{"id":12850,"date":"2016-09-05T15:06:49","date_gmt":"2016-09-05T22:06:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/metalassault.com\/gig_reviews\/?p=12850"},"modified":"2016-09-05T15:09:18","modified_gmt":"2016-09-05T22:09:18","slug":"reincarnated-re-embraced-killswitch-engage-headline-the-novo-in-downtown-los-angeles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/metalassault.com\/gig_reviews\/2016\/09\/05\/reincarnated-re-embraced-killswitch-engage-headline-the-novo-in-downtown-los-angeles\/","title":{"rendered":"Reincarnated & Re-embraced: Killswitch Engage Headline The Novo In Downtown Los Angeles"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Andrew Bansal<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"kse_exodus_unearth\"<\/a><\/p>\n

September 2nd 2016, The Novo, Los Angeles CA: <\/strong>Amidst a run of U.S. dates supporting Volbeat, Massachusetts metalcore giants Killswitch Engage booked a three-show West Coast headline mini-tour with San Francisco Bay Area thrashers Exodus and fellow New England metal group Unearth as support acts. The three bands arrived in downtown Los Angeles for a gig at the Novo (formerly Club Nokia)\u00a0last Friday September 2nd 2016.\u00a0Out of the three, Killswitch Engage are the only band with a 2016 release to their name, and Exodus and Unearth both released their\u00a0latest albums in 2014.\u00a0The power-packed three-pronged metal attack was an enticing prospect for LA metalheads, and a large number of them gathered at the venue to indulge in copious amounts of head-banging, mosh pits and toxic waltzes.<\/p>\n

For a show of this stature and from an opener of a package like this, one really could not have imagined or hoped for a better start to the show than what Unearth<\/a><\/strong> treated this audience to. The Boston, Massachusetts quintet have been marching on in their metal quest strong and unflustered for nearly two decades, and whether opening for bigger bands or as headliners, Unearth the live band has always delivered the goods. This was no different, and they blazed through their 35-minute set, playing a few songs from their 2014 full-length release ‘Watchers Of Rule’, marking the tenth anniversary of their third album ‘In The Eyes Of Fire’ with a song from it, and ending with the crowd singalong ‘My Will Be Done’. With this set Unearth induced several mosh pits, and the thrash kids here for Exodus were more than willing to get in the pit for Unearth\u00a0too, as the band’s\u00a0fast-paced segments as well as heavy breakdowns were fuel to the mosh. Vocalist Trevor Phipps was in his element and commanded the crowd with ease, guitarists Ken Susi (also on clean vocals) and Buz McGrath provided their usual pyrotechnics on the six strings, and for metalcore diehards it was an added bonus to see Jordan Mancino (Wovenwar, ex As I Lay Dying) on the drum kit, filling in for regular drummer Nick Pierce. Just like any other musical movement, metalcore has had its ups and downs, but no matter what happens to the genre, Unearth will never die. A great set by a solid group of musicians.<\/p>\n

\"Unearth\"<\/a>
Unearth<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Next up were Exodus<\/a><\/strong>, bringing their mega-influential\u00a0brand of SF Bay Area thrash to the stage with an 8-song, 40-minute set. Because of Gary Holt’s commitments to Slayer, Exodus performed without him for large portions of the touring they did in support of their 2014 full-length release ‘Blood In, Blood Out’, but as they neared the completion of this cycle with these three shows, Gary Holt was indeed with them, much to the delight of the band’s longtime fans. They started out with ‘Scar Spangled Banner’, honestly an odd choice as the opening track for a band like theirs, and their usual opening item ‘Bonded By Blood’ would have probably served this set better. But as they got through the first two songs and progressed to the meat of the set, they gained momentum with songs like ‘Iconoclasm’ and ‘War Is My Shepherd’ and ended strong with fan favorites ‘The Toxic Waltz’ and ‘Strike Of The Beast’. Vocalist Steve ‘Zetro’ Souza has an entirely different stage presence and approach to crowd interaction than previous singer Rob Dukes, an aspect of present-day Exodus that still takes some getting used to, but he rattled off names of popular LA thrash bands to get the crowd on his side and it worked. He also brought on Fear Factory guitarist Dino Cazares on stage to make everyone wish him on his birthday. His vocal performance met expectations and his band mates were also solid, but the quality of the mix during Exodus’ set was far from ideal, and they were the only band to suffer this fate at this show. Gary Holt’s guitar was barely audible and the overall sound wasn’t as crisp and strong as it should have been. But the thrashers in the crowd didn’t care, the mosh pits were strong, and although not one of their best shows taking everything into consideration, this Exodus set made for a fun time, specially for those that bought tickets to this show exclusively to see this band.<\/p>\n

Related link: Bonded By Thrash: One-On-One With Exodus Vocalist Steve ‘Zetro’ Souza<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Exodus set list:<\/strong>
\n01. Scar Spangled Banner
\n02. Blood In, Blood Out
\n03. Iconoclasm
\n04. War Is My Shepherd
\n05. Blacklist
\n06. Bonded by Blood
\n07. The Toxic Waltz
\n08. Strike of the Beast<\/p>\n

\"Exodus\"<\/a>
Exodus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The pre-show online chatter seemed to suggest that a large number of ticket holders were here only for Exodus and would leave after that band was done playing. But in reality, there was no mass Exodus of Exodus fans and the venue was packed for Killswitch Engage<\/a><\/strong>, as the Exodus-only crowd was probably replaced in full by the Killswitch-only crowd. As the story goes, the Westfield, Massachusetts based Killswitch Engage started out in 1999 as a four-piece fronted by Jesse Leach on vocals, released two albums with that lineup and then switched to a five-piece, two-guitar setup with Howard Jones replacing Leach on vocals. After ten years away from the band, the original vocalist has returned, and the band has put out two albums since, the latest Roadrunner Records release ‘Incarnate’ unveiled in March 2016. This album and its predecessor ‘Disarm The Descent’ (2013) have been hugely well-received and fans have welcomed Leach back with open arms. I had only seen Killswitch Engage between 2008 and 2012, i.e. the Howard Jones fronted version, and even though they played a set of songs recorded by both singers, watching and listening to them with Jesse Leach at the helm for the first time was a completely different experience and like never before, made me realize how good of a band this is.<\/p>\n

\"Killswitch<\/a>
Killswitch Engage<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The set was dominated by tunes off of the last two releases, but also presented a fair chunk of material from albums like ‘The End Of Heartache’ (2004) and ‘As Daylight Dies’ (2006), and there was a special treat or two for the band’s most loyal and diehard fans as they dusted off a song or two from the 2002 album ‘Alive or Just Breathing’. Of course, Leach exhibited great stamina executing the clean and harsh vocals equally well. He nailed all of his songs but also brought the Heartache\/Daylight tunes to life in an unmistakably distinct manner that somehow did greater justice to them than the way they were originally recorded and sung live.<\/p>\n

The mosh pits were going full tilt and these grateful Killswitch fans were singing along\u00a0for most of the set, specially the older songs. Guitarist, songwriter and producer\u00a0Adam Dutkiewicz is the mastermind behind most things pertaining to this band, but on stage he maintains a lighthearted, humorous personality and showed on this occasion that he hasn’t lost any of that touch whatsoever. Unlike Exodus, Killswitch Engage had their sound dialed to perfection and the front-of-house mix brought the best out of the band’s music, and they also installed\u00a0an elaborate lighting rig to their stage setup which helped them pack extra punch. The in-house strobe lights were also in full effect during their set and there were several moments where the entire mosh pit was bathed in white strobe, attendees loving every bit of it as they supported their beloved band with good voice and energy. This set left no one in any doubt that\u00a0this was the worthy headliner and best band of the show.\u00a0When it comes to metalcore and modern American metal, it doesn’t get any better or more genuine than Killswitch Engage, and with a reinvigorated group of musicians, they are making a statement for themselves and their genre with more conviction and power than ever before.<\/p>\n

Overall, a metal evening more than worthwhile for all in attendance, thanks to two tremendously unwavering New England metalcore bands and a seminal Bay Area thrash group.<\/p>\n

If you like what you’ve read, subscribe to our newsletter, and support Metal Assault and buy a shirt<\/a>!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Killswitch Engage set list:<\/strong>
\n01. My Curse
\n02. Strength of the Mind
\n03. Beyond the Flames
\n04. Alone I Stand
\n05. This Fire Burns
\n06. Rose of Sharyn
\n07. The New Awakening
\n08. This Is Absolution
\n09. A Bid Farewell
\n10. Numbered Days
\n11. Hate by Design
\n12. Always
\n13. Until the Day
\n14. My Last Serenade
\n15. The End of Heartache
\n16. In Due Time<\/p>\n

Killswitch Engage remaining tour dates with Volbeat and Black Wizard:<\/strong>
\n09\/05\/2016 \u2014 Seattle, WA @ WaMu Theater
\n09\/06\/2016 \u2014 Spokane, WA @ Star Theater at Spokane Arena
\n09\/07\/2016 \u2014 Boise, ID @ Taco Bell Arena
\n09\/09\/2016 \u2014 Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Andrew Bansal September 2nd 2016, The Novo, Los Angeles CA: Amidst a run of U.S. dates supporting Volbeat, Massachusetts metalcore giants Killswitch Engage booked a three-show West Coast headline mini-tour with San Francisco Bay Area thrashers Exodus and fellow New England metal group Unearth as support acts. The three bands arrived in downtown Los … <\/p>\n

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