Right before the turn of the century, casual jam sessions between a group of friends unassumingly lit the fuse for an insane 25-year ride to follow…
Hailing from Western Massachusetts (where the only thing icier than the freeway in winter is the blunt sense of humor shared by the locals), Killswitch Engage — Adam Dutkiewicz [guitar], Joel Stroetzel [guitar], Mike D’Antonio [bass], Justin Foley [drums], and Jesse Leach [vocals] — always stood apart. For as deadly serious as their airtight technical riffing is, they also knew how to have a good time, riling up crowds with uncontainable energy and unpredictable performances. They could bludgeon with the best of them or serve up the kind of sing-along banger you could blast with the windows down.
From day one, they naturally appealed to the headbangers, hardcore kids, and heartbroken alike.
In 2002, Alive Or Just Breathing sent shockwaves through the culture, claiming a spot on Decibel’s “The Top 100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time.” They generated north of 3 billion streams and picked up gold and platinum plaques for The End of Heartache and As Day Light Dies respectively. They notably received three GRAMMY® Award nominations for “Best Metal Performance” and cracked the Top 10 on the Billboard 200 with a trio of consecutive releases: Killswitch Engage [2009], Disarm The Descent [2013], and Incarnate [2016]. Meanwhile, 2019’s Atonement represented a critical high watermark with praise from Forbes, Revolver, and NME who christened it “one of the most engaged and exciting records that Killswitch has ever made.” The guys have not only packed houses on repeated successful headline tours across the globe, but they have consistently held their own sharing bills with acts from Iron Maiden, Slipknot, and Slayer to My Chemical Romance, Rise Against, and Coheed & Cambria.
However, Killswitch Engage harness all of their strengths on their ninth full-length LP, This Consequence [Metal Blade Records]. They’ve distilled the hallmarks of their signature sound into a bruising, often brutal, and at times brilliantly bright body of work.
“Making this record lit a fire under my ass and made me rethink everything,” admits Jesse. “It had to be next level. It had to be different enough for people to really recognize we’re putting forth an effort—or what’s the point of doing this? There was no repeating ourselves. It was very carefully planned out and passionately written. It sounds like Killswitch, yet there’s also a fresh spirit to it.”
This time around, the group emphasized working together face-to-face in a Massachusetts rehearsal spot. The process enabled them to apply the pressure on every element. At the collective urging of his bandmates, Jesse poured over his words like never before.
“We pushed him to do more vocal demos and were super tough on him,” recalls Adam. “He was so open to feedback though, and he definitely got the lyrics right. I love it when he and I are face-to-face, and ideas are flying around. We work especially well together when we’re in the heat of the moment. All of the demoing made for a better record, and there was so much communication between all of the band members.”
“It felt like everyone put a ton of effort into this,” Mike adds. “It’s the first time since Alive Or Just Breathing that we really hashed everything out together in the same room. It was a combined effort, and there are even some things you’ve never heard from Killswitch.”
Jesse culled inspiration from “hours on Thesaurus.com,” reading as many books as possible, and interacting with fans on the road in between. He confesses, “I found my voice again.”
“I never considered myself to be a part of mainstream society,” he goes on. “I’ve always been in the middle. To me, this record is about the consequences of our actions as humans as we engage in war, hatred, division, and falling in line with control. History repeats itself. We’re going to have to answer for our actions—whether it’s how we treat the earth or each other. There will be an uprising and a backlash from nature. Cause-and-effect is a driving theme. We will face a consequence.”
The first single “Forever Aligned” finds the band firing on all cylinders. Jesse’s growl weighs heavy on a galloping beat and dual-guitar battering ram. The barrage breaks like a wave on a chantable chorus, “It’s you, I find, forever in my mind, we are aligned,” giving way to a melodic bridge laced with a hummable lead line.
“When you find someone who won’t give up on you, forge a friendship, or have a family member who makes you a better person, you realize what love actually is,” notes the frontman. “I think true love is far beyond human comprehension. We have glimpses of it, but we’ll never grasp it. When you’re striving to be filled with love, it’s a selfless path. It’s a spiritual connection; it transcends life and death. The energy of love moves on eternally, so you’re forever aligned with who you love.”
“Even with all of the brutality, the hook is right up there with some of our best,” smiles Mike. “We felt like it was the perfect song to introduce this chapter and show we’re ready to go.”
“Aftermath” illuminates the dynamics of This Consequence. A lightly picked intro bleeds into the wail of guitar as epic drums boom. It kicks into high gear towards a hypnotic refrain, “We’re reeling from the aftermath, still bleeding from the damage of the past,” as Jesse declares, “This is the consequence.”
“If you’ve ever dealt with depression, one day you wake up and have this revelation, ‘I’m going to be okay. This is a new day’,” he goes on. “You get this injection of hope and think, ‘I got through this. How do I move forward]?’ ‘Aftermath’ is simply about finding yourself again and healing from all that you went through.”
Following the face-ripping “Where It Dies” and towering catharsis of “I Believe,” the vital and vitriolic “Collusion” confronts corruption at its ancient roots. Jesse laments, “It’s a world in collusion.”
“The powers-that-be use manipulation to control the masses,” he sighs. “It goes back to even the Roman Empire. There are all of these tricky secret handshakes and backroom deals. I’d rather be pessimistic and questioning than gullible and rolling with it. Dig a little deeper and read between the lines.”
Then, there’s “Broken Glass.” It may be one of the unabashedly and uncompromisingly heavy compositions in the Killswitch catalog. It crawls along on a nail-scraping stomp anchored by a thick riff and guttural scream.
“I’m most stoked on ‘Broken Glass’,” says Adam. “It definitely doesn’t sound like anything we’ve ever done before.”
“It’s a metaphor,” reveals Jesse. “A liar’s words will cut you like broken glass. I’m sure anybody who has lived through the breakdown of a family or a relationship can relate to the images of shattered windows or smashed alcohol bottles. We don’t realize how deep abuse can run in our blood and affect us.”
Now, This Consequence might just set the stage for another 25 years of Killswitch Engage.
“This band is still just a group of friends who get together and play music—but to some of the biggest crowds we could’ve ever imagined,” Mike leaves off. “Even after all of this time, there’s a lot of love being thrown around.”
“The goal is to make the fans happy,” concludes Adam. “When you come to a show, it’s about fun. I love the connection we have. If the crowd is having a good time, we’re having a good time. This record is for everybody who has been with us for all of these years.”
“The world is in a dark place, but we’re going to get through this,” grins Jesse. “Music has always been a light in the darkness when I feel like all hope is lost. Certain albums came along at the right time and saved me. We are giving everything we have, because it’s all we got. We have a chance to take Killswitch to another level. That excitement is like fuel. We have everything to prove and nothing to prove, because we are right where we need to be.” – Rick Florino, October 2024.
