By chloe boozer | april 2, 2025
On a windy, chilly day in Kansas City, a line of devoted fans began forming outside The Midland Theatre nearly two hours before doors opened for metalcore powerhouse Killswitch Engage. Their headliner tour featured a mixed lineup, with death metal from Frozen Soul, metalcore from Fit For a King, and hardcore from Kublai Khan. It’s safe to say every type of metal fan was happy that night.
Frozen Soul began the night with a grim atmosphere, impeccable riffage, and no shortage of movement in the mosh pit. The stage was set with a pair of skeletons impaled on a pike, and a large, cast-iron chain link served as the microphone stand. Throughout the set, vocalist Chad Green kept calling for circle pits, and fans obliged. Between songs, Chad took a moment to speak about mental health and the loss of his brother, a heartfelt pause before ending their energy-filled set.
Fit For a King opened second, bringing relentless harsh vocals, pristine cleans, and intense breakdowns. As if the heavy, energetic song ‘Reaper’ hadn’t already stirred enough movement in the crowd, bassist Ryan “Tuck” O’Leary spun his bass around his body with lightning speed during the breakdown, causing The Midland Theatre to erupt in cheers. There was no shortage of moshing or crowd-surfing during Fit For a King’s energetic set.
Third was Kublai Khan, opening with “Darwinism”, which had The Midland Theatre echoing with the crowd’s collective yell of “King!” The rest of their set was full of energy, with no one in the crowd ever still or quiet. Vocalist Matt Honeycutt literally barked at the crowd to facilitate more moshing. At one point, he called for a wall of death with “pick a side… and start running!” Kublai Khan’s crushing riffs, relentless breakdowns, and ferocious vocals left the room in utter mayhem.
At 9:15 PM, the lights in The Midland Theatre dimmed, and Killswitch Engage took to the stage. They opened with “Strength of the Mind”, where vocalist Jesse Leach immediately set the tone with a gnarly 7 second scream. Within seconds, the stage erupted with a flash of colorful strobe lights and guitarists leaping into the air. The band continued to play a mix from their extensive 25-year discography, even pulling tracks from their earliest album. No matter how old the song, fans sang the lyrics.
Throughout the night, Killswitch Engage were full of infectious energy. There was no shortage of movement from the band members or the crowd. Their set was an immaculate showcase of melodic riffs, unrelenting harsh vocals, powerful cleans, and rapid drumming. Fan favorites “My Curse” and “The End of Heartache” had the most passionate sing-alongs of the night, with the crowd’s roar echoing through the beautiful, historic walls of The Midland Theatre. As their 80 minute set came to a close, Jesse thanked the crowd for attending, and announced one final song: “My Last Serenade”. He then walked down from the stage to the barricade, singing face-to-face with fans in an intimate ending to an incredible night.
Chloe Boozer is a freelance photographer for Majestic Music Magazine. See more of her work here.
