3.22 Dragonforce // Killswitch Engage @ The Wiltern
Sort of like the UN, but dressed in leather, and wielding the loveliest rock locks this side of the late ‘80s, Dragonforce is an international heavy metal experience like no other. You kind of just have to see it to believe it; or at least to fully appreciate their epic onslaught. Featuring members from South Africa, France, Hong Kong, England, and the Ukraine, the London-based band is a tour de force of anthemic, over-the-top speed metal. Combining crystalline keyboards and heroic vocals with mind-bogglingly rapid fire drumming, the songs are not only fast and ferocious, but also, actually kind of pretty. As they warmed up the capacity crowd for headliners Killswitch Engage, singer ZP Threat leapt about the stage like a movie pirate while conducting the audience’s fervent response, as his backing band high kicked and hair flipped up a storm. Wow.
Headliners Killswitch Engage also delivered a rousing, highly visual show, thanks to a dramatic light show and the ease with which frontman Howard Jones held down the stage and moved between demonically deep verses and soaring, almost operatic choruses while his band unleashed a taut hard rock assault behind him. Sure, emo’s not for everyone, and not all emo is for me, but as I said during the show, I actually really like AFI, and these guys are a lot cooler than AFI, so I feel pretty good about backing them.
