Killswitch Engage - This Consequence

If you've ever played Guitar Hero, or dubbed a little toe into metalcore/emo back about 10-15 years ago, you know who this band is. Howard Jones/Adam turned "My Curse" into an absolute staple of a song. The weird thing is, I've always appreciated them and put some of their songs on my playlists and I never really ever gave them a second thought until a new album comes around.

Same thing happened with their last record to this one. Kind of forgot they even existed until the dropped "I Believe" and of course, I am interested once again.

Much like their songs, I'll just cut the fat and just get into the meat here. To the point.

I mean... it's Killswitch. If you know who they are then you can pretty much skip this part, there isn't much too add to what they've already been doing. The only thing I'd leave you with if you're already familiar is that the drums take a front seat in a lot of this record. They are noticeably well produced and just fierce throughout the album. Other than that, it's another iteration of the iconic sound they're known for.

To those who maybe aren't familiar with KE's sound... It's simple to describe it as "no BS metalcore." They don't write 9 minute epics. They aren't writing the most heart breaking thing on the planet. They aren't here to do vocal or instrument trapeze and showcase talent. No, they are just a relatable metalcore band with pretty solid, uplifting messages in their music. They write 2.5-5 min bangers left and right. No fluff. Heck you'll always find a couple of songs on their albums that the music and vocals start with no intro at all, sometimes even ending the same way they started.

That doesn't leave them behind though. Their guitarists, also producer extraordinaire is Adam, and he writes a lot of the most catchy riffs and ambience you might ever hear on a metal album. The guitars often rock through songs, leaving little tidbits of things stuck in your head as you roll through your day. The bass and drums play a solid support role, leaving vocals at the forefront. Their general mood, or sound, or whatever... I would describe as familiar. They make you bob your head, they make you feel at home. It feels like you're listening to a bunch of teenagers just sit in the garage and put together songs, but with that professional and experienced edge.

So I go into all of that because this album is no different. There's a lot of cool vocal techniques and surprises, some heavier riffs than they normally provide, and oh by the way, they haven't changed much. I am looking at the track list... not a single song cracks the 5 minute mark. While they often write about depression, addiction, and hope, this album feels particularly hopeful.

Okay next section.

Normally I'd post a lot of quotes and snippets of lyrics, but these songs are so short, I feel like I'd ruin them if I did. So instead, I'd just like to touch on the topics here.

So hope is a big one here. I Believe, Forever Aligned, Requiem, are all songs centered around moving forward and giving you hope. It's awesome, because it's not in a cheesy or cringe way. Jesse tends to use a lot of good stuff here to get the message across.

Second thing is anger. Discordant Nation, Broken Glass and Collusion are prime examples. Though they seem to be around events or people, I kind of felt these lyrics more to the tune of the anger being inward instead of outward... the songs make way more sense that way honestly.

The rest of the songs are about letting go... or letting something die, or recognizing the time is over.

Nothing new to Killswitch honestly. Pretty solid delivery as well. Jesse is a beast.

Killswitch Engage are one of those bands it's hard for me to listen to for long periods of time. This is a 10 track album with a run time of 35 minutes. For a lot of folks, that's not really a problem, but for me personally... well, I'll just lay my opinion out plainly.

I ain't the type of guy that just adds stuff to a playlist and calls it a day. Yes I have playlists. Yes I have collections of songs across my listening habits. The two real things that keep an album I like in rotation is pretty clear; depth of art and connection to the message. Killswitch... just doesn't cater my crowd on the first point. Technically, I tend to listen to album, song, or something incessantly until it becomes almost a burden. Killswitch doesn't write songs like that. I mean Broken Glass is one of my favorite songs on the record. If I listen to that song 10 times, I've listened to 25 mins of music, vs say if I listened to Kardeshev's Reunion at right about 5 mins 10 times for 50 mins.

Not to mention, that Kardeshev song, it has multiple layers, messages buried and tactfully placed, and takes your emotions for a little bit of a ride. Killswitch on the other hand, their lyrics and music aren't the type that you can sit for hours and discover something new each time. It's pretty straight forward. One emotion, one thought, spread out in a short song. To be clear, it actually IS my cup of tea... for like a couple of weeks. Then there's not much more to it except when it shows up on a playlist and I am reminded how much I like it, and then move on to something else.

With that being said, it is a great album. Killswitch fan or no, give it a listen. Support them. They are still doing great things!