Let’s recap for a just a moment. Killswitch Engage just released This Consequence a couple of weeks ago through Metal Blade – their first album since 2019’s Atonement – and it’s pretty fucking great. They’re about to embark on a North American headlining tour that runs through April 12th. And then it was recently announced that they’ll also be part of the Summer of Loud 2025 touring festival which kicks off on June 21st. Yes, 2025 is going to be quite the year for the metalcore legends. I say we keep piling it on.

But how exactly should we do that? Well, shit, with This Consequence marking the ninth studio album in their discography, it sure does feel like a good time for a 9 C ov! For those that need a reminder about these things, I normally just grab my nine favorite tracks from a given artist regardless of album or era or whatever. It’s led to the neglect of some widely-celebrated albums, and the over-celebration of others. It’s a fun practice for me. I’m going to structure things a little differently this time, however. I decided to pull my favorite KsE track from each of those nine albums and order them chronologically. All albums represented, starting from the very beginning. Go through them one by one after the jump. Or, I guess, the playlist can be heard here without interruption if my words mean nothing to you. Have fun, and be sure to tell me all the ways in which I am objectively wrong in the comments. Bye!

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“Vide Infra” – Killswitch Engage (2000)

Given the fact that the above is a 2004 remaster, and a version of “Vide Infra” also appears on the self-titled debut’s successor Alive or Just Breathing, am I breaking my own rules right off the rip? Maybe! But here’s the thing: I’ve decided that this is a loophole that will allow me to include multiple songs from that sophomore record, which happens to be my favorite KsE album. Some joking aside, the Killswitch Engage iteration of the track might actually be better. Not as dense in sound or feel as its successor, sure, but the distinct bite of this record translates really well in “Vide Infra”. It’s relentless right from the opening note, and the climax and resolution of the track is just stupid good.

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“Just Barely Breathing” – Alive or Just Breathing (2002)

In contrast, the steady build and the deliberation of the riffs and passages of “Just Barely Breathing” highlight everything that I love about my favorite KsE album. The structure feels rigid but dynamic and each section has a distinct impact on the overall song. The verses are pummeling and rhythmic while the chorus soars. But it all feels cohesive. An appropriate amount of abrasiveness is maintained through it all to keeps things connected, and that closing sequence starting with “the sky weeps tonight / our bodies washed away” is absolutely chilling. The whole track is simply masterful.

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“Rose of Sharyn” – The End of Heartache (2004)

Move ahead a couple more years and enter Howard Jones on vocals (among a few other changes) for the long-celebrate third KsE album. It’s a defining album in their discography, and a crucial album in my trajectory as a music fan. Needless to say it was a struggle picking a single track. In the end I figured I may as well go with an obvious choice. Simply put, “Rose of Sharyn” continues to stand the test of time, year after year. It’s melodic metalcore perfection, on a near-perfect metalcore album.

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“Daylight Dies” – As Daylight Dies (2006)

Is it just me, or is As Daylight Dies not talked about enough, at least these days, as one of the better metalcore albums… ever? Sure, the high points of its predecessor might be higher, but there’s something about the dark tone KsE carries through this album that has always struck me. There’s no better example of this, in my mind, than the opening track. It builds in a haunting kind of way before erupting with an attitude and energy that is as securely Killswitch as anything to come before or after it.

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“Take Me Away” – Killswitch Engage (2009)

By 2009 my listening habits were pulling away from metalcore. As such, KSE II is an album I simply cannot recall listening to start to finish at any point. As I sit here now I struggle to recall what some of these songs even sound like. “Take Me Away”, however, is an earworm that embedded itself right away and never left. It’s a short burn, but god damn is it catchy. Howard Jones’ delivery on this track is absolutely top tier as well.

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“No End in Sight” – Disarm the Descent (2013)

Bear with me. For transparency I must admit that I went through both Disarm the Descent and Incarnate exactly one time each. About a week ago. Which is brutal! I remember being stoked in learning that Jesse Leach was back. I made a mental note to explore his return album and then… just didn’t. Again, my listening interests were just so far in another direction in 2013 that I totally lost track. But I digress. In that singular recent spin, the album as a whole admittedly didn’t do a ton for me. But “No End in Sight” did stand out as a really, really strong track. Jesse’s range is awesome, and the track overall offered enough of a twist on what I remembered KsE to be that it became something worth revisiting.

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“The Great Deceit” – Incarnate (2016)

I’d also like to note that my being stoked about Jesse’s return is not a knock on Howard. That dude is a phenomenal vocalist. My reaction is simply based on a feeling of nostalgia directed toward my favorite KsE album. Which isn’t my favorite by a distance! The Howard Jones era is very much celebrated over here as well. Anyway. I digress again. Incarnate is another album I don’t know very well. And “The Great Deceit” is another strong track from an album I don’t know very well. Machine gun riffs, Jesse’s signature bark, and a nicely balanced melodic chorus. A familiar combination, but a winning one in my book.

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“Unleashed” – Atonement (2019)

Okay. We’re back. Atonement I HAVE grown quite familiar with recently. Easily my favorite Killswitch album since As Daylight Dies. There’s just something about the raw intensity it contains that I’ve really gravitated to. So, to keep things to the point, I’m grabbing the lead single and opening track from this one. It holds everything I enjoy about Atonement. It’s heavy at times. It’s pretty at times. And man, has this thing served as a reliable caffeine shot time and again. Grateful!

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“Forever Aligned” – This Consequence (2025)

My friends. We have reached this end of this little adventure. To return all the way to the top, This Consequence is pretty fucking great. I’ve gone through it a number of times now and it’s album that I am quite satisfied with. In that I mean… it makes me really fucking happy. I have a nostalgic eye for it, sure, but it’s also just a great Killswitch Engage album from beginning to end. So yes! I am once again grabbing the leading single. Why is that? Because when “Forever Aligned” was first announced I went into it with a surprising amount of excitement and anticipation. And then I heard it and it absolutely matched that excitement. I listened to it over and over and over again from there. KsE were foundational in my metal fandom starting a quarter-century ago – the timelines are nicely aligned (I’m so sorry) – and this track and album just feels like the albums I grew up with have been brought forward to present day. I simply cannot ask for more than that.

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That will do it for me. As a reminder, their headlining North American run with Kublai Khan TX, Fit For a King, and Frozen Soul is about to kick off. I hope to see you out there! (I’ll be at that final date in Portland.) All the dates and locations are below, and tickets can be snagged here.

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“Ein Bier… bitte.”
– cmb