Review: Killswitch Engage - This Consequence [Metal Blade Records]

Gloriously guttural roaring seamlessly blended with ethereal harmonics and elevated riffage

Premiering their first full-length release since the 2022 “Live at the Palladium” record, Massachusetts metalcore giants, Killswitch Engage, have served up a gorgeously gnarly package of songs which demonstrates the continuing evolution of lead vocalist, Jesse Leach, and provides a clarion call to listeners to find hope amongst the turmoil of a tumultuous world.

Containing echoes of their previous LP “Atonement” (2019) and the subsequent EP “Atonement II B-Sides for Charity” (2020), as well as the debut self-titled collection, which was presented a quarter-century ago, this thirty-five minute long set of ten tracks is snarling and efficient. Significantly, it is also devoid of any guest appearances, a change in direction from the 2019 predecessor.

Of the singles released so far, it is perhaps “I Believe” which leaned towards the more radio-friendly end sonics wise, but it still holds up admirably, sandwiched between the other nine compositions, and served its purpose as a teaser to the overall arrangements underpinning the album.

Leach is a real technician when it comes to vocal progression, and he has been very forthcoming, throughout his second spell with the band, not only about the effort he puts into taking care of his pipes, but also about pushing himself to expand his range, and indeed he shared recently that this album was his first opportunity to showcase the ‘fry’ variation.

It is evident just how keen he was to put this on tape, as he alternates between the sand-paper and the smoothed surface in almost every single instalment on this work.

The lyrics are in-keeping with the aspirational call-to-action that Killswitch have maintained throughout their time together, and the aggressiveness with which Leach delivers them with purpose is a luxurious experience for a seasoned ‘metalhead’.

There is also a delicious, if disorientating, double-take on “Discordant Nation”, which appears to come out more as ‘discoordination’ upon first hearing it.

I also noted some experimentation with patterns and vocal alignments between Leach and confidant, Adam Dutkiewicz, within the second-half of the piece, which will take a little bit of getting used to, but it is encouraging to see the five-piece pressing onwards once again with innovation all the same.

For me, “Aftermath” is the highlight, alongside the two singles, and the concluding track, “Requiem”. I could only identify one among the ten as what I'd regard as a less favourable song, when stacked up against the rest of their back-catalogue.

In summary, this is a satisfying listen, which is equally mosh-worthy as it is thought-provoking.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2