Metal Mastery at the QET!! Killswitch Engage Bring 'This Consequence Tour' to TO
- Justin Michael Carriere
- 1 day ago
- 11 min read
By: Justin Michael Carriere
Toronto, Canada - I think I’m love… with metal shows. I know what you’re going to say… “But Justin, you barely know metal shows, don’t you want to take your time before you really commit to anything…?” Nope! Metal shows give me the warm and fuzzy stomach obliterating, spine tingling butterflies and I can’t get enough! And this night was no exception. Killswitch Engage absolutely delivered on all fronts when they arrived in town on August 8th, 2026 in support of their latest album This Consequence.
Formed in 1999 out of Westfield, Massachusetts, the Grammy nominated metalcore band has been a genre staple for over twenty years. With a discography of 9 studio albums, they have been a major influence on many acts such as Bring Me the Horizon and Bullet for My Valentine. With its current line up consisting of Jesse Leach (lead vocals), Joel Stroetzel (guitar), Adam Dutkiewicz (guitar), Mike D’Antonio (bass) and Justin Foley (drums) the band is clicking on all cylinders and they showed up and showed out Saturday night!!
When I arrived at the historic Queen Elizabeth Theatre, the line up of all metal black wardrobes was around the block. The weather was hot and humid, and perfect for a sweaty metal show! As I was taking my spot in line, I couldn’t help but have my attention drawn by a busking performance taking place in front of the entrance. I stopped to watch for a moment as a “ringleader” was trying to get people to throw a small, braided ring (about the size of a frisbee) onto a wooden pole. When I looked a little closer however, the “wooden pole” was actually an inverted cross, and when I removed my headphones, I heard “who wants to win $50 in Satan’s name?” Dear reader, I am not overly religious, but when he looked my way, I politely declined as I thought it best not offend anyone upstairs OR downstairs! And while I am not familiar with the ENTIRETY of the catalogues of the bands who were performing on this night, of the music I have listened to, there has been no hint of any “Satanism”. Which had me wondering how exactly this small troupe (there were three of them) of labouring Luciferites was drawn here… Did they see a bunch of folks with skulls and demons on their t-shirts and ASSUMED we were all there in service of the dark lord?? What a stereotype! At any rate, once the doors to the venue opened, they went along their way. But definitely not something I’ll forget!
Once inside I was surprised that the outside doors being open did not equate to the inside doors being open, so the people that had arrived early milled about in the lobby for half an hour. But the concession was open and the merch stands were strong (I caved) and when they eventually let us in to the main space, we were rewarded with the sweet sweet sensation of AC!! You never know in older venues but on this night ol’ Lizzie delivered! And since this was an all-ages show, it was so cool to see the little metalheads ready to rock out accompanied by their big metalheads!
Malevolence
First up on this Saturday night was Malevolence, a metalcore band all the way from Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. Formed in 2010, the band consists of Alex Taylor (lead vocals), Josh Baines (lead guitar, backing vocals), Konan Hall (co-lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Wilkie Robinson (bass) and Charlie Thorpe (drums). With 4 studio albums to their credit, the lads have created their own record label which enables them to keep carving out their own space free of the usual restrictions associated with being “under contract”. That freedom was evident on Saturday as they ripped up the stage to get the night started!
Introduced in a classic boxing announcer fashion as they entered, the band kicked right into “Trenches”. But before they even got 30 seconds in, Taylor stopped and said “hold up, hold up… Toronto! You’re gonna need to do better than that!!” The crowd at that point wasn’t huge, but those that were there responded! Satisfied, the blokes from the Steel city picked right back up as they tore through their set like men possessed.
Taylor stalked the stage, and off to the right both Baines and Robinson were unhinged, with Baines twirling and throwing up high kicks… like “he’s gonna boot himself in the face” high kicks, all the while playing LEAD GUITAR… Lefties are built different I guess!! Moving through “Life Sentence”, “Self Supremacy” and “Keep Your Distance” the band kept the intensity high with Hall anchoring the rhythm on guitar and Thorpe hammering away behind his kit.
Before starting into “Broken Glass” Taylor took the time to acknowledge KSE and Machine Head saying they were two bands who inspired him, “I been watching them since I was a fuckin kid and to be sharing a stage with them every single night means the fucking world… alright, enough with the soft shit!” Exploding into “Broken Glass”, Hall filled out the track with additional vocals and it was an excellent lead into their final tune of the evening, “If It’s All the Same to You”. The first single off their latest record, the video for the track features the incomparable Alan Ford in full Bricktop mode (if you know you know) and is definitely worth a watch if you have a moment!! Building on the same model as “Broken Glass”, the addition of Hall on vocals brought the metal horns out in full force as the QET crowd showed their appreciation as the
band’s time came to a close.
Malevolence Photo Gallery (all photos by: Justin Michael Carriere)
Machine Head
As the Malevolence gear was being cleared away, a MASSIVE drum kit elevated on a platform was wheeled out. Featuring two bass drums, complete with artwork, and held together with steel framing, it was an awe-inspiring sight (see the pic in the gallery!) Once that was in place, three huge carpets were brought out and set down. For whatever reason, and regardless of genre, whenever I see carpets out on a stage, I’m immediately comfortable because I know whoever’s up there will also be comfortable. Is that weird? Oh well! Once the setlists were taped down, and the clock hit 7:50, the lights went to black…
Now, dear reader, since I’ve already bared my soul to you by confessing my love early on in this piece, I will not hesitate when I say that Robb Flynn is a Metal God… Bold to call anyone a God, I know. But as I was searching for the right word to encapsulate how to relay the aura he emits on stage, that was what I landed on, and I’m sticking with it! And if you don’t know, Robb Flynn is the lead singer and guitarist for Machine Head! As the lone original member from the band’s formation in 1991 in Oakland, California, he was joined on this night by Ben Eller (guitar), Jared MacEachern (bass) and Matt Alston (drums). With eleven studio albums to their name, and a slew of awards and nominations, Flynn and co. have been a cornerstone in the metal genre for over 30 years.
With the stage bathed in blue light, the QET crowd broke into a “Machine fucking Head” chant (which I’ve come to learn is standard!) as the band took their spots and launched right into “Imperium”. Clad in classic metal denim, worn and torn with patches everywhere and flying V guitar at the ready, Flynn and bandmates slowly built the intro until exploding into the first verse. With his authoritative snarl, middle fingers thrown up mid chorus, and back into the track without missing a beat, it was a testament to the metal-ocity this man brings to the table!
Moving into “Choke on the Ashes” Flynn gave a shout out to the banana men (there were two tonight!) before starting in by himself on “Game Over”. With a red spotlight on him, he demonstrated his singing ability is on point, blending seamlessly with the primitive scream when called upon. As he and the band worked through “Outsider”, “Locust” and “Bonescraper” both Eller and MacEachern were in their full metal element as well. Ripping solos right alongside Flynn, Eller was effortless in his guitar work. And MacEachern, with quite possibly the fullest metal hair I’ve seen, and giving “Desperado Trejo” vibes, was a terror on the bass. And keeping that percussion pounding with double kicks almost the entire time, Alston was revelling in it all behind his kit.
When they got to “Is There Anybody Out There” a red maple leaf appeared on the screen behind them as the chorus was displayed word by word so we could join in (for those who didn’t know it already). Once the song ended, Flynn took a moment to tell us that he’d recently had some mental health struggles, but had a good support system in place, and went on to say “no matter what you’re struggling with, you’re always welcome at a Machine Head show”. A moment of vulnerability that buoyed the crowd and got people amped for the final song, “Davidian”. With the drums even stronger (if that was even possible?!), the banana men crowd surfing, and the whole QET banging their heads along, the band finished their set, came together and took a bow in triumph.
As Flynn was leaving, he grabbed the mic amidst an encore chant of “Machine fucking Head” (now also displayed on the back screen) and said “When you say my name, you say it with power” … That we will Mr. Flynn, that we will.
Machine Head Photo Gallery (all photos by: Justin Michael Carriere)
Killswitch Engage
Once Alston’s drums had been cleared away, and the stage was prepared for KSE, I was struck by how empty it was… save for the incredibly bad ass skull work surrounding the drum kit (and an elevated platform behind it), there was only a single microphone stand set way stage left and way stage right. With so many band members (and no carpets!) I was curious what the set up would be… and I wouldn’t have to wait too long for my answer!
When the lights went down, and the now capacity crowd metal gear ready, the men from Killswitch engaged! Bursting onto the stage they detonated into “Fixation on the Darkness” and I learned immediately why the stage was so empty… thanks to nifty little devices called “wireless packs” everyone had free reign of the whole thing! Which was both a blessing and a curse as pit photographer. But for the rest of the QET crowd, it was nothing but a good thing because I don’t think a single one of them could be contained. Leach was in complete command as he prowled the space, mic in hand and voice sharp as a razorblade. If humanity ever needs someone to battle otherworldly forces with a primeval scream, he’d be the first one we should turn to.
Dutkiewicz is a maniac of the highest order, donning an “I’m with Stupid” t-shirt and a sweatband with “Beer” printed on the front, the man had what can best be described as a gleeful lunacy the entire night. With a metal maw rivalling the best of them, he was at that stage left mic to lend his bass filled bellows when needed, like on the band’s second track of the night “This is Absolution”. In between songs he was fired up and told the QET crowd “I’m not pussyfooting around!”
In a “shit, I missed it moment”, I was so caught up in the energy right off the hop, I completely missed Leach crowd surfing! I turned to see what I thought was a crowd surfer trying to get on the stage, but it was in fact Jesse Leach who’d just gone for a quick ride. Ah well, such are the trials and tribulations of a concert photographer!
When the band rolled in to their third tune of the set “The End of Heartache” I was excited, as it’s my personal fave, and I only knew it from the recorded version when Howard Jones was doing lead vocal duties. Well, KSE fans, I can officially report that Leach absolutely nails it! So much so, that in the midst of being mesmerized by the performance, trying to dodge crowd surfers being hauled into (and out of) the pit and getting the best images I could, I completely lost track of the fact that this was the third song! As I looked around, I wasn’t the only one, but me and another photographer quickly realized our time was up and we hustled out of there so we could get in amongst the crowd and enjoy the rest of the show!
As they moved through “Aftermath” (a new track) and “A Bid Farewell” the band had a robust singalong with the QET crowd on “In Due Time”. When the double kick of “Unleashed” got going, the headbanging and crowd surfing kicked into high gear until they threw a curve ball with a transition into a mellow reggae breakdown, complete with palm trees on the screen before finishing the track in all its double kick glory! Dutkiewicz quipped afterwards “that was the remix version”
Continuing on through “Hate by Design”, “Where it Dies” and “Forever Aligned”, Leach dedicated the latter, saying “this is for every single person here”. The tune was accompanied by candid images/video of the band displayed on the screen behind and featured a killer drum break by Foley.
Dear reader, I just realized that I have not yet mentioned the absolute ferocity of Mr. D’Antonio on the bass! The man matched every ounce of output from Leach and Dutkiewicz, and then some, adding his glorious metal hair to the mix which made for an utter joy to photograph! And while not quite as frenetic as the others, Stroetzel had a commanding and grounding presence and helped anchor the sound with his rhythm guitar.
After they powered through “Signal Fire”, “I Believe”, “Daylight Dies” and “Rose of Sharyn”, Dutkiewicz took the time to thank the QET security team for keeping the crowd surfers safe and for making sure everyone made it back out to enjoy the evening. He also thanked the crowd saying, “we know we’re fucking nothing without people coming to our shows and listening to our music, and without you we’re just pieces of shit, so thank y’all very much one more time!”
With the banana men still going strong in the pit, the band offered up “My Curse” as the penultimate tune before breaking into “My Last Serenade” for the finale. But! Rather than stay on stage, Mr. Dutkiewicz couldn’t contain himself and joyfully abandoned his post to make his way through the QET crowd… while still playing!! Did I mention what a handy thing wireless packs were?? Accompanied by a roadie to light the way, he played to the sides, to the middle and to the back of the room. And in one of my favourite moments of the night, for a young metal head and his mom, he took a selfie with them WHILE STILL PLAYING!! A moment I hope that little one won’t forget. Back onstage after a triumphant journey, Dutkiewicz and the rest of the band finished strong with Leach declaring “in this world of hatred, love is the perfect weapon” as he was the last one to leave.
Set List
Fixation on the Darkness
This is Absolution
The End of Heartache
Aftermath
A Bid Farewell
In due Time
To the Sons of Man
Unleashed
Hate by Design
Where it Dies
Forever Aligned
The Signal Fire
I Believe
Daylight Dies
Rose of Sharyn
This Fire
My Curse
My Last Serenade
As the lights came up and the crowd started to make their way out of the theatre, I was reflecting on how my perception of metal shows has changed. What once felt like an intimidating space, meant only for those that are “hardcore” has now become a place where I feel like I belong just like everyone else. At one point in their set Leach said, “whoever you are, whoever you pray to, whoever you sleep with, you’re always welcome at a Killswitch show”.
Not what I ever expected when I stepped into this world, but now I can’t wait for the next one.
5 primal screams out of 5
Killswitch Engage Photo Gallery (all photos by: Justin Michael Carriere)
Killswitch Engage Online
Show Date: August 8, 2026
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