LIVE: KILLSWITCH ENGAGE/KILL DEVIL HILL – Perth, 16 April 2014

LIVE: KILLSWITCH ENGAGE/KILL DEVIL HILL – Perth, 16 April 2014
METRO CITY, Perth, Western Australia – 16 April 2014
Review & Photography by Stuart McKay

The last time I saw (if you could call it that) Killswitch Engage, it was in brief passing during their headline slot on one of the smaller stages at Soundwave 2008 at the Blue Steel Oval. Admittedly I’m not privy to all of their work but I know enough to appreciate their place in the metal scene.

First up was heavy metal supergroup KILL DEVIL HILL. With ex-members from Type O Negative (Johnny Kelly), Pissing Razors (Dewey Bragg) and most notably, former Pantera bassist Rex Brown, their pedigree as musicians doesn’t even come into question, but do they work well as a collective?

The answer is yes and no. There is no denying that they are as tight as a mouse’s waistcoat, some of the riffs are huge and their stage presence, especially Dewey Braggs, is formidable. It’s just that these songs for me just don’t have many hooks and ultimately become forgettable. I feel that if they didn’t have the presence of a world-class line up and it was some regular guys playing the same songs they’d still be playing seedy clubs in their hometown battling with their peers to get a name for themselves. Highlights for me were Bragg calling out a lippy punter for, what I’m assuming was shouting something disrespectful towards him as he addressed the audience: “It’s easy to talk shit from a distance motherfucker. You’re messing with the wrong redneck” to which this cocky heckler was instantly put in his place, echoed by the sounds of derisive laughter from the audience. The other highlight was their decision the close the show with a cover of Pantera’s Mouth For War. Bragg did a more than adequate job belting out his best Anselmo and not surprisingly, it got the crowd moving more than any other song in their set.

Anticipation for KILLSWITCH ENGAGE was palpable as the house music went down and the band walked out to Run DMC’s It’s Like That. They wasted no time in ripping the audience a new one by tearing into A Bid Farewell and the energy displayed from the start never let up for the entirety of their set. Killswitch are an incredibly enjoyable band to watch with every band member working the stage like their life depended on it, and unlike a lot of bands in their genre, they don’t take themselves too seriously with guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz being the complete embodiment of fun. His onstage attire looked like he’d come straight from the gym and his unique stage presence was just hilarious to watch. His banter between songs was just as funny as he proclaimed with poignancy: “this next song is for all your girlfriend’s vaginas.”

I would hedge a bet that some fans were a bit dubious about original front man Jesse Lynch being able to do justice to the songs imprinted by the voice of Howard Jones who left the band after nine years in 2012, but I sure as hell didn’t have any complaints. His vocal performance was flawless and the transitions from brutal screams to their hooky melodies were seamless. I also respect the guy for being gracious enough to thank all the road crew who helped them out on the Australian tour. It’s nice to hear the ‘little guys’ getting some recognition for a change.

There wouldn’t have been many people disappointed with their set list; a 19 song behemoth that included Rose of Sharyn, My Last Serenade and Take This Oath, although I can’t help thinking that they should have ended their set with The End Of Heartache, which had the whole crowd singing along in unison and seemed to be the best received song of the night.

The thing that sets this band apart from their contemporaries in the metal-core scene is – they have hooks in abundance; their melodies are as catchy as Chlamydia and the breakdowns are top notch. It’s no wonder they have been around for as long as they have and there’s no mistaking their passion and intensity when seeing them live.

Category: Live Reviews, Photo Galleries