Six years after their previous release, the Massachusetts metalcore titans return with This Consequence, a 10-track project that pushes heavier extremes while preserving the band’s signature melodic flair. Killswitch Engage have always excelled at fusing colossal riffs with soaring hooks. Here, that knack is bolstered by a rawer production style and a renewed sense of collaboration: for the first time since the early 2000s, every member contributed to songwriting in the same room. The results are often punishing, sometimes surprisingly uplifting, and consistently reflective of the band’s 20+ years of experience.
Thealbum opener, “Abandon Us,” kicks off with a thunderous drum lead-in, letting Justin Foley’s double-bass drums kick our chest to wake our senses. From there, the hook emerges in a melodic chorus that balances Jesse Leach’s raw vocal screams and his more tuneful cleans. The guitars offer a tight, locked-in riff that stays heavy without overshadowing the melodic undercurrent. Adam Dutkiewicz’s production choice to let the drums thunder at the forefront sets an immediate precedent for the album’s intense tone.
“Discordant Nation” thrives on tension and dissonance. The melodies are minimal, with only brief glimpses of clean vocals. Djent-like syncopation and blast beats lend a fresh aggression. The guitars favor dissonant intervals, adding a biting edge that pushes KSE closer to death metal territory than usual.
“Aftermath” opens gently, easing in with clean guitars before launching into a triumphant chorus. It’s a clear callback to the melodic side of Alive or Just Breathing and The End of Heartache. The memorable chord progression anchors the chorus, with Adam and Joel weaving harmonized leads. The production is notably more spacious, allowing the clean vocals to ring out and the guitars to shine in tandem.
“Forever Aligned” was the album’s first single; it’s quintessential Killswitch with a galloping riff, a big melodic chorus, and a massive shout-along refrain. The guitars are crisp and punchy. There’s an intentional shine to the melodic lines, and the breakdown thrives on a dynamic shift from open harmonies back to the chugging groove.
“I Believe” is a moment of uplift with its bright, clean-sung chorus that extols hope and perseverance, which is the emotional centerpiece on an otherwise heavy album. The instrumentation leans toward open-chord strumming and a syncopated, head-nodding rhythm. The result feels anthemic, supported by layered backing vocals that underscore Jesse’s vocal lines.
A vicious energy imbues “Where It Dies” as Jesse’s gutturals are at their fiercest, with only the slightest melodic undertow. It amplifies the band’s heavier elements to near-thrash levels. The well-recorded guitar tones plunge into lower registers, with thick chugs that complement the relentless double-bass drumming. The breakdown smashes hard, making for one of the record’s heaviest moments.
Balancing brutality and melody, “Collusion” packs a show-stopping, ultra-heavy breakdown in its latter half. The chorus includes a haunting, sung line that breaks the tension. The interplay between Adam and Joel stands out: one fires off technical riffs while the other bolsters with thick chord stabs. It’s all locked to Foley’s punishing drum patterns.
“The Fall of Us” flirts with blackened death metal intensity, unleashing tremolo riffs and near-continuous blast beats. The chorus maintains a melodic line, though it’s buried under Jesse’s snarling screams. The guitars and drums are front-and-center, blazing through transitions between scorching speed and groove-laden breakdowns. The rawer production turns everything to white-hot fury.
Sludgy, hardcore-laced aggression defines “Broken Glass.” The tempo is the slowest on the record, making the riffing feel massive. The down-tuned guitars swirl with feedback and sustain. Sparse, grinding chugs leave plenty of negative space for the bass to rumble through, giving a hypnotic, doom-like weight.
“Requiem” is a fitting closer that blends the band’s melodic strengths and newfound heft. The chorus is expansive, and Jesse’s emotive cleans give it a final sense of resolution. With a slight nod to classic metal solos here and an old-school melodic break that ties the song’s reflective theme together. The fade-out (or gentle decrescendo) finalizes the album like a true requiem, with a sense of closure.
Killswitch Engage remain masters of balancing savage riffs with triumphant choruses. This Consequence highlights that synergy across all 10 tracks, though the heavier experiments—blast beats, blackened tremolo runs—add a welcome twist. Adam Dutkiewicz’s production feels rawer than on Atonement, accentuating the intensity. Guitars pack a heavy crunch, and Justin Foley’s drumming sits more prominently in the mix, lending a “live” energy. Longtime fans will find no shortage of chant-worthy choruses and lethal breakdowns. “Forever Aligned,” “I Believe,” and “Collusion” each bring hooks that could easily land on a KSE “best-of” playlist. Meanwhile, “Where It Dies” and “The Fall of Us” ramp up the riff brutality to new extremes.
This Consequence might not challenge the legendary status of Alive or Just Breathing or The End of Heartache, but it solidifies that the band can still deliver relevant and punishing modern metalcore. It’s heavier and more experimental in spots than Atonement, while still playing to the band’s signature strengths. The collaborative writing approach breathes renewed energy into the formula—especially in those crunchiest grooves and darkest passages.
If you’ve been with Killswitch Engage since the start, there’s little reason to skip this. It refines what the band does best and sprinkles in heavier elements you might not expect. It’s a polished, passionate statement from one of the genre’s defining acts—required listening for anyone who enjoys that classic combo of breakdowns and anthemic vocals. This is arguably one of KSE’s most aggressive records. Even fans of death metal or blackened styles will find a few songs that resonate on the extreme side.
Killswitch Engage’s This Consequence reaffirms their standing as stalwarts of metalcore. It’s not a seismic reinvention, but it packs enough brutal riffage, stirring choruses, and raw energy to satisfy diehards and curious newcomers. After 20-plus years, the band’s combination of hooks and riffs remains uniquely potent—clearly, these pioneers still have plenty of fight left, and they’re channeling it into a reliably explosive record. That’s the short of it!
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