Killswitch Engage – Gig Review & Photo Gallery 4th February @ Eatons Hill Hotel, Brisbane

Posted on March 5, 2017 by Paul 'Browny' Brown

Killswitch Engage
Eatons Hill Hotel, Brisbane QLD
March 4^th, 2017
Supported by – Fallujah and Chronolyth

As the years go by we’re starting to see more and more bands ~~cash in on~~ announce Anniversary Tours. Some with albums turning a decade old with only one good song on it, some with albums that have stood the test of time and still to his day bring a smile to those listening to it. That was the case last night when Killswitch Engage rolled into town for their Alive or Just Breathing 15 Year Anniversary show in Brisbane and they brought with them a night full of chugga metal fun, hilarious antics and two very special on point supports.

The night began with a line longer than King Kong’s dick to get into the venue. Given that Adele was playing on the otherside of the city to 90,000+ people it was great to see the vast majority of (mainly male) metal fans embracing the boys return to Brisbane. First up we had local support Chronolyth who might I say were a perfect addition to the gig. Their metal presence sounded great but were unfortunately let down by microphone issues during the last part of their set. The band sounded great however you could only hear vocalist Hamish McSorley when he sang/spoke rather than screamed which was a major letdown for the band’s performance as I really wanted to hear what these guys sounded like.

The mic issues also plagued Fallujah who were in Brisbane for the very first time and holy fuck they left their mark on awaiting fans. Sheer brutality is all I can say to describe what was played in front of me and goddamn it was beautiful. After about 2 or 3 songs the mic issue was resolved and I don’t know whether it was vocalist Alex Hofmann, drummer Andrew Baird, or guitarists Scott Carstairs and Brian James who blew me away more so collectively I’ll give them all two big metal horns in the sky. Even though their style was a bit heavy for my liking, I could still appreciate the ferociousness and sheer forceful performance they displayed in front of me. If you can, make sure you see these guys while they’re here.

As the night went on and slowly approached 10pm the crowd began to grow restless, eagerly anticipating what was about to come from the Killswitch boys and almost without a second to spare the backing track for Beastie Boys‘ ‘(You Gotta) Fight for your Right (To Party)‘ began, signalling the boys’ return to the stage in Brisbane. Without hesitation they were straight into Alive or Just Breathing with ‘Numbered Days‘, ‘Self Revolution‘ and ‘Fixation of Darkness‘ enticing fans to get rowdy and sweaty. Eatons Hill is renowned for it’s air-conditioned room and close to perfect acoustics for any band, however tonight it was a furnace not only for fans but the band too. Front-man Jesse Leach addressed the crowd and the heat on several occasions whilst guitarist and token funny man Adam D prepared for the gig by sporting white headband with the word TRASH written so proudly across it as he ran from side to side of the stage lapping up the attention the crowd was giving him and his antics.

The first sing-a-long of the night came in the form of ‘My Last Serenade‘ with the band calling on the audience to sing the words as loud as they could. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, there is nothing more spectacular than a room full of middle aged metal fans singing along to the same song in almost harmonious glory.Not long after Jesse once again addressed the heat in the room and calls for bottles of water to be thrown into the crowd. This is a band that acres about their fans having a good, safe time. Jesse completely douses himself to cool down as Adam D asks for requests to hold his balls at the low price of $5.

The short intermission ends and the band get straight back into their iconic album with ‘Life to Lifeless‘, ‘Just Barely Breathing‘ and ‘Without a Name‘ standing out more so for fans. Even though the room was overheating, everyone gave their all to withstand the unbearable temperature for the remainder of the band’s epic set. Mike D also deserves recognition for his ability to keep up with Adam by running back and forth across the stage with his long luscious, sweat infused hair smacking him in the eyes each time.

Following on from the album (which might I add was great to finally see played in full by the band) the guys got into a string of classic songs and new stuff from the latest album Incarnate. Kicking things off with ‘Hate By Design‘ everyone was back on their feet again causing a ruckus which continued momentum into ‘My Curse‘. The mosh-pit erupted and bodies began throwing themselves into each other. ‘Alone I Stand‘ and ‘Beyond the Flames‘ kept the energy flowing for all involved as ‘Strength of the Mind‘ and ‘In Due Time‘ slowly started to ease us into the climactic ending of ‘The End of Heartache‘. Jesse let us have our moment to sing the song for the majority of the first half but it wasn’t until he took over the vocals for the remainder of the track that I actually started thinking to myself, Howard who? He nailed it perfectly and the band exited the stage amidst a loud cheer from fans, enticing them to come back on. At one point it looked like they wouldn’t return, however not to disappoint their awaiting legion, the emerged once last time to close the night with ‘Rose of Sharyn‘. The epic evening drew to a close as the band thanked us all for coming and said they wouldn’t be there without our support. The lights came on and once again Killswitch Engage left our lives until next tour.

In closing long time fans will appreciate the effort this band goes into with every performance and seeing once of their most iconic albums played in full was just the icing on the cake of an already impressive tour. Highly recommend seeing these guys while they’re here, not to mention Fallujah who will please any/all heavy metal fans seeking a brutal dose of rock. – Browny (@brownypaul)

Revisit our pre-tour chat with guitarist Adam D here

Photo Gallery by Alison Northway. Please credit Wall of Sound and Photographer if you use published photos.

Fallujah