Killswitch Engage, Machine Head, Rivers of Nihil, Judiciary
I don’t know what’s gotten into the water for this back half of 2026 but it seems like every legacy heavy band from the 2000’s under the sun has decided it’s open season on the touring routes. My show itinerary wouldn’t have looked even remotely out of place in 2009, and that’s very much a good thing. One of the highest anticipated shows on that itinerary was metalcore mainstays Killswitch Engage, last seen in Portland nearly four years ago opening for Lamb of God. They came to the Roseland Theater with one of the best lineups of the year and proceeded to lay waste to the place in a way only “five drunken idiots from Massachusetts” could on a dreary Monday night (their words, not mine). It was heavy, hectic, and full of energy, and I had a blast covering this show - not least because Killswitch were kind enough to bring three absolutely amazing acts with them as openers.
Opening the night was Judiciary, a crossover hardcore punk outfit hailing from Lubbock, Texas, who I’ve had my eyes on for a few years now since their excellent 2023 full length release Flesh + Blood. This was either my third or fourth time seeing this band and they continue to improve every time I do. Fresh off the release of the Stalagmite Angels EP earlier this month, they pummeled the Roseland for about half an hour across eight tracks to fantastic reception. It was confirmed during vocalist Jake Collinson’s stage banter that most of the crowd had never even heard of Judiciary before the show, but that certainly wasn’t obvious by the enthusiasm with which tracks like “Social Crusade”, “Blood,” and ferocious new single “Wall of Skulls” were received. I often tell people that Judiciary’s style of hardcore is borderline classy in its simplicity - heavy grooves, pummeling breakdowns, and a whole lot of swaggering riffage. Guitarists Israel Garza and Juan Vazquez deliver big-time on this promise live with the air of two guys just doing their everyday jobs, and somehow that makes it hit even harder. Their set culminated with fan-favorite “Axis of Equality” and a heartfelt shout-out to Portland hardcore locals Dying Wish and Slime as the pit descended into full-blown mosh territory. It was a promising start to the evening that made me really pleased to see Judiciary continuing to get such great receptions every time they play here. They’ve been steadily on the rise since their first release in 2014, and you can tell these big tours are really paying off for them.
Next up came Rivers of Nihil, arguably the most “out-there” sound of the night - and also one of my literal favorite bands in the world right now. This technical prog-death crew from Pennsylvania have been around since 2009, and that lengthy tenure has seen them perfect their live show to an absolutely surgical edge. Rivers only were able to play five songs due to the length of each one, but it was musical mastery on display - thundering blast beats and rolling guitars underneath soaring sing-along choruses for forty minutes, occasionally accented by the appearance of saxophonist Patty Coro (who always received raucous cheers). Their 2025 self-titled release ranked among my top 10 albums of the year and has dominated my listening ever since, so I was very pleased that four of the five songs were representing it. The back-to-back live combination of “Water & Time” and “House of Light” continues to blow my mind every time I’ve seen it, thanks in no small part to the performance of Adam Biggs on both bass guitar and lead vocals. That’s a tricky combination in any musical setting, but doing it in a tech-death band as the harsh singer makes for an even more intense calling. Adam handled it all beautifully, backed by rhythm guitarist Andy Thomas and his towering melodic cleans. It was by far the calmest set of the night, but I was spellbound as always by the sheer star power that Rivers carry with them through every tour they’re part of. I’m inordinately excited to see them getting on bigger and bigger stages and even headlining some of those stages, because it means that they’re playing at the top of their game right now and more people get to see them in this form. Seriously, if you’ve never heard of Rivers of Nihil before, go watch the music video for “The Void From Which No Sound Escapes” and just experience it for the first time. I wish I could do that all over again.
Now came the time for the evening to return to its breakneck pace, and who better to do that than Bay Area thrash-groove legends Machine Head? My last experience with them was their 2024 headline show at the Roseland Theater that firmly established me as a fan, so I was really excited to get to experience them from the other side of the barricade. It became immediately clear that a large portion of the fans were rabid Machine Head fans, indicated by the wall of noise that exploded into the theater as Robb Flynn and company took the stage. Opening track “Imperium” was greeted with an immediate circle pit that would span the entirety of their 8-song, 40-minute set, which Flynn was clearly thrilled about. He joked multiple times that “this Monday feels more like a Friday than last Friday did”, and honestly I completely agree with him. The crowd was ravenous for the band’s energy and responded to every track with more and more moshing and singing. It definitely didn’t hurt that the setlist was extremely well-curated, leaning heavily into Machine Head’s heavier and groovier side to set the tone for the final act. We were even treated to “Game Over,” an extremely thrashy deeper cut from 2014’s Bloodstone & Diamonds that I don’t think they’ve played for nearly eight years prior to this tour. The highlight was, of course, fan-favorite groove anthem “Davidian”, which has been getting a bit of surprise traction recently thanks to a recent cover performance at Sound and Fury Festival by the band Guilt Trip. That meant a whole new audience to enjoy the song’s crushing breakdown and iconic refrain - a whole lot of freedom was rung with a shotgun blast that night, I can say for certain. It was a great set that set the crowd buzzing for Killswitch’s inevitable entrance as the stage was cleared away, and really just solidified my opinion that Machine Head are one of the best live bands in the scene. They’ve got so much energy and power to them that doesn’t always come through on-record, so I really recommend seeing them live if you get the chance.
Finally, it was time. Killswitch Engage raced onto the stage with true gusto and wasted no time kicking into “Fixation on the Darkness”, a beautifully up-tempo opener that was immediately greeted with a wave of crowdsurfers. Jesse Leach was off the stage and onto the crowd’s shoulders in virtually no time at all, surfing his way laterally down the barrier as he belted out the chorus’s huge refrain in sync with 1400 Portlanders. Guitarists Adam Dutkiewicz and Joel Stroetzel stood atop the walls of bones that served as stage decor, showering the crowd with harmonies and pinch squeals amid the cascading lights as I watched the audience lose their collective minds fighting to get closer to Jesse. That only got more frenzied by the third song, which was “End of Heartache.” One of the best songs ever written and I will never forget being in the pit for that one. The evening only got more and more energetic as the band moved deeper into their catalogue, showcasing the growth of the very genre they’d helped to spearhead all the way since 2004’s The End of Heartache. I saw many people around the venue clearly reliving emotions they hadn’t visited in a while, brought back by the powerful emotions channeled through these songs at pivotal points in their life. There was also a really sweet moment when a parent managed to get a sign onstage proclaiming that this was their kid’s first show, which of course drew thunderous cheers and approval from the band themselves. The 18-song set drew primarily from As Daylight Dies and their most recent album, 2024’s This Consequence, which were released a full 18 years apart. There’s something to be said there about watching a genre evolve at the same pace as an entire social generation and how music is one of the key factors in bringing them together. This was easily demonstrated by the night’s crowd, which spanned old-school and new-blood KSE fans alike and aplenty. The ending quartet of songs was by far the night’s highlight in terms of crowd participation - how could you hear “Rose of Sharyn,” “This Fire,” “My Curse,” and “My Last Serenade” all in a row and not want to scream along at the top of your lungs? It was a night for old things to be made new again and celebrated with pure euphoria, and boy did Killswitch certainly deliver on that end. I cannot wait for them to come back through town, and with their track record of openers I’m sure it’ll be an equally amazing show. All four bands absolutely crushed it and I cannot recommend listening to these setlists enough.
Killswitch Engage setlist:
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
Machine Head setlist:
Imperium
Choke on the Ashes of Your Hate
Game Over
Slaughter the Martyr
Outsider
Locust
Bonescraper
Davidian
Rivers of Nihil setlist:
The Sub-Orbital Blues
Water & Time
House of Light
American Death
Where Owls Know My Name
Judiciary setlist:
Death Knell
Karma’s Knife
Social Crusade
Paradigm Piercer
Blood
Wall of Skulls
The Axis of Equality
Photos & Review By: Ryan Sciorilli
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