Band: Killswitch Engage
Support: Heartist and Sylosis
Venue: Shepard’s Bush Empire, London
Date: 5th May 2013
Tonight is a very special night. Not only is this the almighty return of modern metal heroes Killswitch Engage in support of their stellar new album ‘Disarm The Descent‘, but it is also the very first UK club tour that frontman Jesse Leach has embarked on with the band. But tonight, this is the very first time that he has to face a London town crowd.
The atmosphere is absolutely electric in this sold out 2,000 capacity venue. There is a real sense of positive vibes, with a mixture of new and old fans of the band uniting and pretty much just having a laugh and a great time even before any bands even start.
First up is opening tour support band Heartist. Whilst this is apparently their first time they have toured the UK, they seem to attract a fair amount of curious heads in the audience. Whilst admittedly some may judge by their rather cheesy name, do not let that fool you. These guys know how to put on a show, and with songs such as ‘The Answer’, and ‘Heart Of Gold’, their brand of California born rock / alternative metal in the vein of early Escape The Fate, and A Skylit Drive, Heartist provide a surprise hit with the crowd who give them a warm reception. Watch out for these guys. Given the right outlet they could be a potential threat to all competition in their way, and what better showcase that to support one of the best modern metal bands of our time.
Next up with some homegrown talent from Reading’s finest sons Sylosis. Whilst not as lively with stage presence as Heartist, Sylosis are more than capable in putting their main focus through the power of the riff. These guys are absolutely phenomenal musicians and they would certainly not be out of place had they formed 25 odd years ago in the Bay Area thrash metal music scene.
The band lean heavily on their brand new release ‘Monolith’ tonight, and whilst it takes about 3 songs for the audience to warm up and properly get in to it, they certainly set the pace for the rest of the night. Rob Callard in particular effortlessly drums around his beast of a kit with such ease that he may as well be sipping on a cocktail whilst he is doing so.
Sylosis are without a doubt one of the most important UK metal bands to emerge in years and hopefully they can further spread their wings throughout the world in 2013. If they keep up the quality musicianship, like they showed tonight, then the world can rightly be theirs. They just need a little more stage presence in order to project their true potential.
So whilst everyone has limbered up and restocked on their beverages of choice, and with an assortment of unusual yet comical background music whilst they are setting up, this paves way to when the real mayhem begins. Killswitch Engage emerge on stage to a heroes welcome with Jesse Leach in tow and they look better than they have ever done. Wasting no time they rip in to new track ‘The Hell In Me’, and the view from the balcony down on to the crowd on the floor looks absolutely brutal. A sea of sweat induced people both moshing and singing in equal measure. It is only when they play their third song ‘Fixation Of The Darkness’ that full force of the mosh pit is truly opened up, and an overwhelmed Jesse Leach looks over the hungered yet appreciative London crowd. Over the course of the mammoth 18 song set, they lean a little more heavily towards their new album ‘Disarm The Descent‘ playing six tracks from the release, with a healthy mixture of greatest hits.
Even the deranged genius that is Adam D seems quite overwhelmed by the response of tonight’s festivities. There is one moment in between songs that he holds up a can of Old El Paso refried beans, advances his way towards the crowd and proceeds to give certain members of the audience a ‘refried bean moustache’, to which all band members look on in utter disbelief and hilarity!
The band end with the anthemic and destructive ‘My Last Serenade’ which provokes the second biggest sing along of the entire night (not quite beating ‘My Curse’).
One thing that was definitely apparent tonight, is that Killswitch Engage have not sounded tighter as a band. Speaking with Mike D’Antonio earlier on in the day, he said the vibes in the KSE camp were more solid and productive as ever, and on stage it certainly does show.
The sincerity and passion that each member gives is evident, the musicianship is better than it ever has been (as they have been known to be a bit lacklustre in the past few years), but more importantly… they are a here to stay. Tonight was killer. Here is to the next chapter of brilliance in the Killswitch Engage saga!
9/10
Reviewer: James Paul Matthews
Photographer: Andrew Pepin
