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Killswitch Engage
W/ Dragonforce, Chimaira, He Is Legend February 27, 2007 Kool Haus The “No Fear Music Tour” hit Toronto with me fearing that I was going to miss most of the damn show! With the venue being switched more than once, I drove up to the intended venue of Arrow Hall to find a van with a sign on it saying “Killswitch Engage has been moved back to the Kool Haus.” With this, I had to speed across 75% of the Greater Toronto Area just to be on time to witness the opening slot of He Is Legend and I got there with barely a few minutes to spare… One guitarist short, He Is Legend rocked a nearly packed venue with ease despite some sound issues. Their short set was full of energy and swagger, which could not be denied. This band won some new fans and pleased the handful or two of old ones that came out early to rep for them! Singer Schuyler Croom has trimmed down his beard significantly. He has gone from looking like Charles Manson to Lemmy Kilmeister of Motorhead fame. That aside, He Is Legend’s new material was unbelievable live. They need to do a headlining tour badly and soon. “I Am Hollywood” closed the set, but not before a quick rendition of a chorus of Pantera’s “I’m Broken” to a thunderous reaction. After being finished all too soon, the ghosts of nu-metal’s past took the stage… Chimaira had WAY TOO MUCH smoke on stage from smoke machines! That aside, they couldn’t hide their sound. The set was anticipated by many Chimaira fans but was an overall disappointment to me. With a possible saving grace that the band is now signed to Ferret Music, I had hoped that this would add some redeeming qualities to their new material. I was wrong and not surprised in the slightest. Their overdone angst and continual plagiarism of Fear Factory, Slipknot, and Meshuggah was a flop, but all the kiddies who had to get their rage on loved every second of it. Mind you, the band was as tight White House security, they just didn’t play anything impressive. “Fuck Your Powertrip” and set closer “I Hate Everyone” put the final nails in their coffin of a set and demonstrated why 1999 is truly over.  Up next was the hype band everyone can’t stop loving…but me. London, England’s Dragonforce put the pedal to the metal and played guitars faster than speeding bullets. ‘Way over the top’ is this band described in 4 words. Playing tracks from their latest outing Inhuman Rampage, most of the crowd ate it up. Once again, this band is tight, but not my thing. Songs pushing eight minutes at times just got boring. A lot of people got the point after the first song. Once the worship of old school metal was done, the big draw took the stage… Killswitch Engage, ever intense, never lacking to please, came out to thunderous applause and cheers as the opening guitar riff of “As Daylight Dies” rang through the speakers. The build up was met with the emergence of the final member of KsE appearing on stage, vocalist Howard Jones, behind band drummer Justin Foley on a riser, much to everyone’s appreciation and surprise! Noticeably absent was band guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz who was enduring back surgery and wasn’t able to tour. His replacement, interestingly enough, was former Damageplan vocalist Pat Lachman; he could not have done a better job filling the slot for the ever charismatic axe-man of KsE in Dutkiewicz. He had great chemistry with the band and his playing was flawless, especially when transitioning between songs. A massive light show and razor sharp precision drew cheers after cheers from all the fans in the room. Songs that came off particularly well were “This Fire Burns,” “Set This World Ablaze,” and the fan favourite KsE classic “Life To Lifeless.” Jones’ quirky yet unique stage banter was cute as always, but missing was Dutkiewicz’s onstage antics. Regardless, this wasn’t a setback for the band as they tore through all their material with the greatest of ease! After well over an hour, the band closed their intense show with “The End Of Heartache” which got the biggest reaction of the night and also featured Lachman adding his sweet back up vocals, which once again, melded perfectly! Tonight's show was another satisfying jaunt from the true leaders of the metalcore movement. On top of their game as always, Killswitch Engage is showing no signs of slowing down. - Michael Kopko For more photos from the night click here... © 2007, All Rights Reserved |
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