewell
This is Absolution
My Last Serenade
Numbered Days
Self Revolution
Vide Infra
Temple Within
My Curse
Take this Oath
The End of Heartache
Encore: Prelude
Life to Lifeless
Fixation on the Darkness

The encore was, by far, the best part. Leach came back again after handing the mic back to Labonte, and performed a few more AOJB tracks. The coolest thing was Adam actually switched over to drums for these songs, so I witnessed the original lineup of my favorite band. It was beyond belief awesome. Everyone in the crowd was excited and really upbeat for Jesse and it was so nice seeing him perform. Life to Lifeless was fantastic live with Jesse. It’s definitely one of my favorite songs off that album and I was stoked to hear it, as was everyone else. I will never get tired of hearing Heartache either, which will always be my favorite KSE song. Overall, fantastic show. One that you definitely did not want to miss and one that will go down in history.

By: Gabby Canella

Photos courtesy of Will Hawkins Photography

Killswitch Engage @ Starland Ballroom 8/5/09

Seeing Massachusetts metalcore natives Killswitch Engage perform live is indescribable-once you’ve had a taste of their sheer metal awesomeness, you’re hooked. Thus is the reason I ventured to the lovely Starland Ballroom to see Killswitch for the fourth time. As usual, they didn’t disappoint. Here are some of the reasons why this particular show was so incredible and why I must see them for a fifth time:

1) Killswitch was very stylin’: Once they came out onstage, I had to smile. All of the members wore identical tuxedo shirts complete with bowties and their logo. Howard even commented that they were all dressed up to party. Adam, of course, sported a long golden cape and a complimenting bandana with short shorts, his usual get up. All of the members except Adam showed off their impressive, hairy beards, with Joel also modeling his 80’s metal style long, puffy hair.

2) Good times all around: During their performance, it was clear everyone was having a great time. The show was sold out and everyone was packed in tight. Lots of crowd surfing and moshing went on in addition to fans screaming, cheering, and loudly singing along to songs. At times I heard my fellow fans more than I did the band, that’s how loud everyone was. Let’s not forget all the devil horns in the air either.

3) Cool enough to be your friends: In between songs, Killswitch members Howard and Adam continued to crack jokes, laugh, and thank the fans for their generous and unconditional love and support. Howard mentioned how much more he enjoyed playing in small clubs compared to gigantic venues for tours since it was more personal and he could look fans in the eye. Adam even teased Yankee fans about his favorite team, the Red Socks. All of this light bantering just shows how sweet and down to earth this band really is. Even more so, the band was nice enough to take time off from their hectic Mayhem tour schedule and perform at a small club to jam out to tracks from their new, self titled record.

While their appearance, stage energy, and personalities definitely contributed to an awesome show, I can’t forget about their performance, which highlights the entire night. Everything seemed well rehearsed and dead on, without a single note missing. The guitar lines were tight and smooth and even the solos sounded fresh and rocking. Howard’s voice was amazing as always and, man, can he sing. Here is their set list, not necessarily in this order:

Opened with: My Last Serenade
Reckoning
This Fire Burns
Starting Over
A Bid Farewell
Take This Oath
A Light in this Darkened World
My Curse
The Arms of Sorrow
Rose of Sharyn
The End of Heartache
Encore: Holy Diver

While I definitely enjoyed this show, the only thing I was not fond of was all the pandemonium on the floor area. Fans went nuts from the excitement, resulting in much pushing and shoving, especially near pit areas and when Howard ordered for a wall of death. At times I could not enjoy the show as much as I wanted as I fought my way through the mayhem, but I guess that’s just something that comes along with such dedicated, passionate, and fun metalhead fans.

Aside from Killswitch, opening bands White Chapel and Job for a Cowboy also performed. Both of their sets were just as intense and enjoyable as Killswitch’s, with fans keeping their energy and spirits high. Overall, a great show leading into the Rockstar Mayhem fest and a definite highlight of my summer.



















All photos courtesy of Allen Thomas Ross and Mark R. Sullivan

By: Gabby Canella

Killswitch Engage Album Review

If you’re a fan of Killswitch Engage, don’t worry, you aren’t having déjà vu. The Massachusetts metalcore masters have released a new album, donning the same name as their debut album entitled Killswitch Engage. But this album is by far nothing similar to the original work. Actually, this album is unlike any other killswitch engage albums, even from the Jessee Leach days. If you really admire and appreciate Howard Jones’ vocals and songwriting capabilities and the wild musical talents of everyone’s favorite cape wearing guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz, then this album is for you. On the downside, there are more pop-chorus ballads than tracks most likely to start a circle pit. Opening track Never Again gets the energy flowing for the album, but it slowly song by song begins to fuse out, as Howard’s voice becomes more and more melodic. Tracks such as Starting Over , Save Me, and Take Me Away are very melody driven. Single A light in a darkened world is currently being spinned on WSOU’s regular rotation, and our listeners are loving it. In a musical aspect, this album has everything you could ever ask for; Precise timing, flawless guitars, and a great range in melody. This album does not get the blood pumping as previous Killswitch records have. The guys of KSE have definetly matured and are breaking out of the shell and demonstrating what musicians they really are. This isn’t a bad thing; it’s actually a good thing. Don’t shun this album because of the fact that you aren’t going to punch holes in the walls, but rather you will help mend the ones you’ve already created from before.