The day was Tuesday, June 9th. 4 bands on the stage of The Ritz in Raleigh, NC. Let's start this review by providing some very important context. I’m a huge fan of Havok, and this was my first time seeing them. I’m so happy that I got to photograph one of my favorite bands!
Havok started promptly at 6:30 PM with Conformicide’s 2nd track “Hang ‘Em High”. David Sanchez’s high shriek carried throughout the venue and there was an immediate energy shift that I could fill in the photo pit. The crowd was ready to throw down, and Havok was ready to conduct the crowd in this venture. After Hang ‘Em High they launched into a favorite of mine from the album Time Is Up. To hear D.O.A live was a dream come true. David’s Tom Araya-esque scream before the final minute of the song was an incredibly surreal experience.
The highlight of the set was their final song, From The Cradle to the Grave. The double bass and ride bell drum intro, and then the brutal punishing breakdown at the end demanded everyone to headbang along with the track.
Next up was Iron Reagan. I was relatively unfamiliar with them before seeing the members come out onto the stage. Then I realized that Iron Reagan is a super group made up of members from Municipal Waste, Cannabis Corpse, and several other thrash acts. The vocalist, Tony Foresta had such natural frontman energy that you would have thought that the crowd came out just for Iron Reagan. At one point, he said that he wanted to "see a circle pit around that stupid fucking pole” and momentarily, there was a circle pit around the “stupid fucking pole” in the middle of the Ritz’ GA area.
Tony’s antics weren’t only a trip for the crowd, he regularly made the band's drummer, Ryan Parris (formerly of Darkest Hour) stifle his laughter while playing a song. My favorite moment was when Tony said “This one’s called ‘Eat Shit’” and then played 40 seconds before launching into the next song titled “Your kids an asshole”. I’ve been going to concerts in the metal space for a while, and I gotta say, you’d be hard pressed to find a band as entertaining as Iron Reagan.
Next up was Machine Head. Remember how I said at the beginning of the article that the show was on a Tuesday? Well, Robb Flynn of Machine Head thanked us for coming out and partying with them on a Wednesday. Despite not knowing the day of the week, he most certainly knew how to play and sing spectacularly from their 30+ year catalog. Also, to my surprise, Ben Eller is on tour for them filling in for Reece Scruggs and played the part so well, I didn’t notice that it wasn’t Reese on guitar until I was reviewing my photos after leaving the photo pit.
Machine Head wasn’t headlining, but you could have fooled me. Their stage props and utilization of the giant 10+ foot tall LED panel behind them was so immersive, that when they wrapped up the near hour long set with “Davidian” I had to remind myself that the headliner had yet to go on! Robb thanked us again for coming out and partying with them on a Wednesday, and I thank Robb for putting on such a great performance (on a Wednesday)!
At 9:30 the Headliner, Killswitch Engage came on stage. Adam D jogged out on stage, in his signature silly attire. Tonight, a T-Shirt reading “I’m with Stupid” and a pink headband reading “Party”. They launched right into one of my favorites, “The End of Heartache” and the crowd singing the anthem “SEEK ME, CALL ME, I’LL BE WAITING” drowned out Jesse’s singing. This is the first time I’ve seen Killswitch since Howard left (Yes, I know I’m old) and I was hesitant, but Jesse brought it! He nailed these parts and I’m thrilled that I got to see them play.
Killswitch’s setlist spanned most of their catalog, playing plenty of the hits including: This is Absolution, The Signal Fire, and of course, My Curse. Though, they also played some of my personal favorites, including Daylight Dies. Hearing the fast palm muted triplets of Daylight Dies immediately took me back to high-school listening to that song on my MP3 with the volume of my earbuds absolutely maxed out.
Nearing the end of the show, Jesse brought their photographer on stage, as June 9th was his birthday! Jesse brought their videographer, and long time friend a bottle of Kraken rum and had him have a celebratory shot on stage. After the celebrations, they launched into the closing act of the show. Starting with “My Curse”, Jesse launched himself into the crowd. The love Jesse had for the crowd was palpable, and while the rest of the crowd was singing “There is Love” Jesse was high fiving and hugging fans. Jesse even graciously finished someone’s beer for them (🤢🤢) The show closed out with the classic song “My Last Serenade”.
This was a stellar show, definitely a highlight of my year so far. If I had to pick a favorite, it would still be Havok. Highschool Jordan would never forgive me for choosing anything else.