Anthrax / Killswitch Engage – Express Live, Columbus, OH
Review by: Drew Forster
Photos by: Brock Caldwell (website, portfolio)
On Thursday March, 30, 2017 the second stop of the Killthrax tour rolled into the Express Live Venue in Columbus, Ohio. This is a co-headlining show featuring thrash legends Anthrax and Metalcore masters Killswitch Engage. The bands are alternating who gets to close the show and tonight those duties belong to Anthrax.
The show was opened by Jasta and The Devil Wears Prada, and while boths bands performed well, the response was somewhat tepid, almost as if the large crowd was saving their energy for the headliners.
Killswitch Engage took the stage with Hate By Design, a track off their current record Incarante. The ferocity that this band brings to the stage never disappoints, as the crowd bounced, surfed and sings along with the band. Vocalist Jesse Leach really knows how to connect with an audience, as he sings out “this is…” and the crowd responds with “My Last Serenade,” at a near deafening level. The band was in top form tonight as, they ran through a classic set list that included, The End of Heartache, Rose of Sharyn, In Due Time, and even added in their cover of Dio’s Holy Diver.
After giving the crowd some time recover, Anthrax took to the stage and proved why they are one of the Big 4, starting off with classic tracks of Among the Living, Caught in a Mosh and Madhouse. This band has not lost a step, as guitarist Scott Ian leaps in the air, and singer Joey Belladonna runs around the stage as if both were still in their mid twenties. But this night was not all about the nostalgia of this band, as Anthrax proves that they can still write great songs. The band played Blood Eagle Wings and Breathing Lightning from the most recent For All Kings record. The new material really holds up well against the classics.
This was a fun night and the Killthrax tour will be crossing the country through early May.
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