Massachusetts metallers KILLSWITCH ENGAGE — Jesse Leach, vocals; Adam Dutkiewicz, guitar; Joel Stroetzel, guitar; Mike D'Antonio, bass; and Justin Foley, drums — released their latest album, "This Consequence", on February 21, via Metal Blade. The LP arrived alongside a hugely successful winter/spring 2025 tour, yielded a Top 10 single with "I Believe" and landed the band on the covers of Revolver and Outburn.
The album was another reminder of why KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, who have earned several gold and platinum certifications alongside three Grammy nominations, remain one of the most enduring bands of the modern metal scene.
Today, the band proudly shares the evocative video for "Aftermath". For this video, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE collaborated with some of the world's leading environmental groups to highlight damage being done to Earth and things we can all do to help stop it.
Watch the video, produced and directed by Good Eye: Music Visuals, here.
"'Aftermath' is a song about the realization of a tragic event or a war, and the strength it takes to rebuild and the hindsight of the loss, betrayal, and madness that transpired while going through it all," Leach explains. "I think we can all relate to this in one way or another. We see daily the tragedies of humanity as well as the destruction of a place we call home. We have taken so much from our planet and ripped the scales in the incorrect direction."
The singer continues: "This song is not just a desperate song with a sense of sadness and anger — it is a call to arms. I'm urging my fellow humans to rise above the helplessness and despair. I want people to see we need to put one foot in front of the other and start to rebuild our lives. Be it from an abusive relationship, a financial hardship, a death of a loved one, or mourning yet another disaster unleashed upon the natural world."
Leach finishes: "We all have power to create change. To me, this works perfectly with the various organizations we partnered with for this video. We all have a responsibility to the amazing place we call home. All of us can make a difference big or small by just contributing to righting the wrongs and repairing the damage we have inflicted on our planet. Our hope is to inspire others to help contribute to keeping our home safe and clean for future generations. It starts right here and right now with us."
KILLSWITCH ENGAGE will return to the road this week on the massive "Summer Of Loud" tour, co-headling alongside BEARTOOTH, I PREVAIL and PARKWAY DRIVE.
Fans got their first taste of "This Consequence" with pulverizing track "Forever Aligned", swiftly followed up with the instant classic "I Believe". More recently, the group shared a video for "Collusion".
"Making this record lit a fire under my ass and made me rethink everything," admitted Jesse. "It had to be next level. It had to be different enough for people to really recognize we're putting forth an effort-or what's the point of doing this? There was no repeating ourselves. It was very carefully planned out and passionately written. It sounds like KILLSWITCH, yet there's also a fresh spirit to it."
This time around, the group emphasized working together face-to-face in a Massachusetts rehearsal spot. The process enabled them to apply the pressure on every element. At the collective urging of his bandmates, Jesse poured over his words like never before.
"We pushed him to do more vocal demos and were super tough on him," recalls Adam. "He was so open to feedback though, and he definitely got the lyrics right. I love it when he and I are face-to-face, and ideas are flying around. We work especially well together when we're in the heat of the moment. All of the demoing made for a better record, and there was so much communication between all of the band members."
"It felt like everyone put a ton of effort into this," Mike adds. "It's the first time since 'Alive Or Just Breathing' that we really hashed everything out together in the same room. It was a combined effort, and there are even some things you've never heard from KILLSWITCH."
"I never considered myself to be a part of mainstream society," he goes on. "I've always been in the middle. To me, this record is about the consequences of our actions as humans as we engage in war, hatred, division, and falling in line with control. History repeats itself. We're going to have to answer for our actions-whether it's how we treat the earth or each other. There will be an uprising and a backlash from nature. Cause and effect is a driving theme. We will face a consequence."
(Source: www.blabbermouth.net)