Ever the reliable act, it’s hard not to catch the band performing on the bills of festivals; supporting metal’s megastars or plotting their own amazing package tours year after year, so they can be forgiven for foregoing the need for a live release, with the real experience usually so readily available and completely worthwhile. But within the imposed downtime all musicians sadly experienced between 2020 and early 2022, Killswitch took the opportunity to capture the nuance and intensity of their live show at the Worcester Palladium; once the home of the infamous New England Metal & Hardcore Festival, and notably the venue where KSE captured their timeless 2005 live snapshot – ‘(Set This) World Ablaze‘.
Taking the Palladium stage once again but with no live audience to greet the band in person, absolutely no time is wasted breaking into the set where the furious rolling riffs of ‘Unleashed’ live up to their namesake within seconds.
The sound, performance and atmosphere captured on this live release is totally evocative of metalcore’s glory days (arguably 04-08), encapsulated most perfectly through a setlist comprising of 2019 album ‘Atonement’ in full alongside the 2000 self-titled debut. The recording encapsulates the very essence of Killswitch Engage; even though the vast majority of their stunning catalogue gets overlooked there are still heaps of tightly syncopated riffs, hugely uplifting clean choruses and the occasional nod of humour – a hallmark of the KSE live experience (more present in the live footage admittedly).
Moving onto the second half of the set, featuring the 2000 self-titled album in full, it’s fascinating to note the comparative simplicity of the music being played but with the added skill and technical proficiency the band has progressively achieved and built on in the 22 proceeding years.
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