Killswitch Engage - This Consequence (Album Review)
Killswitch Engage - This Consequence
Released: February 21, 2025
Line Up
Mike D'Antonio // bass
Adam Dutkiewicz // lead guitar
Joel Stroetzel // rhythm guitar
Jesse Leach // lead vocals
Justin Foley // drums
Online
KIllswitch Engage recently celebrated twenty five years as a band, one whose first few records shaped much of what has become the metalcore scene. Their combination of American hardcore with Gothenburg melodic death metal, as well as Jesse Leach’s use of clean and unclean vocals, has been a mainstay of pretty much every festival, package tour and plenty of headline gigs since. Killswitch Engage’s ninth album, This Consequence, is another example of why they have become so beloved by the metal community. It’s almost six years since their last album, Atonement, which means there’s a whole lot of stuff the band get off their chest.
There’s definitely a sense with recent KSE records that they know it ain’t broke. As a result the majority of This Consequence offers comfort to fans rather than challenge. It’s Jesse's fourth album since returning and there is a definite familiarity to songs like ‘Abandon Us’ and the thundering ‘Collusion’. It’s a fairly obvious approach to growl the verse and sign the chorus clean, but it’s an approach that the band pulls off every single time. Where it works exceptionally well is on the single ‘Forever Aligned’, as the band pushes the heaviness into deathcore territory for the song’s intro, and some really savage Leach vocals.
It would be simplistic to say the band just rinse and repeat a formula, since ‘Discordant Nation’ has more hardcore vibes that recall their debut album. Leach’s clean chorus is backed by blast beats too, which sounds absolutely immense before the breakdown and lead solo. The riffing is much more straightforward, with less of the melodic elements Adam Dutkiewicz has made his signature. If you’re looking for melodic playing, the lead is utterly crisp on ‘Where It Dies’, which is an old school KSE banger that recalls the better moments of Alive or Just Breathing.
Leach’s lyrics continue to focus on a combination of loathing and hope, but I would argue it’s his optimism that stands out among a crowded scene. In particular, ‘Aftermath’ and “I Believe’ describe how he deals with setbacks by turning to his faith. ‘I Believe’ becomes a duet on the chorus (with Dutkiewicz) and is a call to listeners to “keep the faith” so that “nothing will stand in [the] way.” I can’t recall the band using religion so liberally, though I’m not surprised, and I think the song’s message will resonate no matter your spiritual persuasion (or lack thereof).
The song I’ve kept coming back to is ‘The Fall of Us’, with its opening blast beats and thrash riffing. It’s a rager that feels fresh for the band as they push themselves to go faster and even throw in some breakdowns and pinch harmonics (Dimebag style). It really is a blast (pun intended) but then slows down with acoustic guitar and thumping percussion that create a dark mood. It’s such a great groove that they slow the tempo for as Leach unleashes a deep guttural that is *chef’s kiss*. The band actually continue this approach on the next track, ‘Broken Glass’, which continues the groove metal direction with some doom riffing that mixes blast beats with Leach’s croon. It’s my favourite two-track sequence on the album because it stretches what KSE is and can be, without betraying their fundamental principles.
A lot has happened around the world in the six years between Killswitch Engage albums and arguably the band could have slipped into irrelevancy. But This Consequence continues the musical growth since Leach’s return, with songs that embrace a wider spectrum of the metal soundscape. That underlies Killswitch Engage’s continued strength among the scene. Rather than pander to metalcore trends, they are first and foremost a heavy metal band who craft anthemic songs that aren’t afraid of being deathly heavy or spiritually uplifting. Write them off at your own peril.
Killswitch Engage - This Consequence tracklisting:
1. Abandon Us
2. Discordant Nation
3. Aftermath
4. Forever Aligned
5. I Believe
6. Where It Dies
7. Collusion
8. The Fall of Us
9. Broken Glass
10. Requiem
Rating: 7.5 / 10
This Consequence is out February 21, 2025 via Metal Blade Records. Pre Order here.
Review by KJ Draven (Instagram & Threads)
