$55 GA standing floor $49.40, $65 reserved seating bowl
Right before the turn of the century, casual jam sessions between a group of friends unassumingly lit the fuse for an insane 25-year ride to follow…
Hailing from Western Massachusetts (where the only thing icier than the freeway in winter is the blunt sense of humor shared by the locals), Killswitch Engage — Adam Dutkiewicz [guitar], Joel Stroetzel [guitar], Mike D’Antonio [bass], Justin Foley [drums], and Jesse Leach [vocals] — always stood apart. For as deadly serious as their airtight technical riffing is, they also knew how to have a good time, riling up crowds with uncontainable energy and unpredictable performances. They could bludgeon with the best of them or serve up the kind of sing-along banger you could blast with the windows down.
From day one, they naturally appealed to the headbangers, hardcore kids, and heartbroken alike.
In 2002, Alive Or Just Breathing sent shockwaves through the culture, claiming a spot on Decibel’s “The Top 100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time.” They generated north of 3 billion streams and picked up gold and platinum plaques for The End of Heartache and As Day Light Dies respectively. They notably received three GRAMMY® Award nominations for “Best Metal Performance” and cracked the Top 10 on the Billboard 200 with a trio of consecutive releases: Killswitch Engage [2009], Disarm The Descent [2013], and Incarnate [2016]. Meanwhile, 2019’s Atonement represented a critical high watermark with praise from Forbes, Revolver, and NME who christened it “one of the most engaged and exciting records that Killswitch has ever made.” The guys have not only packed houses on repeated successful headline tours across the globe, but they have consistently held their own sharing bills with acts from Iron Maiden, Slipknot, and Slayer to My Chemical Romance, Rise Against, and Coheed & Cambria.
However, Killswitch Engage harness all of their strengths on their ninth full-length LP, This Consequence [Metal Blade Records]. They’ve distilled the hallmarks of their signature sound into a bruising, often brutal, and at times brilliantly bright body of work.
“Making this record lit a fire under my ass and made me rethink everything,” admits Jesse. “It had to be next level. It had to be different enough for people to really recognize we’re putting forth an effort—or what’s the point of doing this? There was no repeating ourselves. It was very carefully planned out and passionately written. It sounds like Killswitch, yet there’s also a fresh spirit to it.”
This time around, the group emphasized working together face-to-face in a Massachusetts rehearsal spot. The process enabled them to apply the pressure on every element. At the collective urging of his bandmates, Jesse poured over his words like never before.
“We pushed him to do more vocal demos and were super tough on him,” recalls Adam. “He was so open to feedback though, and he definitely got the lyrics right. I love it when he and I are face-to-face, and ideas are flying around. We work especially well together when we’re in the heat of the moment. All of the demoing made for a better record, and there was so much communication between all of the band members.”
“It felt like everyone put a ton of effort into this,” Mike adds. “It’s the first time since Alive Or Just Breathing that we really hashed everything out together in the same room. It was a combined effort, and there are even some things you’ve never heard from Killswitch.”
Jesse culled inspiration from “hours on Thesaurus.com,” reading as many books as possible, and interacting with fans on the road in between. He confesses, “I found my voice again.”
“I never considered myself to be a part of mainstream society,” he goes on. “I’ve always been in the middle. To me, this record is about the consequences of our actions as humans as we engage in war, hatred, division, and falling in line with control. History repeats itself. We’re going to have to answer for our actions—whether it’s how we treat the earth or each other. There will be an uprising and a backlash from nature. Cause-and-effect is a driving theme. We will face a consequence.”
The first single “Forever Aligned” finds the band firing on all cylinders. Jesse’s growl weighs heavy on a galloping beat and dual-guitar battering ram. The barrage breaks like a wave on a chantable chorus, “It’s you, I find, forever in my mind, we are aligned,” giving way to a melodic bridge laced with a hummable lead line.
“When you find someone who won’t give up on you, forge a friendship, or have a family member who makes you a better person, you realize what love actually is,” notes the frontman. “I think true love is far beyond human comprehension. We have glimpses of it, but we’ll never grasp it. When you’re striving to be filled with love, it’s a selfless path. It’s a spiritual connection; it transcends life and death. The energy of love moves on eternally, so you’re forever aligned with who you love.”
“Even with all of the brutality, the hook is right up there with some of our best,” smiles Mike. “We felt like it was the perfect song to introduce this chapter and show we’re ready to go.”
“Aftermath” illuminates the dynamics of This Consequence. A lightly picked intro bleeds into the wail of guitar as epic drums boom. It kicks into high gear towards a hypnotic refrain, “We’re reeling from the aftermath, still bleeding from the damage of the past,” as Jesse declares, “This is the consequence.”
“If you’ve ever dealt with depression, one day you wake up and have this revelation, ‘I’m going to be okay. This is a new day’,” he goes on. “You get this injection of hope and think, ‘I got through this. How do I move forward]?’ ‘Aftermath’ is simply about finding yourself again and healing from all that you went through.”
Following the face-ripping “Where It Dies” and towering catharsis of “I Believe,” the vital and vitriolic “Collusion” confronts corruption at its ancient roots. Jesse laments, “It’s a world in collusion.”
“The powers-that-be use manipulation to control the masses,” he sighs. “It goes back to even the Roman Empire. There are all of these tricky secret handshakes and backroom deals. I’d rather be pessimistic and questioning than gullible and rolling with it. Dig a little deeper and read between the lines.”
Then, there’s “Broken Glass.” It may be one of the unabashedly and uncompromisingly heavy compositions in the Killswitch catalog. It crawls along on a nail-scraping stomp anchored by a thick riff and guttural scream.
“I’m most stoked on ‘Broken Glass’,” says Adam. “It definitely doesn’t sound like anything we’ve ever done before.”
“It’s a metaphor,” reveals Jesse. “A liar’s words will cut you like broken glass. I’m sure anybody who has lived through the breakdown of a family or a relationship can relate to the images of shattered windows or smashed alcohol bottles. We don’t realize how deep abuse can run in our blood and affect us.”
Now, This Consequence might just set the stage for another 25 years of Killswitch Engage.
“This band is still just a group of friends who get together and play music—but to some of the biggest crowds we could’ve ever imagined,” Mike leaves off. “Even after all of this time, there’s a lot of love being thrown around.”
“The goal is to make the fans happy,” concludes Adam. “When you come to a show, it’s about fun. I love the connection we have. If the crowd is having a good time, we’re having a good time. This record is for everybody who has been with us for all of these years.”
“The world is in a dark place, but we’re going to get through this,” grins Jesse. “Music has always been a light in the darkness when I feel like all hope is lost. Certain albums came along at the right time and saved me. We are giving everything we have, because it’s all we got. We have a chance to take Killswitch to another level. That excitement is like fuel. We have everything to prove and nothing to prove, because we are right where we need to be.” – Rick Florino, October 2024
Kublai Khan TX returns with Exhibition of Prowess, a crushingly intense album that solidifies their position as one of hardcore’s heaviest hitters. With a tight collection of tracks, the band delivers their signature brutal sound, enhanced by themes of struggle, power, and survival in a ruthless world. With pre-release singles like “Theory of Mind,” “Low Tech,” and “Supreme Ruler” racking up millions of streams, the anticipation for this album has been electric—and Kublai Khan TX does not disappoint.
The album kicks off with the blistering opener “Supreme Ruler,” a 54-second explosion that sets the tone for the chaos to come. Its concise fury is a precursor to the album’s unrelenting pace. “Darwinism” follows, unleashing a primal onslaught of aggression as the band explores survival of the fittest through bone-crushing riffs and Matt Honeycutt’s guttural vocals. It’s a call to arms, hammering home the record’s Darwinian themes of strength and dominance.
“Cannibal,” featuring Dave Peters of Throwdown, is another standout moment. At just over two-and-a-half minutes, it’s packed with vicious energy, blending hardcore fury with elements of groove metal. Peters’ feature adds an extra layer of brutality, turning this track into an anthem of resistance against societal decay.
“X,” a 45-second interlude, acts as a breath before diving into the nearly four-minute epic “Theory of Mind.” This track embodies the balance Kublai Khan TX strikes between blistering speed and thought-provoking heaviness. The themes of self-awareness and internal conflict give the song weight beyond its punishing sound, making it a cornerstone of the album.
“Mud” and “972” maintain the album’s relentless pace, with “Mud” delving into the trenches of life’s hardships and “972” showcasing the band’s ability to merge lyrical depth with pulverizing intensity. Both tracks are prime examples of Kublai Khan TX’s knack for crafting music that resonates deeply with their fanbase.
“Low Tech” brings the technological apocalypse to the fore, critiquing humanity’s devolution in a fast-paced, mosh-inducing two minutes. It’s no wonder this track has become a crowd favorite, with its infectious breakdowns and call-and-response hooks making it an instant classic.
The album closes on a high note with “A Hopeless Fate” featuring Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed. His powerful presence elevates the track into a hardcore anthem of perseverance, perfectly closing out the journey that Exhibition of Prowess has led us through. Finally, the track “Antpile” drives the message home, a fittingly brutal finale for an album that leaves no stone unturned.
Kublai Khan TX’s Exhibition of Prowess is an all-out assault on the senses, blending unyielding aggression with thought-provoking themes and powerful collaborations. With its razor-sharp execution and undeniable intensity, this album is set to become a landmark in modern hardcore, reminding listeners why Kublai Khan TX is a force to be reckoned with.
FIT FOR A KING use the tools of heavy music and melodic hooks to honestly explore the dark side of the human experience, ultimately wrenching timeless hope from the jaws of anxiety, depression, and seemingly certain despair.
No matter the pristine picture of self-worth we project, in the unquenchable pursuit of recognition and affirmation, the gnawing anxiousness of guilt and brokenness chews away at our spirits, uncovering new pain and vulnerability. Dark Skies is FIT FOR A KING’s evocative declaration of a hard won victory. “This album is far from happy. It’s about personal struggles,” explains singer Ryan Kirby. “It touches on many subjects relevant to all of our daily lives.”
The music and message of FIT FOR A KING is a battle cry against the darkness. This is a sound that stands in defiance of the mounting pressure of modern life, not through dismissiveness or easy answers, but with earnest struggle. The four young men of FIT FOR A KING are just like the rest of us. They hurt, they bleed, and in that raw transparent authenticity, they offer true solidarity. Beneath the most vicious downpour, they cling to unrelenting grace.
Like trailblazing metalcore giants Underoath and As I Lay Dying before them, FIT FOR A KING skillfully mine the varying extremes of this music, building a catalog that sees them at home on tours with hard rock and deathcore bands alike. The band has traveled the United States and Europe with Vans Warped Tour, Beartooth, Every Time I Die, August Burns Red, The Amity Affliction, Whitechapel, For Today, After The Burial, and Attila to name a few.
Kirby, guitarist Bobby Lynge, drummer Jared Easterling, and bassist/vocalist Ryan “Tuck” O’Leary are easygoing and affable on the road, effortlessly maneuvering within the various social circles with goodwill and charm, without sacrificing an ounce of what they believe or who they are. It’s something the Texas band’s growing following respects. Simply put, FIT FOR A KING is real.
FIT FOR A KING was built with bootstrap ethics and do-it-yourself vigor. On the strength of self-released material, the group joined Solid State for a string of successful albums that connected with the downtrodden and dispossessed. Creation/Destruction (2013) debuted at Number 6 on the Hard Rock chart. Slave to Nothing (2014) cracked the Top 50 of Billboard’s Top Current Albums. Deathgrip (2016) climbed to Number 5 among Hard Rock Albums. Recorded with celebrated producer/mixer Drew Fulk (I Prevail, Motionless In White, Memphis May Fire), Dark Skies is a collection of diverse anthems powered by the undeniable weight of truth-telling emotional vulnerability.
“Tower of Pain” takes unbridled heaviness to breathtaking heights. “Shattered Glass” is a killer throwback to the band’s most aggressive earlier work. Songs like “Price of Agony” see the quartet soaring to new melodic heights with unrestrained urgency. “Anthem of the Defeated” veers in yet another direction, evoking the percussive power of Slipknot or Mudvayne. Yet all of it is anchored in FIT FOR A KING’s signature sound, one their fans trust.
“Debts of the Soul” is an examination of the sleeplessness that comes with ruminations on the nature of death. “When Everything Means Nothing” is a challenge to unplug from the vapid desperation of putting on a front online. “Oblivion” is one of the most faith-based songs the band has released. The song’s narrator pleads in the chorus, “Tell me I won’t be forgotten.” It’s a reminder of the grace of God and the power of true forgiveness without end.
No matter the political divisions, the staggering alienation arising from our paradoxical and increasingly “connected” world, or the mistakes we all make, FIT FOR A KING offer a foundation of open-mindedness and compassion.
“We’re a very transparent band. We aren’t pretending to be something we’re not,” says Kirby. “We don’t want to act like rock stars and we also don’t want to act like we’re poor musicians that can barely eat everyday. We don’t portray a false image. We want people to know exactly who we are.” FIT FOR A KING cherishes unwavering honesty. Even under Dark Skies.
Blue light. No heat. A glacial wall of denser-than-dense sound.
Dallas Texas’ FROZEN SOUL lives up to their name as the sound of death metal at its most cold and classic. Riff after slow, grinding riff, there is no mistaking the themes of isolation and suffering that permeate the quintet’s massive sonic missives. From the first note of their Century Media debut, Crypt of Ice, it’s like the march of Game of Thrones’ Night King put to sound: nothing subtle about it at all. “The feeling I’m getting from playing in FROZEN SOUL is powerful in a way I wasn’t getting from other bands I’ve played in before”, says front man Chad Green. “The sound. The lyrics. Even the logo itself has a harshness to it that just feels powerful and cold. Add to that the depression of dealing with real life and the venomous people that can inhabit it and the vibe of the band just makes sense.”
FROZEN SOUL’s brand of straightforward, in-your-face death metal is a gasp of fresh air in a genre that’s stretched the very limits of technicality. Fully formed in 2018, the quintet has rapidly made a name for itself and churned the underground with a sound that evokes the old school sound of bands like Obituary, Mortician and Bolt Thrower. That reverence for death metal’s roots was apparent from Frozen Soul’s initial four-song Encased In Ice demo (which includes a cover of Mortician’s “Witch’s Coven”) that was released in early 2019 on California’s cave dwelling, knuckle dragging, Maggot Stomp Records.
Not that FROZEN SOUL’s journey has exactly been overnight. The band’s roots can be etched back to 2007 in Green’s time as drummer in Metallic Hardcore turned Death Metal band, End Times. With early influences including Trial, Ringworm and Integrity or Texas’ heroes, Iron Age”, he recalls. “That led me back to my roots – which was, of course, bands like Metallica, and Slayer. From there I fell down the rabbit hole into bands like Grave, Bolt Thrower and Obituary. Eventually, I realized that even if I was playing hardcore, all we were doing was writing death and thrash riffs, anyways!” Blame it on the power of the blunt-force riff and a love for death metal’s past, but in part, blame it on being a band from Texas, a state whose metal roots run deep. From Pantera to Power Trip, sheer heaviness runs in FROZEN SOUL’s home state’s musical bloodstream. “I think being from here gives any band some big shoes to fill”, states Chad. “That’s why Texas has so many great metal, punk, and hardcore bands.”
A chance 2016 meeting with guitarist Michael Munday at a local comic book shop over a game of Magic: The Gathering laid the foundation for FROZEN SOUL. The two had an instant chemistry and shared love for the likes of games, music and well of course, Bolt Thrower, that became the primordial ooze from which FROZEN SOUL would eventually emerge.
“It all started when we were trying to rekindle End Times, we were writing riffs that were a little too heavy for what End Times was going for”, recalls Chad. “The first full song that we wrote for FROZEN SOUL was ‘Hand of Vengeance’, which came together quickly! It had a different sort of influence and pushed us to do something new which became FROZEN SOUL.” With End Times guitarist and Crypt of Ice producer/mixer Daniel Schmuck – who has also worked with the likes of Creeping Death and Power Trip – FROZEN SOUL came together quickly. Bassist, and Tattoo Artist Samantha Mobley, along with Drummer Brady Tripp would fill in the starting lineup and by early 2019, the band recorded their inaugural demo and played a near sold-out first show in March, opening a stacked bill topped by death metal contenders, Blood Incantation and Necrot. “We had quite a few people from our hometown at the show that had no idea we were a local band, asking where we were touring from.” says Chad. The band circulated through members which led to the addition of Green’s longtime friend and Drummer Matt Dennard, together hit the road to the West Coast by the Summer. In October they followed the West Coast tour up a run through the Midwest with thrash crossover monsters, Plague Years. “Every show on both of our first two tours were great, which felt incredible, especially for a band with just one four-song demo!”, the front man admits. A steady diet of in between local gigs with the likes of Gatecreeper, Exhumed, Vader and Obituary, really got their name out there among the local Texas scene, but hitting the frozen roads of the east coast in January 2020 with Death Thrashers Steel Bearing Hand brought FROZEN SOUL’s icy reign full circle solidifying their spot nationally. With every show, the band became a more oppressive wall of sound and snow-machine enhanced atmosphere. “The Frozen Steel tour in January was one of the best experiences in my life and playing a packed show at Saint Vitus in Brooklyn was a huge accomplishment for us”, remembers Chad. “It was one of those moments, playing a legendary club that you never imagined being able to play that makes you ask yourself, have we finally arrived, have we made it?!.”
In truth, FROZEN SOUL had arrived and both fans and the metal press had given them the stamp of approval. Just a few months after its release, the band’s singular demo-turned-EP was already winning them high praise in many year-end critics’ polls. Brooklyn Vegan pegged FROZEN SOUL for one of the most anticipated metal albums of 2020 and Invisible Orange’s writer Rhys Williams gave Encased In Ice the #4 spot in his Top 10 records of 2019.
In another surprise turn, the band received a call from Century Media and found themselves inking a worldwide deal with the label. “We were surprised ourselves at just how quickly this had all come together”, Chad admits. “But honestly, we 100% never expected this.” With its line-up filled out by Steel Bearing Hand bassist, Chris Bonner playing second guitar, FROZEN SOUL entered the studio in early March 2020 to record its first full-length with former guitarist Daniel Schmuck handling production and mixing duties. While the shadow of the encroaching Covid-19 pandemic loomed over the recording, the band got focused and delivered. Crypt of Ice is nothing short of a breath of very fresh and very cold air on death metal’s fiery landscape. From re-recorded demo tracks including the call-to-arms of “Encased In Ice” and the savage frost blister of “Wraith of Death”, to the brutal, pummeling and momentous guitar churn of “Arctic Stranglehold”, FROZEN SOUL has delivered a record that embraces the genre’s past whilst pushing death metal forward with frigid force.
