Jesse Leach already knows which way he wants Killswitch Engage to turn next.
The singer wants the band’s next record to move faster and hit harder, even if he is not pretending that a new album is already underway. Speaking backstage at Aftershock, Leach said early conversations about writing have begun as Killswitch Engage prepare for a quieter stretch at home.
The Next Record Is Only A Conversation For Now
Aftershock was the band’s final US show for some time. Killswitch Engage are heading to New Zealand and Australia, while a handful of European festival dates are the only firm plans Leach mentioned for next year.
That open calendar has started a familiar conversation inside the group: is it time to write again?
“I’m pushing for faster and heavier and harder, for fun,” Leach told 107.7 The Bone. He immediately added the necessary reality check. Killswitch Engage cannot force a direction simply because one member arrives with a plan.
That tension has always been part of the band’s writing. Leach can bring an instinct or a lyrical idea into the room, but the finished song depends on what happens once Adam Dutkiewicz, Joel Stroetzel, Mike D’Antonio and Justin Foley start pulling at it.
Following This Consequence
Any new material would follow This Consequence, the band’s ninth album, released in February 2025 through Metal Blade Records. Leach has spoken openly about being challenged during those sessions, particularly when the rest of the band pushed him to dig past early ideas that did not feel finished.
That process produced songs including “Forever Aligned,” “I Believe,” “Collusion” and “Aftermath.” It also seems to have left Leach eager to test the limits again rather than repeat the same record.
There is no release date, studio booking or formal announcement yet. What exists is a gap in the diary, a band beginning to talk and a singer quietly lobbying for more speed. For Killswitch Engage, that is usually where the work starts.
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