Words Steph Ure Photos Charlyn Cameron
Something was in the air at Brisbane’s Fortitude Music Hall on Tuesday night, and it was metal.
With lines stretching out the doors and moving quickly, a diverse crowd of metalheads of all ages gathered for a night of nostalgia, chaos and some seriously heavy music. With a stellar lineup featuring Australian metalcore outfit Heists, British heavyweights Sylosis and the legendary Killswitch Engage, Brisbane was in for a delicious musical treat.
For longtime Killswitch fans, the anticipation was nostalgic. For newer fans, it was an opportunity to experience one of metalcore’s most influential bands in the flesh. Either way, the energy was building before the first drumbeat.
Opening with a sick drum solo beneath deep red lighting, Heists made their entrance one member at a time, immediately setting the tone for what was about to unfold.
“Brisbane, make some fucking noise!”
Encouraging the crowd to bang their heads, Heists wasted absolutely no time launching into a hard, fast and aggressive opening. With signature guttural screams, heavy instrumentation and relentless stage energy, the band had their first mosh pit moving before the opening song had even finished.
By the second track, the room was already splitting for a wall of death. The ferocity coming from the stage was matched by an enthusiastic Brisbane crowd, who clearly weren’t interested in easing themselves into the evening. And honestly, we were only two songs into the night.
The band’s chemistry was evident throughout, with members engaging with one another and the audience while showcasing their individual musicianship. Their combination of punishing breakdowns, aggressive vocals and high-energy performance made for a killer opening set.
Taking a moment to thank the crowd, the band asked for a show of hands from those who had seen Heists perform before. The response clearly surprised the vocalist, who seemed genuinely taken aback by the number of returning fans.
One particularly memorable moment came when the audience enthusiastically screamed the words to ‘I Would Rather Be Alone’ back at the stage, prompting an amused response from the vocalist: “Okay, this is fucking cool.”
Having seen Heists perform twice this year, I can confidently say this was another level of stage performance from the band. Their confidence, crowd engagement and musical delivery have continued to develop, and tonight they demonstrated exactly why they’re earning their place on increasingly impressive lineups. A fantastic start to what was already shaping up to be a feral night.
Continuing the evening’s theme of high-energy chaos, Sylosis came out swinging from the very first scream.
With hair flying, relentless headbanging and commanding stage presence, the British metallers brought an entirely different intensity to Fortitude Music Hall. Their combination of heavy, chaotic drumming, intelligently placed guitar riffs, melodic passages and guttural vocals created a sound that was as technically impressive as it was aggressive.
There was something particularly captivating about the band’s precision. Beneath the seemingly uncontrolled chaos sat an incredibly tight musical performance, with each riff, breakdown and solo delivered with purpose.
“I want to see every single one of you off your feet!”
Brisbane happily obliged with a collective crowd headbang.
The crowd continued to build in intensity, with a heavy mosh pit forming early and a particularly enthusiastic Metal Mario leading the circle pit. Because apparently even Mario needed to abandon the Mushroom Kingdom for a night of metal.
With tracks including ‘Poison for the Lost’ and ‘All Glory, No Valour’, Sylosis maintained a relentless pace, encouraging headbanging both onstage and throughout the audience.
“It’s good to be back in Australia. It’s been a fucking minute!”
Inviting the audience to join in with four words, the band launched into ‘All Glory, No Valour’, with Brisbane enthusiastically returning the energy.
The combination of melodic elements, aggressive instrumentation and ferocious screams created an atmosphere that continued to escalate as the set progressed.
With only a few songs remaining, the band encouraged fists into the air before delivering a final assault of heavy riffs, filthy breakdowns and thunderous drums.
The pit opened once again, and Brisbane sent it in a way I haven’t witnessed in quite some time.
Sylosis didn’t simply maintain the energy established by Heists; they took it further, delivering a technically impressive and unapologetically heavy performance. Something was in the air, and it was metal.
For me, this performance carried a little extra nostalgia. I first saw Killswitch Engage at 15 years old. It was my first metal concert, and almost two decades later, I was standing in another Brisbane crowd preparing to experience the band that helped introduce me to live heavy music. And somehow, their stage energy has only escalated.
As the stage emptied and slow, ominous drums began to echo throughout Fortitude Music Hall, yellow lighting illuminated the space, creating a growing sense of anticipation.
The atmosphere shifted. The crowd knew exactly who they were waiting for. When Killswitch Engage finally appeared, any remaining restraint disappeared.
Frontman Jesse Leach wasted no time getting amongst the action, crowd surfing during the opening song and immediately establishing the chaotic energy that would carry throughout the remainder of the night.
From the first minute, Brisbane was singing, dancing, screaming and moshing. Hair flew, heads banged, and the band performed with the unmistakable enthusiasm of musicians who genuinely still love what they do.
With more than two decades of music behind them, Killswitch Engage have built a catalogue that balances aggression with vulnerability, and tonight demonstrated exactly why their music continues to connect with generations of metal fans.
The performance was a glorious combination of guttural screams, melodic vocals, intricate guitar work and emotionally charged singalongs.
As familiar songs filled the room, entire verses were being sung back at the band. Crowd surfers began appearing above the audience, while the pit moved almost as one.
Welcoming Brisbane, Leach thanked the crowd for showing up and expressed how good it felt to be back in Australia. The appreciation was clearly mutual.
During ‘The Signal Fire’, the room erupted into another enormous singalong, with the audience matching the intensity coming from the stage. As the evening progressed, songs including ‘This Fire’, ‘My Curse’ and ‘The End of Heartache’ demonstrated the band’s ability to move effortlessly between brutal instrumentation and deeply emotional melodies.
At one point, the music took an unexpected turn with a reggae-style interlude, leaving the crowd delightfully confused before the familiar heaviness returned. Because apparently even metalheads need a little musical holiday between breakdowns.
But beyond the ferocity of the performance, it was the connection between the band and the audience that made the evening particularly memorable.
Taking a moment to address the room, Leach encouraged fans to work on themselves, help those around them and remember that even small individual actions can contribute to making the world a better place. It was a powerful message delivered in the middle of an otherwise chaotic evening.
It captured something that is often misunderstood about heavy music. Behind the screaming, aggressive instrumentation and hectic circle pits sits a community built on connection, belonging and the release of complex emotions.
Tonight wasn’t simply a metal concert. It was an enormous, emotionally charged singalong filled with crowd surfers, ferocious pits and people experiencing something together.
As the evening approached its conclusion, the band introduced ‘My Curse’, sending another wave of excitement through the audience. Brisbane responded with screaming, singing, headbanging and more than a few emotional faces.
The connection was undeniable.
Closing with ‘The Last Serenade’, the band delivered one final moment of musical chaos, with guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz making his way into the crowd for a last serenade before disappearing backstage, somehow managing to return to the stage to say goodbye.
Before leaving, the audience was reminded of one final sentiment: “The greatest gift we have is love.”
Perhaps that was the most fitting way to end the night. Three bands, countless breakdowns, enormous circle pits and a room filled with metalheads from different generations, all brought together by their love of heavy music.
From Heists’ explosive opening to Sylosis’ technically ferocious performance and Killswitch Engage’s nostalgic, emotionally charged headline set, Brisbane was treated to a night that celebrated everything wonderful about the metal community.
It was loud, chaotic, emotionally charged and absolutely fucking fantastic. Almost two decades after my first Killswitch Engage concert, it was pretty special to be reminded why I fell in love with metal music in the first place.
