Recently Killswitch put out their latest release ‘This Consequence’, which to me, brought back some of the trashiness and traditional metalcore sound from them that does a nice job in allowing Jesse’s voice to really carry. They have been an exciting band to watch for more than two decades, whether it’s been Jesse or Howard singing, they’ve been able to continue to keep themselves not just relevant in the scene, but leaders in the scene, which couldn’t be more evident than seeing them headline a sold out show at the 3500 cap Hard Rock Live in Sacramento (Wheatland).
The show was stacked from top to bottom and brought most of the crowd out early to ensure they got a killer spot on the packed floor, and as it inched closer to Killswitch, after Kublai Khan set the stage perfectly, the energy began to amp up until finally, the lights went down and they ripped right into “Strength of the Mind,” and without stopping, right into “Rose of Sharyn” and “Reckoning.”
At this point in their 25 plus year career, it must be difficult to pick setlists that will make everyone happy. I’ve been there since the beginning, seeing them in tiny rooms and pure chaos to the biggest stages, and one thing continuously rings true, they are a well oiled machine. They pack their sets with songs spanning their entire career off of very album, playing 18 songs with barely stopping to take a breath, it’s apparent that they want their fans to get the most of their money and their experience in seeing KSE live.
That well oiled machine is on the up and up, deservingly so, and should never be passed up to see live if you haven’t yet.
SETLIST:
- Strength of the Mind
- Rose of Sharyn
- Reckoning
- Aftermath
- Numbered Days
- This Is Absolution
- No End in Sight
- Collusion
- Hate by Design
- Forever Aligned
- The Signal Fire
- I Believe
- In Due Time
- I Am Broken Too
- This Fire
- My Curse
- The End of Heartache
- My Last Serenade
