This Consequence

Over the past 25 years, Killswitch Engage has spread a message of positivity and unity through aggressive music. And while the Massachusetts metalcore band has written its share of breakup songs and tales of personal turmoil, *This Consequence* is probably its darkest and most political album to date. “I dig that we’re kind of known as the metal band with a positive twist,” guitarist and producer Adam Dutkiewicz tells Apple Music. “But I like that we get a little darker in some of the songs on this record. It definitely feels like a fresher album to me because of the variation in topics. Not everything’s about cheering up and getting through something with positivity this time.” Indeed, tracks like “Abandon Us” and “Discordant Nation” speak to our turbulent times, while “Aftermath” sees vocalist Jesse Leach singing about rebuilding after the pandemic. Elsewhere, “Broken Glass” and “The Fall of Us” are two of the heaviest songs Killswitch has ever written, while singles “Forever Aligned” and “I Believe” maintain the band’s trademark positivity and soaring choruses. Below, Dutkiewicz comments on each track. **“Abandon Us”** “That’s a song I wrote, a perfect example of me writing a full song and then showing it to the guys, and they’re like, ‘Yeah, cool. Let’s use this.’ I think the topics within the song are pretty cool. It feels a bit more political than anything we’ve ever done. And we like aggressive opening songs on records—something to just come out of the gates fast.” **“Discordant Nation”** “This came from a demo that Joel \[Stroetzel\], our other guitar player, wrote. I feel like it kind of alludes to Testament, which is a band he loves. We heard it and just thought it kicked ass. I think Joel and I may have worked on the bridge together on that song. Lyrically, it’s about the use of fear as a means of control.” **“Aftermath”** “Our drummer Justin \[Foley\] wrote this one. I think we might’ve changed some guitar parts a little bit, just because we’re the guitar players, dammit! But it’s mostly J-Fo. I think Jesse’s lyrics stemmed from the idea of picking up the pieces of your life after going through something like COVID. Some people were so affected by what happened with the world shutting down and people losing their jobs.” **“Forever Aligned”** “Lyrically, this one’s right up there with what we’re known for. It’s about the positivity of people being together and the importance of unity, especially through your close relationships. Musically, I’m pretty sure I wrote that whole thing. It was one of those situations where I came up with a riff and turned it into a whole song within a few hours.” **“I Believe”** “Another song that fits right in with what we’re known for. I love the positivity in the lyrics. I feel like it’s a good message to put out there nowadays: Everybody just respect each other and take care of each other. And that song was all Joel. He wrote the whole thing. He came up with a demo and just spit the whole thing out.” **“Where It Dies”** “I wrote this as sort of an old-school hardcore intro going into a thrash-type song. I think Jesse’s lyrics are about a broken relationship or an abusive relationship—and cutting that relationship off.” **“Collusion”** “It’s funny—this is a song I wrote for our last album, *Atonement*. We actually recorded it, too, but Jesse never wrote lyrics to it. When it came time to do this album, I was like, ‘Hey, we still have this song if you wanna use it.’ So, it ended up on this record instead. And I’m glad it did, because I think it’s got a cool personality.” **“The Fall of Us”** “The funny story about this one is that I’ve got a side project with Corpsegrinder Fisher, the singer of Cannibal Corpse, and I originally wrote this for that project. But then I showed it to the Killswitch guys one day, and they were like, ‘Can we use this?’ So, we did. But it was originally meant for Serpentine Dominion. I think you can tell, too. It just feels a little more grindy and death metal-y.” **“Broken Glass”** “This is another one written by Justin, our drummer, and I think that’s why it feels so different. I don’t necessarily think it’s something that Joel and I would come up with. I love how quickly the song’s over with, too—it’s just *boom*, and then it’s done. But musically, it feels different from anything we’ve done in the past.” **“Requiem”** “This song was written by Joel, and it’s in that old-school 6/8 metal vibe that he loves so much. It’s kind of throwback, like ‘Discordant Nation,’ which he also wrote. For some reason, Jesse was having a hard time coming up with a chorus that felt good for him to sing. We spent so much time beating up on it and then figured it probably wouldn’t make the record. But then, one day, I tried singing the chorus, and it just felt better for some reason. It’s weird how things like that work out. You just try a different voice, and it feels more natural.”

U.S. metal heroes Killswitch Engage are impressively angry and anthemic – but inconsistent – on ninth album This Consequence.

As every observant metalhead is aware, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE were an integral part of the massive resurgence in authentic heavy metal that erupted at the start of the 21st century. As a result, they have steadily outgrown an initial reputation as metalcore standard bearers to become one of today's most...

Tasha Brown reviews the new album from Killswitch Engage! Read her review of 'This Consequence' here on Distorted Sound!

A review of This Consequence by Killswitch Engage, available February 21st worldwide via Metal Blade Records.

After a 6-year gap between LPs, it’s hard to deny the power Killswitch Engage can still create after 25 years via 'This Consequence.'