Killswitch Engage was about to tour with their latest album Atonement, released in 2019. But after a couple shows, Covid hit and lockdown started. The band takes a moment to talk about it before the show starts. They haven’t seen each other for 15 months and with a new album ready to be heard, they decided to go back to this location and give it their all. Although they wished they got to play it in front of a crowd, since this is recorded only in front of cameras. 

And then it starts. Two hours of pure enjoyment. First, Killswitch Engage plays their latest album Atonement in full. Time just flies by. They play song after song. It’s just pure enjoyment from this side of the screen. I love the harmonics during ‘Us Against the World’.

‘‘I’ll be the protection when you fall’’.

‘Crownless King’ shows you a lot of powerful screams. While the previous song has a lot of harmonics to ease the heart, this one wakes you right up.

‘I am Broken Too’, not only does the song hit hard, but so does the tattoo on lead singer Jesse Leach’s left elbow. It reads the song title loud and clear. To me it feels like people can read the text and not feel alone, because even a big rockstar sometimes feels alone. 

So many feelings go through your head as you see the band play. You see the emotion on their faces, you feel the music. Even though you are not right there in front of them, it feels like that from your screen. Even though the band states it felt awkward for them playing in front of cameras, nothing shows that. They are the same kickass musicians with their usual touch of humor as they are on a stage every single time.

Of course you notice that there is no crowd there and no interaction with a crowd. Nothing or very little is said in between songs. But I think that’s the whole point of this show. Killswitch Engage wasn’t able to play for people for so long, and these amazing songs are a gift that we can turn to whenever we feel like we miss the band.

After the last song of Atonement, ‘Bite the Hands that Feed’, the message is loud and clear. The last sentence is screamed and echoes through your living room ‘What would you die for!?’

The show appears to be over when guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz says “Nice work guys”. He starts joking around that there’s a ghost, he calls it Ghostie. It maybe sounds silly when you are reading this, but believe me, it’s gold. All of a sudden they’re in clothes from their early days. The ghost has brought them back to old times. Old Killswitch Engage is back, but with a new amazing sound. I love it when bands play old songs again but with all the knowledge and experience they’ve gained over time. It sounds so much richer and fuller than it did in 2000. Next up is a full play-through of their first self-titled release. Only the last song isn’t played. For their last song, they play ‘Just Barely Breathing’ form their ‘Alive of Just Breathing’ record.

Personally, I only know the bigger hits form Killswitch Engage. I’ve seen them live a couple of times and always loved their shows and their funny skits in the middle. Having seen this show, I feel like I connected with the band a lot more. Just enjoying the show and rocking out to great melodic metalcore music. Weather you are the bands greatest fan, if you know their hits or if you’ve never heard of them before but just enjoy their genre of music. Killswitch Engage has you covered.

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