For those of you needing something new to listen to, Killswitch Engage released a new album and boy, is it a fun ride for metalcore fans. Live at the Palladium is jammed packed with strong vocals and heavy guitar you’d come to expect from one of the greats in the genre.

First off, everything starts off with a bang as Unleashed begins with a growl. It certainly seems to unleash the beast as vocalist Jesse Leach throughout each song perfectly encapsulates his command of his voice. One minute he’s screaming and growling, the next minute he goes into his smooth tones. Each transition just makes you want to sing along to each song.

The backing vocals of Adam Dutkiewicz make each song powerful and epic in every way. Leach and Dutkiewicz uniquely blend to make an overall fantastic experience. There are a couple moments where their voices miss their timing but that’s the only thing critical I can say. All that is pretty much forgotten as you simply bang your head.

1. “Unleashed”
2. “The Signal Fire”
3. “Us Against The World”
4. “The Crownless King”
5. “I Am Broken Too”
6. “As Sure As The Sun Will Rise”
7. “Know Your Enemy”
8. “Take Control”
9. “Ravenous”
10. “I Can’t Be The Only One”
11. “Bite The Hand That Feeds”
12. “Temple From The Within”
13. “Vide Infra”
14. “Irreversal”
15. “Rusted Embrace”
16. “Prelude”
17. “Soilborn”
18. “Numb Sickened Eyes”
19. “In The Unblind”
20. “Just Barely Breathing”

It’s at this point that you’ll notice that there are no crowd sounds, despite it being a live album. This is because the band live streamed their set without an audience. There are times where this can be felt in a negative way, as songs like Us Against The World makes you want sing and scream along to embody the emotions behind it. But that’s harder to do if no one else is doing it, too.

Although there are some negatives, overall it really is a bold take on the music industry. It really opens the door to continue life outside of restrictions brought about things closing down during the COVID crisis.

Musically, dueling guitars of Dutkiewicz and Joel Stroetzel are straight fire. The metalcore grinds and chugs with solos throughout are just so good. Their ability to sound practically the same as their songs in their albums speak to their true ability. Nothing distracts them from keeping the beat with the drums and bass.

Speaking of beat, Mike D’Antonio on bass and Justin Foley on drums are true specialists in their respective fields. The timing of each beat from Foley flows like its second nature while he expertly brings in the fills to finish the overall sound.

D’Antonio just adds the icing on the cake for beats. He’s able to match Foley on the drums but then can flow into the guitar sounds effortlessly. Know Your Enemy is a great example of each instrument coming together in near flawless unity.

Overall, this album is fantastic and shows that even though Killswitch Engage has been around for years, they are still giants in the industry. Here’s hoping for many more albums to come.

Review by: John Cicotte

Killswitch Engage’s Live at the Palladium is available on all major streaming platforms.

Killswitch Engage - Vide Infra (Live at the Palladium) [Official Video]

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