Spring Headline Tour 2025: Killswitch Engage with Kublai Khan, Fit For A King & Frozen Soul 04/09/2025
In October 2024, Killswitch Engage announced their first North American tour since 2022. The tour features 27 dates, starting on March 5 in Nashville, Tennessee. One of the final stops on the tour will be at Buffalo Riverworks in Buffalo, New York, and this show is SOLD OUT! Killswitch Engage will be joined on this tour by Kublai Khan, Fit For A King, and Frozen Soul. Killswitch Engage announced eight additional shows for May, including two festivals: Sonic Temple and Welcome to Rockville. I arrived at the venue quite early, and the line of fans wrapped around the parking lot. During the first three bands, fans continued to pour into the venue. Since it was a sold-out show, it seemed like there was no end to the crowd arriving. This concert was truly one for the books; if you weren’t in Buffalo to catch these guys performing, you missed out!
Frozen Soul is a five-piece band based in Dallas, Texas, formed in 2018. They quickly gained recognition in the metal scene and are known for their "In Your Face" death metal sound. The band consists of Chad Green on vocals, Sam Mobley on bass, Matt Dennard on drums, Chris Bonner on guitar, and Michael Munday on guitar. Frozen Soul has released two albums: Crypt of Ice and Glacial Domination. Additionally, they have an EP titled Encased in Ice, which includes some bonus tracks. Frozen Soul was the first band to hit the stage. They had impressive stage props; the singer Chad’s microphone stand was made of chain links, and skeletons were impaled on both sides of the stage. This was a fitting touch for the music they were about to perform. Frozen Soul played six songs during their set to hype up the crowd for the rest of the night. They started their performance with “Encased In Ice.” Before one of the songs, Chad dedicated a track to his brother, who was no longer with us. They concluded their set with “Crypt Of Ice.” In the circle pit, a couple of members from Fit For A King played Magic: The Gathering.
Fit For A King is another great metalcore band from Texas, formed in 2007. They are a band that Concerthopper has covered multiple times and loves to see rock out on the stage. If you want to check out other articles featuring them, check them out here. The Metalcore Dropouts 2nd Semester Tour, Fit For a King Brings The Hell We Create Tour to Buffalo, N.Y., August Burns Red: Leveler 10th Anniversary Tour & many more. Since I saw them in January 2024, I can only imagine what they will bring to the table this year. They started strongly by touring Europe with Motionless In White and Brand of Sacrifice. In July 2024, Fit For A King released two new songs, "Technium" and "Keeping Secrets," adding to their discography. Fit For A King never disappoints when you catch them live, whether they are headlining or supporting another band. During their set, the band performed a total of 10 songs, including their new tracks "Technium" and "Keeping Secrets." The band's stage presence is impressive, with Ryan "Tuck" O'Leary jumping and spinning while flawlessly delivering his performance. Ryan Kirby engaged the crowd during their song "Backbreaker," encouraging them to respond each time he pointed the mic at them, which they enthusiastically did by shouting "Backbreaker!" The atmosphere was electric, with numerous crowd surfers making their way over the audience throughout the show. Fit For A King concluded their performance with the powerful song "God of Fire."
Frozen Soul & Fit For A King aren’t the only bands based in Texas; another notable group is Kublai Khan. Kublai Khan is an American metalcore band from Sherman, Texas. The band was formed in the summer of 2009 and currently consists of the following members: Matt Honeycutt (vocals), Nolan Ashley (guitar and vocals), Eric English (bass and vocals), and Isaac Lamb (drums). Kublai Khan has released six albums and two EPs. Their latest album, titled Exhibition of Prowess, was released in 2024. Additionally, they collaborated with Malevolence and Lamb of God on a single called "Another Nail for Your Coffin." I was personally excited to see Kublai Khan perform when they came on stage. My husband listens to them often, but I hadn’t been able to catch one of their shows in the area before. During their set, they played 13 songs. One song, “Theory of Mind,” stuck in my head long after the concert; the lyrics “Monkey see, monkey do, so who the f*ck made you?” are incredibly catchy. During the third song, “Low Tech,” something flew onto the stage. Matt Honeycutt picked it up, and it turned out to be a bra that someone had thrown. He tossed it right back into the crowd. Towards the end of their set, the band split the audience in half and asked everyone to do a two-step, which ultimately turned into a wall of death and a massive mosh pit. They closed the night with “Antpile” and “Antpile 2.”
Killswitch Engage is an American metalcore band from Westfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1999. The band's current lineup includes vocalist Jesse Leach, guitarists Joel Stroetzel and Adam Dutkiewicz, bassist Mike D'Antonio, and drummer Justin Foley. Since its formation, Killswitch Engage has released nine albums, with the most recent being titled This Consequence. The band has received 14 nominations for various awards between 2003 and 2019, winning a total of five, which include Best Live Band, Act of the Year, and Best Album. Before Killswitch Engage took the stage, fans rushed to the bar and food stand to grab snacks and drinks, refueling for the performance ahead. You could feel the anticipation in the room growing as the stage was reset for the band. Killswitch Engage brought an impressive light show to enhance their performance. Despite being active since the late '90s, the band displayed an incredible amount of energy, especially with only two more dates left on their tour after this one. They performed a total of 18 songs throughout their set, which included new tracks from their latest album, "This Consequence," such as “Aftermath” and “Collusion.” They also closed their set with fan favorites like “My Curse” and “The End of Heartache.”
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