Killswitch Engage and Anthrax w/ Code Orange and The Devil Wears Prada
Showbox SoDo, Seattle, WA
04.25.17

Seattle’s Showbox SoDo is the place to be for larger alternative rock/metal acts. The venue has a sizable capacity, and a nice bar area off to the side that fits a good amount of concertgoers. So the fact that it was the stopping location of the Killthrax Tour was no surprise. Killswitch Engage and Anthrax, two iconic bands in their respective genres, teamed up for a co-headlining tour that stopped by, bringing along with them Code Orange and The Devil Wears Prada. Throughout the tour, the two headliners are taking turns closing the show. When they hit Seattle, it was Killswitch who closed the night.

Opening the night was the Pittsburgh-based hardcore outfit, Code Orange. Formerly known as Code Orange Kids, this group brought heavy, dirty hardcore to the lineup. Each breakdown-laden track was dripping with distortion. This, unfortunately, made the vocals difficult to hear, as they were also pretty distorted and grimy. They seemed a little out of place in comparison to the other groups, but they are on the same label as Killswitch so it’s likely they were able to tag along on the tour that way. They are a talented band though, and it would be great to see them tour with other groups more similar to their sound.

Next to hit the stage was The Devil Wears Prada. These guys are touring veterans, and singer Mike Hranica burst to life as soon as the music began. The group opened with the lead single off their most recent album, Transit Blues, titled “Daughter.” From there, they performed songs from nearly all of their releases except for their first two albums. The band even had time to perform “Outnumbered” and “Planet A” from their Zombie and Space EPs, respectively. The only downside to their performance was that Hranica didn’t really finish his verses.

Anthrax doesn’t really need an introduction. The legendary thrash metal act has been active since their formation in 1981, and are known worldwide. The audience let out a collective scream when the band finally took the stage. There was plenty of excitement in the room, and for good reason. Anthrax knows how to put on a show. They performed some of their most popular songs, including “Madhouse,” “Caught In A Mosh,” and “I Am The Law.” Fans sang along, moshed and crowd-surfed through just about every song.

The band’s light setup was insane. Dozens of flashing lights were simultaneously dazzling and blinding. The floodlights often looked as though they were firing off laser beams into the crowd, much like Stars Wars blasters. Their drummer was set atop a large platform which left him towering far above the rest of the band and the audience. Lead singer, Joey Belladonna, still has some fiery energy, even after fronting the band on and off for about 17 years–seven of which have been consecutive. They ended their set with the song “Indians.” Belladonna is part Native American, and the song is written for his Native American brothers and sisters. It might not be the showstopper kind of song to end a set on, but it seemed appropriately relevant to end on in a city like Seattle.

As Anthrax was leaving the stage, they grabbed handfuls of guitar picks and threw them into the crowd. The band is known for having picks with their faces on them, so whoever was lucky enough to snag one or two left the venue with awesome swag.

After what seemed like ages, it was time for Killswitch Engage to take the stage. This is a group is who legendary in their own right. They have been around since 1999, and are still going strong–releasing music as recently as 2016. There aren’t many metalcore fans out there who don’t know at least a handful of songs from this group. They performed some of their most popular songs, including “My Curse,” “The End Of Heartache,” and “In Due Time.” Their set was over an hour, so they had plenty of time to pepper in some of their best hits to keep the crowd engaged. Their lighting setup wasn’t as intense as Anthrax’s, but that didn’t detract much from the experience.

Killswitch ended their set with “Holy Diver,” which is their soaring rendition of Dio’s 1983 hit. Belladonna even joined the band on stage and took over the lead vocals for the song, with Killswitch’s frontman, Jesse Leach, taking on backing and unclean vocals. Despite what some people may feel about Killswitch covering and releasing that song in the first place, it’s still fun to hear it live. People of all ages were singing along and moshing until the very end.

Review by Kriston McConnell
Photos by Sunny Martini

Killswitch Engage, Anthrax, and The Devil Wears Prada