Killswitch Engage in Pomona: Live Music Review

If you have even a passing interest in heavy music, Killswitch Engage is a band you’ll know. They’ve appeared on movie soundtracks, and their lead guitarist has produced more than a dozen albums in the metalcore/post-hardcore genre. I had the intense pleasure of watching them perform on Friday, April 8th in Pomona, California.

I had been to the Fox Theater last year to see Danzig perform. For that show, my friend Dave and I arrived early to get our pit passes. We forgot about them this time around, unfortunately. (If you ever go to the Fox Theater, make sure you get there early if you want pit access. They give wristbands to the first 500 people only, and if you don’t have a wristband, you don’t get in the pit. Period.)

I arrived early enough to be able to walk around a bit and give out some business cards. The drummer from 36 Crazyfists noticed my Big Lebowski shirt (Buy it by clicking below), so we chatted briefly and I gave him a card. He mentioned they’re looking for an illustrator, so maybe I’ll be able to do some work with them. (Creating illustrations for band merch and vinyl would be a dream job for me, and it’s a market I haven’t been able to break into just yet. Fingers crossed!)

Toothgrinder

Dave joined me about fifteen minutes before the first band took the stage, and we went next door to grab a bite before the show. There was a TV in the bar area hooked up to the stage, so we were able to see Toothgrinder play the first two songs as we were finishing our food. Toothgrinder is a new metal band from New Jersey. Based on the band name, I expected a grindcore project. (They’re not.)

Their debut CD has a sticker on it that reads, “For fans of Between the Buried and Me, The Dillinger Escape Plan, and Meshuggah.” I’m a fan of all three of these bands, but often the “Recommended if you like…” stickers are way off. This time, it was accurate.

Toothgrinder is the reason you show up early and make sure to give every act a chance. Very often, you’ll discover a gem. Toothgrinder brought both the energy and technical skill to the stage for the short set they were allotted. It was a very bare bones performance, as there wasn’t much in the way of banners or a light show. They let the music do the talking, which is the right decision for an upcoming band with their degree of technical skill. I’m eager to see them again in a more intimate setting when they have more time play.

After their set, I went to the merch table to buy their album. My two word review: it’s great! I’ve embedded the video for the first track here. If you like it, please support up-and-comers.

Setlist: The Hour Angle | Schizophrenic Jubilee | The House (That Fear Built) | Dance of Damsels | Lace & Anchor | Coeur d’Alene | Diamonds for Gold | Blue

Sound: ★★★★ out of 5
Energy: ★★★★★ out of 5
Live Performance: ★★★★ out of 5
Overall: ★★★★½ out of 5

36 Crazyfists

36 Crazyfists is a band I’ve liked for a long time, but I’d never seen them in concert. They’re originally a nu metal act from Alaska, but they later moved to Portland, Oregon and the music started sounding closer to metalcore. I like the old stuff, but the later, metalcore albums are superior, in my opinion. There are still traces of their nu metal past in the new records, however. This article is a pretty good write-up of their history and their newest album.

Whenever I see a band that’s been around a long time, I’m a bit nervous about the performance. The guys in 36 Crazyfists have been a band since 1994 and are in their 40s by now, so would they bring the noise? Or would they tone it down? I’m happy to report they brought both the energy and the passion into their performance. The setlist was a good mix of the nu metal/metalcore that I mentioned, and Brock’s singing gave me chills. He’s always been a better singer than a screamer, so I was glad that the setlist showcased his singing voice.

My only complaint was that the mixing seemed slightly off and some of the songs seemed a bit fuzzy. Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed these heavy music veterans.

I’ve included a link to my favorite album, and a video below.

Setlist: Vanish | I’ll Go Until My Heart Stops | At the End of August | The Heart and the Shape | Bloodwork | We Gave it Hell | Sorrow Sings | Also Am I | Time and Trauma | Slit Wrist Theory

Sound: ★★★½ out of 5
Energy: ★★★★ out of 5
Live Performance: ★★★★ out of 5
Overall: ★★★★ out of 5

Memphis May Fire

Memphis May Fire is a band I’ve known about for a few years, but they never really hooked me. They’re (by far) the poppiest band of the night’s line up. I wasn’t terribly excited to see them perform, but happily I was wrong. They rocked!

Like Toothgrinder, Memphis May Fire filled the stage with their frenetic energy on every song. The younger crowd really connected with them, too, and Memphis May Fire probably boasted the best pit of the night. Whatever problem the sound booth had on 36 Crazyfists was fixed for Memphis May Fire, and each song sounded clean, crisp, and deliberate.

Like Killswitch Engage, Memphis May Fire’s lyrics are very positive. Matty Mullins, the lead vocalist, even gave a motivational speech in between songs about following your passions and blazing your own path. It’s nice to hear a bit of positivity, especially with so much horror in today’s world.

I listened to a few of their songs after the concert with a renewed interest, but unfortunately my opinion hadn’t changed much. They’re definitely a talented group, they’re just not my thing right now. The breakdowns and growls are sick, but I think the clean vocals are bit too poppy for me. I enjoyed them live a great deal, however, and would go see them again in a heartbeat. I’ve embedded a song below so you can judge for yourself.

Setlist: Beneath the Skin | Prove Me Right | Legacy | Stay the Course | Alive in the Lights | No Ordinary Love | The Sinner | Vices

Setlist: N/A
Sound: ★★★★ out of 5
Energy: ★★★★★ out of 5
Live Performance: ★★★★ out of 5
Overall: ★★★★ out of 5

Killswitch Engage

When it was finally time for the main event, the venue had completely filled up and it was a bit hard to move around. The anticipation was palpable, and when Killswitch took the stage, the crowd erupted into a swirl of bodies. This is what we had come to see, after all.

I have been a fan of Killswitch Engage since their fantastic sophomore record, 2002’s Alive or Just Breathing. (I’ve written about them on this site, here.) I had only seen them once before, in Hollywood. It was 2006, and Howard Jones had taken over as lead vocalist. Now, in 2016, the original singer (Jesse Leach) is back and they have released their best record since 2004’s The End of Heartache. Needless to say, my hopes were high.

I liked them the first time I saw them; I LOVED them this time. They were incredible, despite Jesse fighting an illness. (It only affected Rose of Sharyn. The band was playing but Jesse wasn’t singing. After the song, he explained that he had a big hunk of phlegm blocking his throat. I thought it was cool that he owned up to it. Of course, being the joker, Adam insinuated that it was a male bodily fluid. It was stupid and childish, of course, but it got a laugh. It worked because he clearly doesn’t take himself too seriously.)

Every song was tight, and the new stuff sounded amazing. The set list skewed more towards the new stuff, but they made sure to play the old favorites like My Last Serenade and The End of Heartache. I was very interested to see how Jesse would handle Howard’s songs, and he nailed them all (except for the Rose of Sharyn incident). Between songs, the only band members who addressed the audience were Jesse and Adam, and they are the perfect yin and yang. Jesse is the straight man to Adam’s cartoonish antics. It’s a perfect microcosm of Killswitch’s music; it’s heavy and technical, but the band never forgets to have fun.

The music and mixing were (almost) perfect, but the light show bothered me a bit. I think I was at exactly the wrong level of the theater as I was constantly blinded by the light machines. Going up or down a level would have cleared it up, but I couldn’t move.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t an encore. A big fight had broken out during the last song, and I think that may have been the reason. Luckily, they played for over an hour so we definitely got our money’s worth. I am definitely excited to see them again the next time they’re in town.

Setlist: Strength of the Mind | A Bid Farewell | Numbered Days | No End in Sight | Beyond the Flames | Alone I Stand | This Fire Burns | Vide Infra | Always | Breathe Life | Hate by Design | Rose of Sharyn | Embrace the Journey…Upraised | My Last Serenade | The End of Heartache | My Curse | In Due Time

Setlist: ★★★★ out of 5
Sound: ★★★★★ out of 5
Energy: ★★★★★ out of 5
Live Performance: ★★★★ out of 5
Overall: ★★★★½ out of 5

Concert Reviews

2013

• Tomahawk (feat. Retox)
• Coheed and Cambria (feat. BTBAM & Russian Circles)
• Palms
• Black Sabbath (feat. Andrew WK)
• Vampire Weekend (feat. Beirut)

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2014

• Fit for a King & For Today
• ††† (Crosses) (feat. Omniflux & Spirit in the Room)
• Soundgarden & NIN 2014

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2015

• Dr. Octagon (feat. Avalon, Gap Dream & No Parents)
• Faith No More (feat. The Urinals)
• Mastodon & Clutch (feat. Graveyard)
• Coheed and Cambria (feat. Seahaven)
• The Appleseed Cast (feat. Adjy & Coaster)
• The Smashing Pumpkins & Marilyn Manson
• Danzig (feat. Cancer Bats & Saviours)
• Imagine Dragons (feat. Halsey & Metric)
• Between the Buried and Me & Animals As Leaders (feat. The Contortionist)
• Deftones & Incubus (feat. Death from Above 1979)
• 2015 Summer Rankings
• Blindside (feat. Hearts Like Lions)
• Puscifer (feat. Luchafer)

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2016

• The Black Queen (feat. Drab Majesty)
• Joe Satriani
• Coheed and Cambria (feat. Glassjaw, I the Mighty, Silver Snakes)
• Killswitch Engage (feat. Memphis May Fire, 36 Crazyfists, and Toothgrinder)
• Andrew Bird (feat. John Grant)
• Lamb of God (feat. Clutch and Corrosion of Conformity)
• At the Drive-In (feat. Le Butcherettes)
• The Dillinger Escape Plan (feat. Author & Punisher)
• Guns N’ Roses (feat. The Cult)
• Animal Collective (feat. Stuart Copeland)
• Alice in Chains (feat. The New Regime)
• Temple of the Dog (feat. Fantastic Negrito)
• Giraffe Tongue Orchestra (cancelled)
• Metallica
• 2016 Concert Rankings

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2017

• August Burns Red (feat. Protest the Hero, In Hearts Wake, ’68)
• Norma Jean (feat. He Is Legend, Capsize, Comrades)
• Red (feat. Wolves at the Gate, Message from Sylvia, Death Therapy) (coming soon)
• Mastodon (feat. Eagles of Death Metal, Russian Circles) (coming soon)
• Pixies (coming soon)
• Tool (feat. Clutch, Fantomas, Primus, Melvins, Crystal Method) (coming soon)
• Rise Against (feat. Deftones, Thrice) (coming soon)
• Green Day
• Dead Cross (feat. Neil Hamburger, Ho99o9) (coming soon)
• Banks (coming soon)
• Between the Buried and Me (feat. The Contortionist, Poluphia, Toothgrinder) (coming soon)
• The Offspring (feat. Well Hung Heart) (coming soon)
• Russian Circles (feat. MGR) (coming soon)
• Our Lady Peace (feat. Smashing Hearts) (coming soon)
• Animals As Leaders (feat. Periphery and Astronoid) (coming soon)

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