KILLSWITCH ENGAGE Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Killswitch Engage were late to the party in terms of NWOAHM - or New Wave of American Heavy Metal. The movement started in the mid-1990s, borrowing the name from British heavy metal new wave of the late-1970s, and was determined to offer a rawer, less caricatured take on a sound which, by this point, was running out of ideas/steam/cocaine. Despite arriving a few years after all that kicked off, this Massachusetts outfit quickly rose to become one of the most prominent in the scene, and 23 years on remain inescapable. A leading force in the development of metal core, their sound is huge, ferocious, cacophonous but also melodic, citing influences ranging from Iron Maiden to Van Halen, not to mention Mike 'Faith No More' Patton. Ultimately, though, they've carved out their own thing, which is laid bare in all its sweaty, juggernaut glory on this - the band's first ever officially released live recording.