Killswitch Engage, This Consequence Review

By Rudy Palma

Imagine a sudden thunderclap; the sky lights up with aggression and melody in a single flash. That’s the feeling radiating from This Consequence, a record that reinvigorates Killswitch Engage’s signature brand of metalcore. The album lunges forward with the refined synergy of the seasoned musicians who have toiled to write a new album with hues of fresh territory. Jesse Leach stands front and center, vocals layered as thick as storm clouds, while Adam Dutkiewicz and Joel Stroetzel weave in backing lines that hiss, roar, and soar at precisely the right moments. The result? A front line of voices that crash and swirl like a sudden squall—unrelenting but bright with melodic electricity. Let’s explore how the phrasing, diction, pitch, and energy of each vocalist reshapes our expectations of Killswitch Engage.

On “Abandon Us,” Jesse bursts through with syllables as sharp as snare hits, each consonant staccato snapping against Justin Foley’s drum patterns. As he steps into the chorus, you catch those warm cleans, like a focused light in the storm clouds, stretched just enough to let the band breathe. Crisp phrasing and a touch of negative space between lines give the riffs a little runway to shine before he reenters, unleashing that clarion wail.

Adam’s harmonies flutter in like sudden gusts of wind, lifting the chorus into a higher register. He and Jesse lock in rhythmically, creating a harmony that takes the hook to a new altitude. It’s tight, it’s purposeful, and it’s undeniably catchy.

“Discordant Nation” is chaos, channeled. Jesse’s screaming style hovers in bursts, nervy, urgent, and almost militaristic in its precision. Words merge and clash, a deliberate blur that underscores the track’s breakneck pace. The band plays with the interplay between speed and aggression. The percussive vocals become a living thing, each shout punctuating the shifts in accents. When Jesse sweeps into a brief, clean passage, it’s like a fleeting sliver of light before the low growls drag us back into the underworld.

Jesse‘s vocal approach on “Aftermath” offers another angle of his measured extending of his vowels, painting each line in broad, emotive strokes. His diction is crystal: “af-ter-math,” each syllable rolling off his tongue with clarity. Adam sails higher in the chorus, his harmonies bridging the melodic gap. You can sense the contrast: Jesse’s mid-range warmth is offset by Adam’s sharper register. It’s a gentle layering that pushes the emotional dimension up a notch.

If you want to understand Jesse’s dual nature, ferocious and heartfelt, listen to “Forever Aligned.” The verses rumble with a beastly growl, but the chorus explodes into a melodic phrase that grabs your attention. Crisp diction on those key lines (“forever… aligned!”) etches the hook into your ear. Adam adds an echo effect, orbiting Jesse’s words to create a near-stereo swirl. Their combined pitch synergy bathes the chorus in a rich melody soaring over the roaring guitar surroundings

Here, Jesse’s voice is pitched so precisely on “I Believe.” He elongates certain syllables in the chorus, radiating an uplifting accent. The instruments lock into a metalcore groove, and Jesse’s vocal rhythms ride that pulse, each syllable bouncing in sync. It turns the track from a standard heavy cut into something celebrating metalcore but with a light shade of something fresh.

Jesse’s vocal style lies in how he condenses phrases for percussive effect on heavier moments and elongates them for emotional resonance on melodic passages. Adam and Joel join the party with carefully placed harmonies or unison shouts, adding texture. Jesse’s diction is clear enough to keep you from getting lost and ragged enough to deliver Metalcore’s trademark bite. In blitzkrieg tracks like “Discordant Nation,” Jesse purposefully blurs edges, aligning with the sonic pandemonium.

Guttural lows, scorching mid-range, and melodic cleans are the requirements for a full metalcore palette. Jesse’s registers lock into this palette beautifully, providing these hues through his parts whenever the track demands it. Jesse frequently tailors his rhythmic delivery, accelerating or decelerating syllables to match the energy of the lyrics and the character’s pulse. When Adam folds in, it’s a jolt of adrenaline, propelling these moments to be impactful.

This Consequence stands as proof that Killswitch Engage continues refining their writing. Jesse is for those enthralled by the human voice in heavy music as This Consequence is metalcore and its capacity for melodic heaviness. Listen close, let it surge through you. That’s the power of Killswitch Engage’s This Consequence.