“There is hope for better days.”
A band like Killswitch Engage really needs no introduction. Starting back in the late 90s, they are often considered to be one of the first bands that popularised metalcore and set the formula of the genre, with groundbreaking albums such as Alive or Just Breathing, The End of Heartache and As Daylight Dies. For most of their career, they have been able to navigate the shifting landscape of heavy music without changing their sound. As a result, they have held on to a dedicated fanbase, even if they’ve taken a low risk approach to avoid alienation. Unfortunately, except for one strong single in “The Signal Fire”, their last album Atonement is seen as a stamp on the breaks of their near-flawless streak. Lacking the necessary shock factor and filled with thrash parts that felt out of place, it was a case where the band finally took a risk but failed. Fast forward past the pandemic to the present day, and we have their new album This Consequence that seeks to get them out of this rut, with a focus on rawness and heavier song writing.
“Abandon Us” starts off the album in a chunky and energetic enough manner that should engage long time fans of the band, pulling them in for the ride. However, it also shows off This Consequence’s most glaring issue, present throughout its runtime: the production simply feels off. Instead of the clear and tight production that Killswitch Engage usually have, This Consequence has surprisingly raw production. By all means, this should work in service of the record’s more ferocious and angry riffs, but the result simply sounds fumbled. Gritty production is no less nuanced than clean as many cutting edge acts of the day have been showing. It also serves to highlight how samey the last two Killswitch Engage records have felt.
Following “Abandon Us” we have “Discordant Nation“, one of more melodic death metal influenced tracks that ups the pace. It uses the more raw nature of the album’s production to its advantage rather than its detriment, hinting at the potential of this album: through the anger we feel a more personal nature being revealed. The throaty screams and in-your-face immediacy of its chorus are compelling, and it provides the record’s first win. “Aftermath” and “I Believe” are the only two tracks that focus on clean singing rather than mixed delivery. This unfortunately reveals that the lyrical content seems to have lost the subtlety and strength of their past – another sign of fatigue in the Killswitch Engage camp.
Lead single “Forever Aligned” luckily sees them returning to their core sound, making for one of the shining moments of This Consequence. The production finally plays to the strengths of a track, and it’s a shame there aren’t more examples of their classic songwriting to go with the flat mix. “Where It Dies” a mid-paced track which might please fans looking for a hardcore sound from the band. However, the pay off the track offers is not hardcore at all, especially when the competition from the 2025 scene is so strong.
The album’s final stretch is its saving grace. “Collusion” in the middling tempo established by “Where It Dies”, and leads into a nice chorus which soon gives way into one of the heaviest sections of This Consequence. It’s filled with growls and an impressive breakdown that may leave even satisfy the most avid deathcore listeners, and at the very least, breaks up the monotony of the album. Luckily this feeling is carried into “The Fall of Us“, which can only be described as a deathcore song written in Killswitch Engage’s signature style. It’s without a doubt the album’s strongest track, and the closest it comes to offering a significant contribution to their discography. The penultimate track “Broken Glass” serves as a showcase of frontman Jesse Leach’s screaming range, demonstrating that magic can happen when he ventures out of his comfort zone. The album drops the ball one last time on “Requiem“, presenting a mish-mash of poor ideas, unfortunately ending the album on a questionable note.
Even putting aside the production and lyrical downgrade, the bulk of This Consequence comes across as Killswitch Engage phoning it in. “Forever Aligned“, “Collusion“, “The Fall of Us” and “Broken Glass” are the successes it makes, each of which cut through the record’s issues in different ways. Ultimately, This Consequence is a frustrating album, as Killswitch Engage are perfectly capable of writing incredible songs, but six times out of ten, they chose not to. Perhaps this will prove to be a turning point for the band, but if they continue down this path, daylight may have finally died for the once storied band.
5/10
This Consequence releases this Friday June 21st via Metal Blade Records and can be pre-ordered here. UK/US/EU.