Killswitch Engage's new album, This Consequence, is out now. For their ninth studio effort, and their first in six years, the Massachusetts metallers knew they had to shake things up.
"We, for this record, turned to each other and said, 'How do we throw ourselves off-kilter? How do we get more creative on this record?'" bassist Mike D'Antonio tells ABC Audio. "And we said, 'Ah! Maybe we don't write demos separately and then just send them via email. Maybe we all get in a room and hash this stuff out.'"
That approach led to an album that D'Antonio feels "has everyone's stamp on it."
"I feel like the five members of Killswitch Engage kind of make that sound that is Killswitch Engage," D'Antonio says. "When all have our fingerprints on it, it is even more of a cohesive experience. "
The last time Killswitch put out an album was with 2019's Atonement, before anybody had even heard the phrase "COVID-19." A whole pandemic later, This Consequence opens up with songs titled "Abandon Us" and "Discordant Nation," which reflect a world that maybe didn't necessarily go through a global health crisis, but certainly is in trouble.
Things start to brighten up a bit with the singles "Forever Aligned" and "I Believe" before songs like "Broken Glass" plunge you back into darkness. Ultimately, though, This Consequence ends with a message of hope in its closing track, "Requiem."
"It does seem pretty bad unless you look towards things that are good and righteous or positive," D'Antonio says. "Then things can seem a lot better and lift you out of whatever depression you might be in at the time."
Killswitch Engage will launch a U.S. tour in support of This Consequence in March.