You can’t spell metalcore without Killswitch Engage.  The band themselves may have a complicated relationship with the genre descriptor, but you can’t deny that for the last 25 years, their name has been synonymous with the New Wave of American Heavy metal; from Grammy nods to streaming milestones to countless headlining tours, it seems like Killswitch Engage have achieved everything that they have ever wanted or needed to achieve to prove their worth.  And yet… This Consequence is a record that is filled with the kind of energy that comes from a band with half their tenure striving to make it out of the basement scene.

“Making this record lit a fire under my ass and made me rethink everything,” says once-and-current lead singer Jesse Leach, who is on his fourth album since returning to the fold in 2012 to replace the titan Howard Jones, who initially took over for Leach after his initial departure. “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?”  That kind of attitude serves Killswitch well here, as This Consequence, the band’s ninth full length release, also marks 25 years since their debut album.  How does a band like this keep evolving a signature style while remaining true to what has worked for them for so long?  In truth, the secret is simply hard work and dedication.  The quintet focused very heavily on working face-to-face and as closely with each other as they could in the writing process, to ensure this album was a true collaboration and to make sure there were no breakdowns in communication.  Leach, in particular, was pushed to work harder than ever on his vocals and lyrics.  “We pushed him to do more vocal demos and were super tough on him,” says guitarist/producer Adam Dutkiewicz.  “All of the demoing made for a better record, and there was so much communication between all of the band members.”  Leach spent hours writing, rewriting, pouring over books, making conversation with fans and even getting lost on Thesaurus.com when inspiration needed a nudge in the right direction.  

Musically, you get just about what you’d expect from a Killswitch Engage record.  That is, to paraphrase Dutkiewicz, the riff faucet has been left wide open.  Some may argue that the band is too quick to rely on a formula, but hey, the formula works.  And the riffs on This Consequence stand with the best of the band’s career.  If anything, there is much more naked aggression in how mean these riffs get, despite the fact that they are tempered with soaring, anthemic choruses fully displaying Leach’s range.  Opener “Abandon Us” and first single “Forever Aligned” are perfect examples of how lockstep the riffing on this album can be.  Shoot, there’s even blast beats in the choruses of “Discordant Nation”, “The Fall of Us” and band favorite “Broken Glass”!  You can’t say Killswitch Engage didn’t turn it up when they needed to.  And yes, there’s still that impeccable sense of melody shining through as well, as evidenced by lead single “Forever Aligned”, which features the kind of delicate guitar work that would sound right at home on As Daylight Dies.  Unfortunately, followup track and second single “I Believe” is quite a bit too slick, polished and, frankly, butt-rocky for me, but the back half of the album picks right back up after that with more punishing riffs and tight grooves.

“Music has always been a light in the darkness when I feel like all hope is lost… We are giving everything we have, because it’s all we got.  We have a chance to take Killswitch to another level,” says Leach.  This Consequence could potentially mark the beginning of another 25 years of Killswitch Engage, as long as they don’t let the fire burn out and keep the attitude that they have clearly struck gold with on this album.

-Ian

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This Consequence is out February 21 on Metal Blade Records.  For more information on Killswitch Engage, visit their official website.