In a new interview with Finland’s Chaoszine, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE frontman Jesse Leach spoke about his approach to writing lyrics, particularly as it relates to the band’s upcoming album, “This Consequence”, which is due on February 21 via Metal Blade Records. Asked if he is, most of the time, in a dark place when he is writing KILLSWITCH lyrics, Jesse responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Yes, that’s the majority of kind of where I come from, is sitting in my darkness, understanding my darkness and then finding a solution to it. It’s kind of the formula I like to use ’cause I always like to inject some positivity.”He continued: “And two points. One, I think there are a couple of songs on this record that do not end on a positive note. I think of ‘The Fall Of Us’. I think of ‘Broken Glass’, ‘Where It Dies’… And I think that’s important. I think it’s important to put out something that just feels therapeutic and doesn’t necessarily have to have a positive message. And then on the flip side, the song ‘I Believe’ off the record, which is 100 percent a positive song, and I was in a good mood when I wrote it, I was in a mood of hopefulness and positivity, and I’m proud of that too. And I think you need the contrast between the two as an artist — well, at least for me. I like the diversity of touching on different emotions, touching on different sonic tones, different genres of music, instead of just sort of doing the one thing, like, ‘KILLSWITCH is strictly this type of band.’ More power to people who are like that, but for us, I enjoy the diversity of our sound, I enjoy the diversity of how we’re able to talk about love in this area and then political corruption in this area and maybe spiritual awakening and the desire to understand our existence right here. So I like and enjoy the diversity of all of that. So you can be in a positive headspace and write a song, but you skirt the fine line of trying not to be cheesy, saying what you feel, and I think we achieved that. Maybe I’m wrong.”Asked if the dark times we are living in right now, with the world in such a state of insanity, sorrow and rage, are reflected in his lyrics, Jesse said: “Yeah, and I think that’s why the album sounds the way it does and has the lyrics that it does, because I’m very intuned. At least I had to sort of turn my attention to what we’ve all been through — from COVID, the whole pandemic till now, the divisiveness, people at each other’s throats, being divided, sort of political ideologies, religious warfare. Everywhere you look, there’s something to be harped upon that is negative and dark, and I think it’s important to acknowledge that but not to get lost in it, not to allow it to swallow you to despair. Even one of the lines in one of the songs, ‘Aftermath’: ‘don’t give in to despair.’ You can’t give in to it.”This record was very much about sitting in my suffering, sitting in the suffering of the world, reflecting upon it and then moving through it with a righteous anger where I wanted to sort of wake people up,” he explained. “Like, you don’t have to think this way. You don’t have to live in this divisive world. You don’t have to shut somebody down because they don’t agree with you. You can have compassion on that person. You can find yourself in a place of understanding where you take that person’s point of view and you try to understand why they think that way and maybe have a little bit of a discourse about it. Maybe you’ll learn something about yourself. Maybe you’ll gain some wisdom and understanding. The world we live in doesn’t want that. And I very much want that. So, to me, what I’m writing, the righteous anger I’m coming through is very much of a revolutionary state of mind, trying to bring people together for the greater good for all of us. Because the powers that be, the people who are in control — name them, whoever you want to call ’em or whatever, entities, beings — there is a reason why they’re pushing, through social media, through mainstream media, divisiveness, wars, negativity. Good things don’t usually make the headlines, and there’s a reason for that. So read between the lines, try to pay attention to what is going on in the periphery and use your discernment to know why this is being thrown at you. And you can fight against it. You can become the change that this world needs within yourself. And it could be very simple things, starting with the way you treat people, your neighbors, someone you see at the grocery store. Those little acts of kindness and compassion have a ripple effect that can create a beautiful, positive change that you don’t even understand. And that, to me, is where I’m coming from. If my music can resonate in any way to create some sort of a positive ripple, that is why I do it. Think for yourself.”Asked if writing lyrics is always like a therapy session for him as well, Jesse said: “For better or for worse, yes, it is. Music is definitely one of my many therapies. I think it’s important to grow and to sort of admit when you’re not in a good place, admit when you’re wrong — and change your behavior. And I think people who don’t do that, who get stuck in their comfort zones, who get stuck in relationships where things are not great and you just kind of deal with it, I’ve never been about that. I love the idea of continuing to evolve as a human. I think that goes hand in hand with what I was just talking about being open to hear people and being able to sort of change your point of view. I’ve changed my opinion and point of view on many things — religion, politics, the two hot topic buttons that people can’t talk about. When I’ve had conversations about those two things, I’ve changed my ideology a little bit. I’m, like, ‘Oh, I never thought of it that way. That’s really interesting you say that. I’m gonna do my own research on that because you said that and give your idea a chance because I’m curious why you think that.’ So I think with personal growth, it’s the same thing. Don’t stay stuck. You know the old phrase that I’m not sure if it applies in Finland, but ‘you can’t teach an old dog new tricks’ is something we say here in this country. I completely disagree. You can. You absolutely can. You can change yourself. And I think it’s important to adapt and to grow and to gain more wisdom. Why would you not? Why would you want to stay stagnant when you can grow and evolve as a human?”As previously reported, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE will return to the road this winter and spring. Their upcoming winter headline tour features support from KUBLAI KHAN TX, FIT FOR A KING and FROZEN SOUL and kicks off on March 5 in Nashville and runs through April 12 in Portland, Maine. The band has also announced dates for May, which will feature support from SHADOWS FALL, FIT FOR A KING and BOUNDARIES.When “This Consequence” was first announced late last year, Leach said in a statement: “Making this record lit a fire under my ass and made me rethink everything. 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 pored over his words like never before.”We pushed him to do more vocal demos and were super tough on him,” recalled guitarist and producer Adam Dutkiewicz. “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,” bassist Mike D’Antonio added. “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.”Jesse culled inspiration from “hours on Thesaurus.com,” reading as many books as possible, and interacting with fans on the road in between. He confessed, “I found my voice again.””I never considered myself to be a part of mainstream society,” he went 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.””This Consequence” is KILLSWITCH ENGAGE’s ninth album overall, and sixth with Leach, who rejoined the band in 2012.[embedded content][embedded content]