New Killswitch Engage album is “angry, dark and aggressive” because that’s “what the world needs right now”, says Jesse Leach

Jesse Leach singing with Killswitch Engage in 2024 — (Image credit: Dave Simpson/WireImage)

Killswitch Engage singer Jesse Leach has offered insight into the sound of the band’s new album This Consequence.

The frontman, who fronted the metalcore titans from 1999 to 2002 and rejoined in 2013, makes the comments in a new appearance on the Talk Toomey podcast. He describes their ninth album, out on February 21 via Metal Blade, as “angry, dark and aggressive”, saying it’s “what the world needs right now”.

“I think a lot of us can relate to frustration, anger, betrayal, all those things, and that’s kind of what I highlighted lyrically with this album,” the vocalist elaborates (via Blabbermouth). “I was really focusing on that stuff.”

However, Leach adds that there is some “positivity” which shines through all of This Consequence’s “righteous anger”. He continues: “[It’s] anger that wants to sort of wake people up and have people choose their own path instead of just the blind leading the blind, which is what we see so much in society and our governments and organised religion and all these things that control us as people.

“It’s very much about breaking out of the matrix, if you will,” the frontman finishes, “and carving your own path. And there’s a righteous anger underneath all of it, and that’s where the positivity lies. But I think with metal music, the great thing about it is you can talk about dark stuff and it is therapeutic. That’s why a lot of us get into this kind of music.”

Killswitch announced This Consequence last month and released its lead single, Forever Aligned, on November 20. Leach said via Instagram that the song was inspired by his love for his wife.

This Consequence will be Killswitch’s first studio album in six years, following 2019’s Atonement. However, they’ve been anything but slouches. They’ve played many, many shows since the pandemic ended, including a blockbuster headline set at Bloodstock Open Air in Derbyshire last year.

The band will continue to tour with a run across North America next spring. See dates and details below.

Meanwhile, guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz has been hard at work on a new collaboration with former Killswitch singer Howard Jones, who fronted the band during Leach’s 11-year absence. The two’s new project was recently named as Burn Eternal and their debut album has been mixed.

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Killswitch Engage 2025 North American tour dates:

Mar 05: Nashville The Pinnacle, TN
Mar 06: Chesterfield The Factory, MO
Mar 08: Fayetteville JJ’s Live, AR
Mar 09: Oklahoma City The Criterion, OK
Mar 11: El Paso Don Haskins Center Arena, TX
Mar 13: Las Vegas The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, NV
Mar 14: Reno Grand Theatre at The Grand Sierra Resort, NV
Mar 15: Wheatland Hard Rock Live, CA
Mar 17: Garden City Revolution Concert House, ID
Mar 18: Seattle The Paramount, WA

Mar 19: Vancouver PNE Forum, Canada
Mar 21: Penticton South Okanagan Events Centre, Canada
Mar 22: Tsuut’ina Grey Eagle Event Centre, Canada
Mar 24: Winnipeg Burton Cummings Theatre, Canada

Mar 27: Peoria Civic Center, IL
Mar 28: Waukee Vibrant Music Hall, IA
Mar 29: La Vista The Astro, NE
Mar 30: Kansas City The Midland Theatre, MO
Apr 01: Grand Rapids GLC Live 20 Monroe, MI
Apr 03: Corbin The Corbin Arena, KY
Apr 04: Pittsburgh Stage AE, PA
Apr 05: Philadelphia Franklin Music Hall, PA
Apr 06: Greensboro Special Events Center, NC
Apr 08: New Haven College Street Music Hall, CT
Apr 09: Buffalo Riverworks, NY

Apr 11: Laval Place Bell, Canada

Apr 12: Portland Cross Insurance Arena, ME

Louder’s resident Gojira obsessive was still at uni when he joined the team in 2017. Since then, Matt’s become a regular in Metal Hammer and Prog, at his happiest when interviewing the most forward-thinking artists heavy music can muster. He’s got bylines in The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, NME and many others, too. When he’s not writing, you’ll probably find him skydiving, scuba diving or coasteering.