Taking over on lead vocals on the tour is All That Remains' lead singer Phil Labonte, who is apparently a long-time friend of the band. Due to the lineup change, the band has started referring to this as the Philswitch Engage tour on their merchandise. I can't take credit for the witty play on words.
We'll get back to Killswitch Engage in a moment, but let's start off by discussing the band that I was mainly there to see - Dark Tranquillity. When I heard they were opening on a bill with The Devil Wears Prada and Killswitch Engage, my first reaction was - what the hell are they thinking? While you can argue that melodic death metal played a role in the creation of the modern metalcore sound, this was a serious clash in styles and fanbase. I understood that Dark Tranquillity was attempting to expose young fans in the United States to their style of music, but I was very much afraid they wouldn't be well-received by the mall kids.
I'm happy to say that I was wrong.
This was my third time seeing my favorite band live, and they have never sounded more polished. While stuck with only a seven song set, they made the absolute most of it. There were certainly looks of "who the hell are these guys" when Dark Tranquillity started the set, but it didn't take long for them to win the crowd over. The acoustics at The Pageant are fantastic, and Dark Tranquillity easily had the best sound on the bill. They focused on mostly newer material including two songs off the recently-released "We Are The Void" album - Dream Oblivion and At The Point of Ignition. Mikael Stanne made the die-hard Dark Tranquillity fans who were there very happy with a promise to come back in May for a HEADLINER U.S. tour. I can't wait, as this band still shows no signs of slowing down after 20 plus years together.
So, after a musical experience I won't forget anytime soon...I was subjected to one I can't forget soon enough. Now, I try my best to always subscribe to the theory that there is no right or wrong when it comes to opinions on music. I understand that there are a lot of folks who would listen to Dark Tranquillity and not "get it."
That being said, anyone who actually likes The Devil Wears Prada needs to refrain from reproducing. Ever.
First off, the band had the gall to subject metal fans to crappy house and hip-hop music during their set change. Secondly, they seem to subscribe to the theory that if they over-amplify their bass enough, it'll hide just how little talent they have.
I don't have words for how bad this band is.
Let me try to find some though.
How can a band that relies so heavily on screaming vocals be so popular when they have one of the worst screamers in the industry? Seriously, this guy has no range or power in his voice at all. He also apparently is challenged by the English language, as nobody could understand a word he was mumbling between songs.
Then there is the clean vocals. Some guy resembling snowboardist Shaun White was apparently told at some point in his life that he could sing. Whoever was responsible for telling him he had vocal talent is a very bad person with a vendetta against the human race. The truth is that the dude sounds like a dying cat. I'm accustomed to hearing some horrifying noises over my many years of attending metal shows, but I literally felt the need to cover my ears to avoid the sonic pain being inflicted on me last night when this dude attempted a harmony. Even if he was on-key (which he wasn't), he still sounded like his balls hadn't dropped yet.
I'm pretty sure that's a required state to be a part of the band, however.
About the only good thing I can say about The Devil Wears Prada is that they have some energy. They never stopped bouncing. All night. Especially the keyboardist. Of course, I don't think he had much else to do most of the night. I think I actually saw him playing the keyboard twice during the entire set.
The rest of the time...he bounced.
I wanted to bounce him off the f'ing stage.
I was at least able to get some satisfaction out of seeing some of their hardcore fans losing their steam as the show went on. You could almost see the realization on their faces as the show went on that the band these poor misguided kids idolize is simply not very talented.
But, enough about this putrid excuse of a band.
Let's move on to Killswitch (Philswitch!) Engage. Those of you who listened to my shows back in the day might remember that I was a HUGE fan of Killswitch Engage, but my love for them dwindled over time due to disappointment with the newer material and disgust with their live performances. The last time I saw the band live was about three years ago. Howard Jones looked sloshed and completely disinterested in singing. Adam D was douchier than usual with his on-stage antics. It was just a terribly sloppy performance.
I decided if I could survive The Devil Wears Prada, I'd give the band another chance last night. I admit that I was very curious to see how Phil did filling in on vocals. I'm glad I stuck around.
Killswitch Engage put on a HELL of a show last night!
First off, Phil is one of the best screamers in the business. And, while he can do a decent job singing clean, he doesn't have the range and power that Howard does. This led to the band playing more of their older songs, which suited Phil's style better. They played so many of my old favorites last night with most of the set coming off the band's first three albums.
Secondly, you could really tell that the band as a whole was giving it that much extra in their performance to make up for not having Howard there. They were out of their comfort zone, and it was a good thing. Adam D spent less time acting like a clown on stage and more time helping (solidly) on vocals. Instrumentally, the band was spot-on all night. Phil's high-energy style really got the crowd fired up.
While I'm sure the guys with All That Remains don't want to hear this, I'd love to see Phil heading up Killswitch Engage permanently. It'll probably never happen, but they were a better band live last night with Phil.
More random metal show reviews to come!
- former DJ Ashval
) but definately alot of strong tracks. I'm still digging Surface the Infinite. however at the same time I'm incredibly creeped out by it(and many others). I guess thats part of their charm hah.