On June 9th, Killswitch Engage brought their 2026 North American tour to The Ritz in Raleigh, North Carolina. This 17-date tour kicked off on June 6th and will be running until June 27th. Joining them on this run are fellow heavy-hitting bands Havok, Iron Reagan, and Machine Head.
HAVOK
Havok is a thrash metal band out of Denver, Colorado. This was my first time seeing them perform live, and I was very impressed! I thought they had a fun vibe and an incredible amount of energy. They were a good pick to kick off this tour package. The most notable part of this set was that the bass was CLANKIN' in all the right ways!
Havok's set was short and sweet. They started playing at 6:30pm and finished by 6:55pm. Their set consisted of songs like "Hang 'Em High," "Prepare for Attack," "Fifth Generation Warfare," "Point of No Return," and "From the Cradle to the Grave."
IRON REAGAN
Iron Reagan took the stage next with double the energy that Havok had. Based out of Richmond, Virgina, Iron Reagan is another thrash metal band with many of the same members out of Municipal Waste (I wish I had known this years ago, because I love Municipal Waste!). This just goes to show that you should always research bands you hear about, because they might surprise you.
Vocalist Tony Foresta was piping with attitude at this show. The set consisted of 14 fiery songs, including songs like "Paycheck," "Drop the Gun," "Bleed the Fifth," "Your Kid's An Asshole," and "Miserable Failure." He threw up one finger at the end of the first song, two fingers at the end of the second, and so on. He continued doing this for the first four songs, which ran for about a minute and a half each. By the end of the fifth song, he stopped counting and teasingly told the crowd they needed to learn more about thrash metal if they didn't realize the band had already performed five full songs.
MACHINE HEAD
Next up on stage was a band I personally was excited to see: Machine Head. I used to listen to them a ton in middle and early high school. I was surprised to hear how different their newer material sounds from what I remembered them for (this isn't a bad thing; it just threw me off at first). A lot of it has more modern metalcore influence than I expected.
I am thankful to have finally been able to see them perform. The setlist had a good group of songs that span Machine Head's career. It included songs such as "Imperium," "CHOKE ON THE ASHES OF YOUR HATE," "Locust," "Is There Anybody Out There," and "Davidian." The performance, lighting, and stage presence were all top-notch. They put on a great show and kept the crowd invested the whole time. The crowd was eating everything up, singing along to every song. There were tons of crowd surfers and people moshing for them as well.
KILLSWITCH ENGAGE
Last, but not least, Killswitch Engage hopped on stage. They were bringing just as much heat as their tour mates! They were running around the stage, jumping, and moving through the whole set. It was incredible to see.
Although this tour is promoting their recent album, "This Consequence," they also played a lot of songs outside of it. The setlist was lengthy, running at about an hour and 15 minutes long, and included many songs spanning their career. They kicked it off with "Fixation on the Darkness," "In Due Time," and "The End of Heartache." And from the album, they played "Aftermath," "Broken Glass," "Forever Aligned," and "I Believe." They ended the night with the huge hits such as "My Curse" and "My Last Serenade."
The fans in the crowd went crazy for them! Vocalist Jesse Leach even hopped off the stage to jump into the crowd during "The End Of Heartache."
This was a great set to see. It goes to show that Killswitch Engage isn't slowing down any time soon. Their fans' undying devotion and love radiated through the room throughout the night. Overall, it was a great experience, and it was also nice to see a crowd of all ages enjoying this set to the fullest!
Killswitch Engage, Machine Head, Iron Reagan, and Havok are about halfway through this tour. If you get a chance to go to one of the remaining shows, I would highly recommend it.
And if the remaining shows aren't anywhere near you, have no fear. Killswitch Engage and Machine Head will be heading out back on the road together in just a few months in the middle of September, so you can catch them on that run!
