A dose of metal in everyone’s daily routine should be incorporated, specially a live performance. As many shows possible a week should be medically recommended by the metal gods, and that is just what we did. We took our asses over to Las Vegas, NV on Tuesday August 13th, 2019 to witness an insane performance by the long time metalcore act, Killswitch Engage and the up and coming Los Angeles local Thrown Into Exile. The ritual took place in the Las Vegas, The Space; a venue big enough to have a sold out show and where moshers could create chaos.
The weather was a meager 104 degrees, the lowest on a Las Vegas hot summer season. The strip was empty, perhaps all the metal heads were on their way to The Space, where some killer music was going to be performed. Who knows? Once I arrived at the destination, I saw the tour buses, and vans which made me feel welcomed. I immediately ran in to Joey Dalo, lead singer of Thrown Into Exile, we walked in to the venue and talked about the show to come. He was as excited as much I was to be in Las Vegas.
Thrown Into Exile is composed of, Mario Rubio and Ray Sanchez on guitars, Zack Morris on drums, Dave Corsile on bass and Joey Dalo as the front man. The band went on stage delivering an intense neck breaker (“Beyond The Grey”) since the get go, as well as new material, a track titled “ The Mourning”; that which takes you back to the sounds of At The Gates and Inflames. Joey Dalo delivered powerful vocals, interacting with the crowd between songs. His level of energy was relentless, and he made sure fans heard his vocals across town. Guitarist, Ray Sanchez and Mario Rubio both played with ease and delivered a plethora of riffs, teaming up during face melting bridges and skull crushing solos. Despite what the masses say, bassists are an important part of the band, and Dave Corsile makes sure his bandmates get every powerful bass note to ensure chaos. New recruit, Zack Morris played in nothing but his underpants, which the ladies enjoyed. His skills behind the drums are beyond this world, he does not miss a beat and plays with joy and rage. The cohesiveness and tight sound this band delivers each track with is phenomenal, their exuberayting performance captivated new fans and made the crowd go wild. One of the favorites for the fans that night was “Idol of One”, a track that has intensity and melodies both creating a heavy air atmosphere in the crowd as they moshpit and rage to each second of the track.
The band will be performing at the Metal Fest in Monterrey, Mexico in November as they also continue to record their new material which will definitely not disappoint. This show was a warmup for their performance at the Psycho Las Vegas pool pre-show and they delivered another blazing performance there with the same intensity as they did at The Space.
Killswitch Engage took the stage next, a bone crushing performance where fans were able to sing to classic tracks and some new from their latest release Atonement, Via Metal Blade Records. The band joked on stage but did not waste time talking as they immediately played each track with skill and brutality. The band played tracks like “Beyond The Flames” and a lot of new material as it was the day prior to their album release date. You could see the crowd singing along to this and many tracks. The moshpit was intense and each guitar (Adam Dutkiewicz and Joel Stroetzel) note amplified their sound across the venue, especially during tracks like “I am Broken Too” and a new track “The Crownless King”. It is obvious the fans are die hard lovers of their music, as they would raise their hands and lose their shit at each tracked KSE played. The heaviness to each track was added by drummer Justin Foley who played a killer double pedal and endless blast beats too. Bassist Mike D’Antonio interacts with the crowd and plays brutaly, his passion is contagious and sets the tone for each track. Lead singer, Jesse Leach rages with powerful vocals either clean or screams he enhances this bands profile and fans love to sing along with him.
Atonement was released on August1 16th, 2019 via the heaviest metal record Metal Blade Records, they followed this killer packed performance with a quaint show at Hollywood’s Ameoba the following day. With the same intensity, KSE was epic and infected each fan with a powerful energy that resonated across California. This band has been delivering great music and a testament to that is their fans. They will be playing on October 11th, 2019 at Exit 111 Festival in Manchester, TN make sure to get your tickets as it is sure to sell out.
By: Hostile Jo
Photos By: Jose Barrientos
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