Jesse Leach Says New Killswitch Engage Album is “What the World Needs Right Now”

Forget what Burt Bacharach told you all those years ago. What the world apparently needs right now isn’t love, it’s Killswitch Engage‘s forthcoming album This Consequence, which is due to come out on February 21 via Metal Blade.

That designation is courtesy of frontman Jesse Leach, who said as much during a recent episode of the Talk Toomey podcast (as transcribed by Blabbermouth)

During their conversation about the upcoming new release, Leach described the album as “dark, angry’ and aggressive,” which should get any KSE fan stoked.

“Yeah, I think angry, dark and aggressive, for better or for worse, is kind of what the world needs right now, I think, therapeutically speaking. 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; I was really focusing on that stuff. But I will say this: if you really read into the lyrics, there’s a positivity through a righteous anger, 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 organized religion and all these things that control us as people.

“It’s very much about breaking out of the matrix, if you will, 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.”

Speaking of the band’s first single from the new album “Forever Aligned”, Leach said the lyrical inspiration was heavily influenced by his Christian upbringing.

“Yeah, I’m always weaving in and out… I was raised by a minister, I was raised in a Christian home, so even though I don’t subscribe to organized religion anymore, I like using biblical words here and there to sort of tie in the themes. I’m very much a believer in in God, if you will, in general. I know people roll their eyes when other people say that, but my journey has been such where I’ve just seen much deeper things that I don’t think can be defined by a particular human organized religion. And ‘Forever Aligned’ is about that.

“It’s about love. It’s about, first and foremost, the song was inspired by the love I have for my wife and the relationship we were able to have during the pandemic, especially, where it was just the two of us, nobody else, and really learning what love and sacrifice is, and then weaving that into what I believe God is. God is love, to keep it really general for people to understand. We can try to tap into that as humans, that word ‘love’, but it’s far beyond human comprehension. So that song is very much about being broken and in a dark place and finding salvation through love.”

This Consequence will be available on February 21, but you can preorder your copy today. The band will also be touring shortly after the album’s release. You can check out the dates below.

THIS CONSEQUENCE TRACK LISTING:
“Abandon Us”
“Discordant Nation”
“Aftermath”
“Forever Aligned”
“I Believe”
“Where It Dies”
“Collusion”
“The Fall of Us”
“Broken Glass”
“Requiem”

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE ON TOUR:
WITH KUBLAI KHAN TX, FIT FOR A KING, + FROZEN SOUL:
03/05 – Nashville, TN – The Pinnacle
03/06 – Chesterfield, MO – The Factory
03/08 – Fayetteville, AR – JJ’s Live
03/09 – Oklahoma City, OK – The Criterion
03/11 – El Paso, TX – Don Haskins Center Arena
03/13 – Las Vegas, NV – The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas
03/14 – Reno, NV – Grand Theatre at The Grand Sierra Resort
03/15 – Wheatland, CA – Hard Rock Live
03/17 – Garden City, ID – Revolution Concert House
03/18 – Seattle, WA – The Paramount
03/19 – Vancouver, BC – PNE Forum
03/21 – Penticton, BC – South Okanagan Events Centre
03/22 – Tsuut’ina, AB – Grey Eagle Event Centre
03/24 – Winnipeg, MB – Burton Cummings Theatre
03/27 – Peoria, IL – Peoria Civic Center
03/28 – Waukee, IA- Vibrant Music Hall
03/29 – La Vista, NE – The Astro
03/30 – Kansas City, MO – The Midland Theatre
04/01 – Grand Rapids, MI – GLC Live 20 Monroe
04/03 – Corbin, KY – The Corbin Arena
04/04 – Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE
04/05 – Philadelphia, PA – Franklin Music Hall
04/06 – Greensboro, NC – Greensboro Special Events Center
04/08 – New Haven, CT – College Street Music Hall
04/09 – Buffalo, NY – Buffalo RiverWorks
04/11 – Laval, QC -Place Bell
04/12 – Portland, ME – Cross Insurance Arena