I was ready for a show of charging power as I walked into the Showbox SoDo downtown Seattle.
Early in the evening, Sweden's Dark Tranquillity came on stage amidst the darkness and proceeded to quickly tear the place a new hole with their assaulting and melodic death metal. These dudes looked absolutely epic in their dark clothes and long, dreadlocked hair. Listening to their powerful music full of inescapable metal riffs and unending synchopated death-metal drumming completed by Mikael Stanne's growling vocals is like experiencing a roller coaster ride constantly speeding downhill through brain-smashing turns. America has a lot to learn from Sweden, a country with a vast history of metal music.
After the Swedes, The Devil Wears Prada pushed the crowd into an even further frenzied state. This group of Ohioans destroyed the place with their crushing power, and it was particularly striking how the crowd became instantly crazy. It became obvious people in the place loved this second opener, with their outright assailment of hardcore, metalcore, synths, and screaming vocals (interspersed with emo-tinged notes). Just check out their song "Sassafras" for a quick assault to the ears.
A short wait time followed The Devil Wears Prada, but soon the venue lights went off and "Oh Yeah" by Yello à la Twix commercials and Ferris Bueller's Day Off) came over the speakers. A set of big LED screens displayed the lyrics so the audience could follow along. This was the backdrop as members of the headliner Killswitch Engage hurried onto the stage and proceeded to blatantly interrupt the song, charging into a song of their own as the crowd went nuts. Never ones to go unnoticed, guitarists Adam Dutkiewicz and Joel Stroetzel ran around the stage with energy. Adam in particular was a sight to behold, sporting a short green cape, white Karate–Kid style headband, and shredded-sleve t-shirt.
Even though the main singer Howard Jones was absent from the tour and Phil Labonte from All That Remains took over the lead spot, Killswitch Engage was still able to put on a show that was powerful and rambunctious. Stopping in the middle of a song, Adam Dutkiwicz asked "Seattle, Moshington" to establish not just one but two circle pits, a command followed instantaneously. This band put on an amazing show and the unique thing about Killswitch Engage that has kept them popular for so many years is the sheer positive and uplifting energy their metalcore puts forth. Their stage presence and their obvious desire to truly have a good time has resulted in making their fans happy right along with them.
