ANY band which carries the label of metal heavyweight will intense face pressure to deliver a crushing and expansive live show. 

It has to be fast, loud and ferocious, with bone-crunching drums and outlandish guitar riffs and solos. The singer must be able to punch through the chaos and spearhead each chorus.

At a Killswitch Engage show, the criteria is reached and breached. Comfortably.

Armed with a rich catalogue stretching back for the better part of 20 years, the five-piece ripped and tore through their set – showcasing the erudite musicianship and boundless energy for which the band is known.

Starting in fine form with Unleashed – the opening track of their latest album Atonement – the audience gains a glimpse of the spectacle ahead. Jesse Leach’s outstanding vocals are a visceral joy and serve to elevate the truly explosive fanfare of tremolo and double-bass pedals to a crescendo of sweet carnage.

While the crowd relish in renditions of Killswitch classics My Last Serenade, My Curse and End of the Heartache, the event truly came alive in the second act with the haunting I am Broken Too, closely followed up by the imperious Rose of Sharyn.

The Signal Fire and Strength of the Mind were among the other highlights, before the big finish in the shape of Holy Diver. Oaafft.

The quintet are a truly capable unit, both in their stage presence and technical performance, but what is most pleasing is the overriding sense that they are enjoying themselves.

In Adam Dutkiewicz they have a ringleader of fun as the string-slinger cuts the figure of an enthusiastic teenager playing guitar alone in their bedroom. 

Indeed, any show that encourages the enjoyment of music is welcome. More of the same, if you will.