Killswitch Engage is on the top of the Heavy Metal food chain right now. They have made believers of the loyal in a fledgling if not dying genre. The Massachusetts quintet harkens back to the days of when Metallica was still at their pummeling best, hungry and angry with sticky guitar riffs you had to scrape off of your bones. The days when you could look at Megadeth with respect, and not as the crazy mumbling uncle everyone avoids at the family reunion.
They are metal that gives metal heads a reason to wake up in the morning. They give them hope for a brighter future. And remind them that maybe, just maybe, there metal still has a beating heart that can be salvaged from the jowels of poseurs like Avenged Sevenfold and Five Finger Death Punch.
Not to mention, Mtv (an obviously reliable source, at this point) did, in fact, rate Killswitch Engage as one of the best heavy metal bands of all time.
The band blew onto the scene fifteen years ago, with their self-titled debut introducing a sound that did not reflect the tepid rock-rap mainstream metal of the day. They planted their feet and took a stand in favor of a stylized form of classic heavy metal, that has since been christened Metal Core. The release of their subsequent five albums Alone and Just Breathing, End of Heartache, As Daylight Dies, Killswitch Engage (a second self-titled album), and Disarm the Descent, have brought line-up changes but also an increasing large and loyal fan base.
Their live show is wonderfully engaging (I am so sorry about the pun), if you would like to find that out for yourself, you can catch them tonight at Expo 5. Tickets are $20 and the show starts at 7:30 PM; with After the Burial, Battlecross, and Code Orange Kids also on the bill.
