When it comes to pretty iconic metal bands in general, we see no shortage in sight on the Metal Blade label. On October 5th, 2022, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE will be headlining a special night of metal at the House of Blues Las Vegas inside the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino. We got to cover the Metal Blade 35th anniversary run, and it was a blast. It’ll be exciting to see this celebration on the bigger stage!
As mentioned above, this celebration features metalcore heavyweights KILLSWITCH ENGAGE with openers VISIGOTH and FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY.
Openers:
I admittedly am unfamiliar with Visigoth, this is the first time I’ve seen their name pop up in my feeds. All it took was a quick youtube search to find that these guys are nowhere near new to the metal world. The band formed in 2010, so not super new, but not really super old either.
Right off the bat I get a very Dio influenced Power Metal vibe from these guys. I am also admittedly not the biggest fan of power metal in general. At least not on records anyway. Although it’s not unusual for me to walk away pleased from that type of music live. Visigoth in general have a big big sound with very powerful vocals and some catchy riffage going on. I am eager to see what they bring to thier live performances with a sound that seems so big already on their recorded songs.
Fit for an Autopsy is our other opener for this night, and these guys are much more my speed when it comes to metal in general. Classed as a deathcore band, these guys really made an impression on me with their “Oh What the Future Holds” record that was released at the beginning of this year. I actually bought this album at Zia on Record Store Day, having seen their name pop up everwhere; but I hadn’t actually spent time and listened to them prior to this. WHY DID I NOT KNOW ABOUT THESE GUYS SOONER. Just going to chalk that up to life kicking my ass around here and there. Better late than never I suppose.
These guys have a very interesting take on deathcore and I think that’s why I’ve been so drawn to them. Some familiar elements mixed with some heavier and darker ones in terms of their overall musical sound. I’ve definitely been keeping tabs on their socials and such and I have to say I’m most excited for this band’s live performance.
Killswitch Engage
I had a serious moment of nostalgia recently thinking about Killswitch Engage. My ten year old wore my 2007 As Daylight Dies tour cycle shirt to school I think that’s the last time I saw them perform. That concert was also at the House of Blues Las Vegas. (HOB is a very, very special place to me too, haha.) This band holds a very special place in my thoughts when it comes to my own discovery of different types of metal. I can’t remember exactly how I found them. If it was Alternative Press magazine, or some of my friends. At any rate this was a band that pushed me into other bands as well. As I Lay Dying, Unearth, August Burns Red, The Devil Wears Prada, and many many more metalcore bands that really helped shape my overall taste and preferences that I enjoy listening to.
Some time after I dove head first into the happenings of deathcore I lost track of Killswitch Engage. That’s not to say I have anything against them now or the music they make these days. 2019’s Atonement is absolutely on par with my favorites from the rest of their catalogue. I’ve missed them the last few times they’ve hit the Vegas scene but I’ve heard nothing but great things about all that they’ve been doing since I first saw them all those years ago. As far as my expectations for them, I’m excited to see the Jesse Leach fronted lineup. When I did see them last they were in the Howard Jones era of their time.
Both Jesse and Howard are amazing vocalists, but I am definitely interested to see Jesse’s take on some of my old favorites such as “When Darkness Falls”, “The End of Heartache”, “Unbroken”, and “Life to Lifeless”; assuming any of those songs make it into their current set list rotations.
As far as Metal Blade goes….
I have always thoroughly enjoyed all of the awesome things Metal Blade has put on as a whole through the years. From the anniversary shows, to other special events, to their really awesome store they’ve got out here in Vegas. This evening is sure to be one for the books! I unfortunately missed the smaller 40th Anniversary show that Sacred Reich just played out at The Space.(Our guy Taylor was there though! Read his thoughts HERE!) But this bigger scale celebration will hopefully make up for that!
Who will I be seeing in the pit for this one? For tickets and more information about this stacked night, head on over to the House of Blues event page HERE!