This Consequence by Killswitch Engage | Album Review

The ninth album from this seminal metalcore act serves exactly what they’re best known for.

I’ve made no secret of my love of heavy metal, but I hold a special place in my heart for the subgenre of metalcore.

An outgrowth of hardcore punk, metalcore is defined primarily by slow, grinding breakdowns and melodic choruses, pioneered by bands like Earth Crisis and Converge, and thrust to mainstream popularity by the likes of Atreyu, As I Lay Dying, and All That Remains. 

But among the most seminal bands in metalcore, KillSwitch Engage stands out as one of its most consistent and quality acts. I’ve been a fan of songs like “My Curse” and “The End Of Heartache” since their appearances on Guitar Hero games, and now, more than 25 years since their founding, the quintet is still putting out thrashing metalcore every bit as heavy and punishing as when they started.

Case in point, their ninth studio album This Consequence brings their trademark sound to tackle the chaos of our current political era. In some of his most dynamic vocal performances to date, frontman Jesse Leach expresses exactly how he feels about this state of affairs, while staying vague enough that the album doesn’t scream “this is about Donald Trump.”

Opening track “Abandon Us” does just that, embracing punishing riffage in the verse and a more melodic chorus. Lyrically, this might be the most on the nose, explicitly calling out the error of judgment in people who voted for the current president:

Untrusting of the promise

Of a figurehead to lead

When they've broken all their promises and left us here to bleed.

“Collusion” follows a similar formula, this time with anthemic, towering vocals on the verses, and a bridge loaded with Leach’s sludgiest vocals to date. This time, they decry the powers that be who conspire against the common man, while also calling people to action in self-defense (“The revolution can't be contained by a fascist system enslaved/To the belief that resistance will fade”).

Killswitch also experiment a little with their sound in the album’s later moments. Look at “The Fall Of Us,” which embraces a multi-phased approach combining searing speed metal, grinding sludge, and punishing metalcore breakdowns. There’s also “Broken Glass,” which sees the guys try on a blackened death metal sound to great effect.

That said, the middle stretch of this record suffers from a lack of standout moments. Just look at “Aftermath,” with its utterly formulaic song structure, or the chorus of “I Believe” with its painful cliches:

I believe there is hope for better days

I believe we will conquer what we face.

While far from the most creative metal album I’ve ever heard, This Consequence shows a band that knows exactly who they are and what they want to say. Killswitch Engage are nothing if not consistent, and hopefully they can expand on the more experimental ideas presented here to create even more exhilarating music in the future.

Production: 6/10

Lyrics: 6/10

Songwriting: 6/10

Overall: 6/10

Favorites: Abandon Us, Collusion, The Fall Of Us

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Thank you for reading! What did you think of this album? Feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts and recommendations.