Killswitch Engage – This Consequence
Release Date: 21st February 2024
Label: Metal Blade Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Metalcore
FFO: Unearth, All that Remains, As I Lay Dying, Trivium, Shadows Fall.
Review By: Eric Wilt
In the world of metalcore, few bands have had the staying power of Killswitch Engage. With a line-up that has changed very little since 2003, Killswitch has consistently produced records that have defined the genre time after time. Comprised of longtime members vocalist Jesse Leach, guitarists Adam Dutkiewicz and Joel Stroetzel, bassist Mike D’Antonio, and drummer Justin Foley, Killswitch is about to drop their ninth album, This Consequence, and the timing could not be better. The genre is as hot as it’s been in a long time, as bands like Shadows Fall and God Forbid, who took most of the 2010s off, see themselves once again in demand. Killswitch has been here the whole time, and their new album features all the hallmarks of their sound that fans have loved for nearly 25 years.
If you’re looking for Killswitch Engage songs that take chances and redefine their sound, you won’t find them on This Consequence. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a metalcore album that harkens back to the glory days of the genre without feeling stale, This Consequence is going to make you very happy. As one of a handful of bands that helped define a genre of music, Killswitch knows exactly what they do, and they do it well. Songs like Abandon Us, Forever Aligned, and Where it Dies feature Killswitch’s patented metallic hardcore riffing, both clean and screamed vocals, and thoughtful lyrics that have been part of their sound for years. One thing you may not have heard on early metalcore albums is blast beats, but Foley sprinkles them in throughout the album, most notably on songs like Discordant Nation, The Fall of Us, and Broken Glass. While you would expect blast beats to give the songs a death metal feel, these blast beats sound more like something you’d find in Swedish melodic death metal. Speaking of melodic death metal, the main riff on Requiem, the last song on the album, sounds very much like something At the Gates would have written back in the day, which makes sense because of the influence melodic death metal had on metalcore.
As a fan from the beginning, I appreciate the fact that Killswitch Engage has kept going, even during the lean years of the genre. This Consequence includes everything that fans have come to expect from them, and with the album, they have reminded listeners of why they are one of the biggest metalcore bands around and have ensured their reign over the genre for years to come.
(4 / 5)
