Killswitch Engage Return with This Consequence (Album Review)
Killswitch Engage Return with 9th studio album
I’ve been a fan of Killswitch Engage for as long as I can remember, very much so since the Alive or Just breathing days, I was a fan through the Howard Jones era and one of those who was ecstatic when Jesse returned. Now in 2025 nearly 6 years later since the metalcore legends released Atonement, Killswitch have returned with This Consequence an album in my opinion is the one fans have been waiting for. This Consequence feels heavier, accompanied by the band’s larger than life production the album brings some missing components back to the band’s signature sound, it feels less safe, more vulnerable and at times heavier than what we’ve heard from the guy’s their past few albums.
Of Course upon first listen, especially while driving or listening in the background This Consequence still very much delivers the bands signature clean guitar sound and vocalist Jesse Leach still delivers incredibly catchy hooks but as you dig deeper into the record lyrically I felt it was the most personal Leach has ever written, Justin Foley’s drumming is fast and with precision and matches beautifully with Adam D’s driving guitar tones which become a signature force throughout the album.
Jesse shared this about making the record “Making this record lit a fire under my ass and made me rethink everything,” admits Jesse. “It had to be next level. It had to be different enough for people to really recognize we’re putting forth an effort—or what’s the point of doing this? There was no repeating ourselves. It was very carefully planned out and passionately written. It sounds like Killswitch, yet there’s also a fresh spirit to it.”
The band does that making it clear on the albums first track “Abandon Us”, vicious screams, shreddy guitars, driving drums and a catchy chorus. Killswitch started the record kicking listeners in the face and driving a renewed sense of excitement for the band’s future. Though it’s one of the more mainstream tracks on the album it still sets the tone for the rest of the album as throughout it just felt to further intensify. Its follow-up track “Discordant Nation” is pure intensity and chaos, like many of the tracks on This consequence it feels like an insane amount of emotion being released, maybe 6 years of anger steamrolling through. The track even in the chorus doesn’t lighten up and is a driving force through the song’s full 2:41 run time.
Bassist Mike D’Antonio shares his take on why This Consequence is different “It felt like everyone put a ton of effort into this,” Mike adds. “It’s the first time since Alive Or Just Breathing that we really hashed everything out together in the same room. It was a combined effort, and there are even some things you’ve never heard from Killswitch.”
The albums third track “Aftermath” introduces how dynamic the bands 9th studio album really is, wailing guitars and a booming drum accompanies the lyrics “We’re reeling from the aftermath, still bleeding from the damage of the past,” as Jesse declares, “This is the consequence.” The song’s lyrics follow the theme of being ok again and rediscovering yourself and the possibility of healing. The song from the very first line shows an immense amount of vulnerability in the lyrics.
On the albums single “Forever Aligned” it feels like a re-introduction to Killswitch Engage, it features all the components fans have come to know and love of the band but it also comes with a sense of hope and growth. It’s metaphorically Killswitch coming together healthy and reinspired again. A new chapter in the band’s legendary book.
“Where It Dies” is in my opinion a true whiplash moment in the album and definitely one of the records heaviest songs. It has the same kind of driving sound that Pantera’s “Walk” had, you know the kind where you can’t stop bobbing your head and just when you think it can’t get any cooler… a guitar solo sweeps in before leach comes back and punches you in the teeth again!
“Collusion” addresses modern day control from the powers that be along with greed and disease that come with corruption, on the track Leach compares our current world situation to that of those during the times of the Roman Empire. “The powers-that-be use manipulation to control the masses,” he sighs. “It goes back even to the Roman Empire. There are all of these tricky secret handshakes and backroom deals. I’d rather be pessimistic and questioning than gullible and rolling with it. Dig a little deeper and read between the lines.”
“Broken Glass” is another incredibly heavy track, maybe one of the most different and un-Killswitch sounding songs they’ve written ever. Chunky riffs and guttural screams the track is unapologetically angry. “It’s a metaphor,” reveals Jesse. “A liar’s words will cut you like broken glass. I’m sure anybody who has lived through the breakdown of a family or a relationship can relate to the images of shattered windows or smashed alcohol bottles. We don’t realize how deep abuse can run in our blood and affect us.”
Overall This Consequence is Killswitch Engage’s musical form of a therapy session, the album does a phenomenal job of pulling out raw emotion and the songs are thought provoking and cathartic for the listener. A lot has happened in the world in the 6 years since the band released an album and what we hear as a constant through this latest offering is anger, sadness, hope, love, forgiveness and expectedly even confusion at times. As a fan of the band, I think it’s some of the best, most honest and therapeutic work of art they’ve ever created and I think it opens up many different future directions for Killswitch to go.
This Consequence is available everywhere Friday February 21st and the band is embarking on their North American tour which kicks off March 5th for a full list of dates and tickets visit the band’s official website HERE!!!
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