By Nicholas Kobe, Staff Writer

[Metal Blade Records; 2025]

Rating: 5/10

Key Tracks: “Abandon Us,” “Aftermath,” “I Believe”

Killswitch Engage stands at an interesting spot in modern metal. As one of the most influential acts in metalcore, many of the genre’s biggest bands owe a large debt to some of Killswitch’s best work. However, once you hit “legend” status, there’s always the question of if you can still roll with the punches. Can Killswitch stand alongside the best of the bands they influenced, or is the band a relic of the past who has long since been outdone?

Killswitch attempts to answer this question by playing it very safe. There’s nothing inherently wrong with this, especially recently, with great recent examples of old bands playing it straight to immense success such as Cannibal Corpse and Judas Priest. Killswitch however, lacks that fire. It’s the album’s single greatest downfall. There’s very few moments on This Consequence where I felt any hunger or energy from Killswitch. For the most part, Killswitch Engage is playing to a straightforward metalcore formula of rhythm-driven riffs, driving harsh vocals and slower, grandiose clean choruses. On a technical level, they’re pulling this off just fine, no complaints there, but most of these choruses and lead lines lack staying power. The best songs all come at the record’s opening with the back-to-back of “Abandon Us” and “Discordant Nation,” which each feature the album’s most nimble riffs and memorable choruses. “I Believe,” which comes late in the record, also succeeds on similar merits, along with the earwormy “Aftermath.” Beyond this, a majority of the tracks failed to elicit any meaningful reaction. While complimenting 4/9 of the tracks seems like a fine enough ratio, even these highlights never moved me beyond a simple head bob, and I doubt are going to stick in my mind as worth revisiting beyond this year. 

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Besides the compositions, the biggest issue is with the mix. Vocalist Jesse Leach is too quiet compared to the guitars primarily in the clean sections. This dramatically softens the impact that these courses could, and should land with. Lyrically the album is solid. In an interview with Apple Music, Adam Dutkiewicz mentioned the importance of positive lyrics to the band, and there is a good helping of that here. For people who think that happiness is lame (for some reason), there’s plenty of angst to be had as well, primarily in a world that feels like it’s crumbling around us. It’s all relatively solid, but fails to make a real impact, just like the music. 

Another point to note is that this is a short album. While in the pop world, albums of around 30-ish minutes have become commonplace, rock releases still typically hover around the more traditional 45 minutes to an hour mark. There’s ways to do short metal albums well, of course. Slayer’s Reign In Blood is just under half an hour and is a masterpiece, in many ways because it doesn’t waste a single note in its one track mission of pummelling you into the ground. Killswitch, on the other hand, just gives us nine, decent songs. The brevity of this record feels less like the “all killer no filler” of Slayer, and more like Killswitch ran out of ideas, none of which are that interesting. 

There’s no doubt that regardless of the quality of This Consequence, Killswitch Engage’s legacy is already set in stone, as the metalcore that dominates the charts today simply wouldn’t exist without them. However, as a band in 2025, This Consequence shows that Killswitch Engage is a competent band who are able to produce decent songs in the vein of the work that made them famous, but nothing more. This record isn’t going to draw new fans. The band’s iconic 2006 album As Daylight Dies arguably sounds fresher as it approaches 20 than This Consequence. For fans of Killswitch, and old school metalcore, there’s a possibility you love this thing in a “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” kind of way (even if I think Trivium’s In the Court of the Dragon scratches that itch better). It’s not that Killswitch Engage is sinking their legacy with this album, they’re just not doing much beyond keeping it afloat. 

Listen here:https://open.spotify.com/album/7cekR9owkcFWwzJA365Dq5