Recently, a highly anticipated tour was announced to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Bullet For My Valentine’s legendary metalcore album, The Poison. On Wednesday night (01 May) in the capital of North Brabant, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, two former members and musicians from this album took to the stage with their new band, Kill The Lights, for the “Death Melodies Tour.”
The evening started with the band Changing Tides. They gets most of their inspiration and elements from the metalcore and deathcore genre. With well-balanced songs, combining strong riffs and deep breakdowns, they often get the fans moving. The connection between the opening band and the audience was palpable, as the crowd were excited to support them as one of their own. Being a local band, the atmosphere was like a family reunion.They have delivered a raw energy set during 40 minutes and it was a good way to start the party. However the real deal of the night would follow a few minutes later.
Sometimes it’s quite difficult to navigate between aggression and melodic transition but Kill The Light is able to do it in studio. Will they be able to do it in live? We can already answer to that question by a big “Yes”. Despite being a relatively new project, all the musicians are formers members of other bands (Bullet For My Valentine, Still Remains, Throw the Fight, Threat Signal) and we can feel their experience on stage. They have deliver an energetic set during one hour for their first European Headline tour although the venue was quite empty and one member of the band was missing.
From the first note (that started a bit sooner than planned), Kill The Light were ready to go to war with the public present and give all the energy they had with one of their latest single : ‘Hear You Scream‘. Fronted by the charismatic James Clark, whose screams could shatter concrete yet seamlessly transition into hauntingly beautiful melodies, the band wasted no time setting the tone for the night.
During the show, Travis Montgomery played several solos that were impressive, while the rhythm section provided a relentless backbone of thunderous beats and earth-shaking basslines by Michael “Moose” Thomas and Jason “Jay” James (formerly of Bullet For My Valentine). Songs like ‘Scapegoat’ and ‘The Enemy’ were the proof of that.
The setlist was a carefully curated blend mix of their two records: The Sinner and Death Melodies, the latest one which gave its name to the tour. Yet, amidst the chaos, there were moments of true beauty. Tracks like ‘From Ashes‘ and ‘Sober‘ showcased the band’s ability to weave intricate melodies into their signature heavy sound.
Kill The Lights commanded the stage, forging a real connection with their fans. The crowd responded enthusiastically with singing along, and non-stop headbanging. In the past, we’ve seen some musicians exhibit “ego” and lack motivation to perform in smaller venues, but that wasn’t the case tonight. However it was the opposite tonight. Despite having touched the fame with their former bands and played in the biggest festivals/arenas, we have felt their joy to play in this room. This is maybe another reason why a lot of items at the Merchandising were sold out after the show.
As the final chords of ‘Plagues’ and ‘The Faceless‘ were played, it was clear that Kill The Lights had left a good feeling on everyone in attendance thanks to the quality of their songs but also to the quality of the sound in the venue.
With their relentless energy over the full hour, Kill The Light not only delivered an unforgettable performance but also showcased great creativity. But had also reaffirmed their status as one of metalcore’s band to follow in the near future. We hope they attract a larger audience the next time they perform in the area.
Setlist : HEAR YOU SCREAM / DIE ALONE / DEAD FROM THE START / WATCH YOU FALL / SCAPEGOAT / THE ENEMY / BROKEN BONES / SHED MY SKIN / SOBER / OPEN YOUR EYES / FROM ASHES / CHASING SHADOWS / PLAGUES / THE FACELESS