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KILLSWITCH ENGAGE
This Consequence
Metal Blade

There is no two ways about it, Alive Or Just Breathing was an absolute barometer shifting, world creating, and unmatched slab of NWOAHM. At the time, the style of music was blanketed as being Metalcore by most (yours truly included) and kinda dismissed, but not really, in favor of things more true and/or brutal. Ah, those halcyon days of youth. At any rate, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE swooped in, and changed the whole damn game, along with, of course some other names you know and love (the band emerged from pre-SHADOWS FALL bruisers OUTCAST and AFTERMATH) and forever altered the metalscape - especially on this side of the pond.

Remarkably consistent (but not in a thrash way - which is a whole other discussion), 2025 finds KILLSWITCH ENGAGE at somewhat of a cross (over) roads: do they repeat Atonement or do they look backwards, to move forward? Should they be forgiven if they decide on the second option? Is there a third option? What is the ultimate consequence of this journey? Well, I should get my baggy shorts out and find a new wallet chain, because This Consequence is immense, brooding, definitely alive and very much breathing.

At this point, the second - to - none Jesse Leach has been back in the fold for longer than he was out, and his influence is all over This Consequence. The melodies are thick like molasses as expected and the choruses are, well, huge. The whole album is a masterclass in the form of metalcore (ick) KILLSWITCH ENGAGE pedal. With that said, part of the reason the genre was, at least in its nascent stages, put on the backburner was an issue of sameness (again, looking at you thrash metal). Being boring, so to say, has never been a trap into which KsE has ever fallen prey to. Something about them is always exciting.

This Consequence throws curve balls - but not immediately. In fact, at the conclusion of the first three songs I not only could not tell them apart, but more importantly, I didn't care about what I was hearing. Not a good start for a band that was, and is, so very crucial to me and so many others. The production is absolutely mangled, crushed and compressed and ripe for the streaming age of now. My noise cancelling headphones hate this. I mean, come on - this style of metal is meant to be crisp, clear, and shiny goddammit. It's supposed to make you smile a bit and remind you that there is some hope out there, after all.

Enter lead single "Forever Aligned". My headphones are immediately happy because the song starts in the left ear hole and slowly fills the head of the listener. There is actual mixing happening - I can hear instruments! Differentiated! Oh, and it's alternately very heavy and also somewhat saccharine lyrically, which is just perfect. This is what I came here for. Easily my personal favorite song of the album.

Second single "I Believe" is notable only because the guitar intro reminds me of DEF LEPPARD and as such, I was expecting some NWOBHM influence which, of course, was not to be. A serviceable song, sure. Does it reinvent the wheel? Well, no, that's not what KILLSWITCH ENGAGE is out to do. They are very much in pocket here. Speaking of playing in the pocket, "Where It Dies" sounds right out of the early aughts and, to some extent, that's an issue. In parts, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE are playing safe. I can't blame them - this formula works incredibly well for them. With that said, it can make for an uneven listen. That riff is fire, though.

Speaking of fire, unexpected death metal comes right for your throat late in the game here, "The Fall of Us" is the sound of a band taking some chances. They pay dividends. This song, along with the aforementioned first single, save This Consequence from being just another KILLSWITCH ENGAGE album. It's just the truth of the law of diminishing returns - the more product you have available, the quality is going to (subjectively) suffer at some point. "Broken Glass" is a total departure, someplace between sludge, doom, and grunge (at least vocally somehow) - it's dirty and grimy and also a standout.

The bottom line? This Consequence is, weird enough, a triumph of sorts. It's a warts and all affair, uneven like a Saskatchewan road, but ultimately it will get you somewhere. That somewhere, though, may not be totally where you want to be, and you may need to check to ensure you're still alive and just breathing. It is, after all, the benchmark - for better or worse.

3.0 Out Of 5.0