Disarm the Descent

Disarm the Descent is the sixth studio album by American metalcore band Killswitch Engage. The album was released on April 2, 2013, under Roadrunner Records.[1] It is the band's first album with Jesse Leach on vocals since 2002's Alive or Just Breathing.[2] Killswitch Engage announced the return of Leach in January 2012, after vocalist Howard Jones parted ways with the group due to illness.[2] The album received generally positive reception from professional critics.

Disarm the Descent
Studio album by
Killswitch Engage
ReleasedApril 2, 2013 (2013-04-02)
RecordedSeptember–December 2012
StudioWicked Good Studios and Zing Studios, Westfield, Massachusetts
GenreMetalcore
Length40:40
LabelRoadrunner
ProducerAdam Dutkiewicz
Killswitch Engage chronology
Killswitch Engage
(2009)		 Disarm the Descent
(2013)		 Incarnate
(2016)
Singles from Disarm the Descent
  1. "In Due Time"
    Released: February 5, 2013
  2. "Always"
    Released: July 26, 2013

"In Due Time", the first single from the album, was nominated for "Best Metal Performance" at the 2014 Grammy Awards.[3]

Background

Vocalist Jesse Leach stated about the album that "It is with a grateful spirit that we prepare for this record's release". "From the music, to the lyrics, to the artwork, we are all proud of what we have accomplished. To me, this is by far my best vocal performance, much thanks to Adam's guidance and faith in my abilities. I am very grateful to be where I am in life, back in an amazing band with a record we are all excited for the world to hear. Thanks to all the fans for their warm welcome back and their undying love for Killswitch Engage."[4]

The album was produced by Adam Dutkiewicz and mixed by Andy Sneap.[5] The album's artwork was created by bassist Mike D'Antonio and his graphic design company DarkicoN.[6]

Musical style

Jesse Leach stated in an interview with Loudwire that "the music is definitely the fastest Killswitch record ever, it’s very heavy but still maintains the signature Killswitch hooky, melodic stuff there too. There’s definitely melody attached but I pulled out some new styles vocally, yelling and screaming and growling and layers and it sounds massive".[7]

Drummer Justin Foley stated in a documentary, detailing the making of the album, that his drumming parts features more blast beats than the other previous albums.

Release

The album's first single, "In Due Time", was digitally released on February 5, 2013, and was made available for streaming on the band's YouTube channel on January 30, 2013.[2][6] On February 27, 2013, the music video for "In Due Time" premiered on Rolling Stone's website.[8] On March 18, 2013, Killswitch Engage unveiled a second song from the album, titled "The New Awakening", on their YouTube channel.[9] On March 26, 2013, Killswitch Engage allowed the completed album to be streamed online for 48 hours.[10][11] A Special Edition version of the album, with alternate cover art, is also available digitally and on physical CD/DVD.[12][13] The DVD contains a thirty-minute documentary detailing the making of the album.[13]

Reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic79/100[14]
Review scores
SourceRating
About.com[15]
Allmusic[16]
Altsounds
Blabbermouth
Decibel[17]
Exclaim![18]
Kerrang![19]
Metal Storm
PopMatters[20]
Sputnik Music[21]

Critical

Critical reception for the album was highly positive; aggregate review website Metacritic assigned an overall score of 79 out of 100, based on reviews from six professional critics.[14]

Gregory Heaney from Allmusic gave the album three out of five stars saying "In the time since Leach left the fold, Killswitch Engage have matured into a tighter, more refined band than they were for Alive or Just Breathing, and while Leach has certainly grown as a singer in the intervening years, the album doesn't quite recapture that sense of catharsis the band possessed back then."[16] Dean Brown from PopMatters gave the album a solid eight out of ten stars saying "Disarm the Descent is the bountiful fruit of the Killswitch’s rejuvenation, and proof that, in life and metal, there are second chances."[20]

Commercial

The album sold 48,000 copies in the U.S. in its first week,[22] debuting at number 7 on the Billboard 200 and number 1 in both the Top Hard Rock Albums Chart and the Top Rock Albums Chart.[23][24][25] The album has sold 158,000 copies in the US as of February 2016.[26]

The album debuted at number 15 on the UK Albums Chart[27] and number 6 on the ARIA Chart. Its current UK sales stand at over 83,000.[28]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Killswitch Engage

No.TitleLength
1."The Hell in Me"2:57
2."Beyond the Flames"2:53
3."The New Awakening"3:30
4."In Due Time"3:18
5."A Tribute to the Fallen"4:02
6."Turning Point"3:12
7."All We Have"3:20
8."You Don't Bleed for Me"3:20
9."The Call"2:50
10."No End in Sight"3:29
11."Always"4:33
12."Time Will Not Remain"3:13
Total length:40:40
Special edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
13."Blood Stains"3:21
14."Slave to the Machine"3:07
15."Numbered Days" (Live 2012)3:45
16."My Curse" (Live 2012)3:53
Total length:54:46
Japanese edition bonus tracks[29]
No.TitleLength
13."Blood Stains"3:21
14."Slave to the Machine"3:07
15."Numbered Days" (Live 2012)3:45
16."My Curse" (Live 2012)3:53
17."The End of Heartache" (Live 2012)4:54
18."Vide Infra" (Live 2012)3:49
Vinyl bonus track
No.TitleLength
13."Always (Acoustic Version)"3:46

Personnel
Killswitch Engage
Technical personnel
  • Produced by Adam Dutkiewicz
  • Engineered by Adam Dutkiewicz & Jim Fogarty
  • Mixed & mastered by Andy Sneap
  • Inspiration by Alysha «Girouard» McCooe
  • A&R by Dave Rath
  • Art direction, Layout & design by DarkicoN Design
  • Photo by Jeremy Saffer & DarkicoN Design
  • Band photo by Travis Shinn
  • Cover model: Brenna Daugherty
  • Make-Up, Model: Christine McCarron
  • Stylist, Wardrobe: by Lena Utin

Charts
Chart (2013) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[30] 6
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[31] 15
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[32] 63
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[33] 94
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[34] 6
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[35] 75
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[36] 8
French Albums (SNEP)[37] 133
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[38] 12
Irish Albums (IRMA)[39] 96
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[40] 55
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[41] 17
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[42] 25
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[43] 48
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[44] 23
UK Albums (OCC)[45] 15
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[46] 2
US Billboard 200[47] 7
US Digital Albums (Billboard)[48] 7
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[49] 1
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[50] 1
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[51] 5

References
  1. "WATCH KILLSWITCH ENGAGE 'IN DUE TIME' RIGHT HERE!". Roadrunner Records. February 28, 2013. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
  2. Ramanand, Liz (January 7, 2013). "Killswitch Engage Set To Unleash New Album 'Disarm the Descent' on April 2". Loudwire. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
  3. Connor Williams (2013-03-30). "ALBUM REVIEW: DISARM THE DESCENT - KILLSWITCH ENGAGE'". Rock Revolt Magazine™.
  4. "KILLSWITCH ENGAGE: 'In Due Time' Lyric Video Released". BlabberMouth. 6 February 2013.
  5. "Killswitch Engage: New Album Details Revealed". Blabbermouth.net. January 7, 2013. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
  6. "Killswitch Engage: New Single 'In Due Time' Available For Streaming". Blabbermouth.net. January 30, 2013. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
  7. "Killswitch Engage Singer Jesse Leach Discusses Upcoming Album, Tour with Shadows Fall + More". Loudwire. 21 November 2012.
  8. "Killswitch Engage Strike a Balance 'In Due Time' - Premiere". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. February 27, 2013. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
  9. Killswitch Engage - The New Awakening. YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-11.
  10. "UK & IRELAND EXCLUSIVE: STREAM THE NEW KILLSWITCH ENGAGE ALBUM - FRONT – the funniest, sexiest magazine on Earth | FRONT – the funniest, sexiest magazine on Earth". Archived from the original on 2013-03-29. Retrieved 2013-03-26.
  11. "Exclusive: Stream Killswitch Engage new album, 'Disarm the Descent'". Alternative Press. 26 March 2013.
  12. "Killswitch Engage - Disarm the Descent (Special Edition)". iTunes. Apple Inc. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
  13. "Killswitch Engage - Disarm the Descent (Special Edition CD/DVD)". Roadrunner Records. Warner Music Group. Archived from the original on April 11, 2013. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
  14. "Disarm the Descent - Killswitch Engage". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  15. Bowar, Chad. "Killswitch Engage - Disarm The Descent Review". About.com. Archived from the original on April 25, 2013. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  16. Heaney, Gregory. "Disarm the Descent - Killswitch Engage". Allmusic. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  17. Dick, Chris (May 2013). "Killswitch Engage, Disarm the Descent". Decibel Magazine (103): 94.
  18. Zorgdrager, Bradley (March 29, 2013). "Killswitch Engage - Disarm The Descent". Exclaim!. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  19. "Metacritic Kerrang page". April 6, 2013. Retrieved February 26, 2014. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  20. Brown, Dean (April 2, 2013). "Killswitch Engage: Disarm the Descent". PopMatters. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  21. Gerhart, Thompson (March 26, 2013). "Review Killswitch Engage Disarm the Descent Sputnikmusic". Retrieved February 26, 2014.
  22. "KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's 'Disarm The Descent' Cracks U.S. Top 10; Headlining Tour Announced". BlabberMouth. 10 April 2013.
  23. "We're No. 1! 'Billboard #1 Gospel Hits' Debuts Atop Gospel Albums Chart". Billboard.
  24. "Top Hard Rock Albums". Billboard.
  25. "Top Rock Albums". Billboard.
  26. "Upcoming Releases". Hits Daily Double. HITS Digital Ventures. Archived from the original on February 29, 2016.
  27. "Killswitch Engage UK album chart". OfficialCharts.com. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
  28. Jones, Alan (18 March 2016). "Official Charts Analysis: Adele's 25 holds on to top spot despite sales dip". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
  29. "KILLSWITCH ENGAGE New Album 『DISARM THE DESCENT』 RELEASE | A-FILES オルタナティヴ・ストリートカルチャー・ウェブマガジン". 13 March 2013.
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  34. "Killswitch Engage Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard.
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  40. "キルスウィッチ・エンゲイジのアルバム売上ランキング - ORICON STYLE".
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  46. "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
  47. "Killswitch Engage Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  48. "Killswitch Engage Chart History (Digital Albums)". Billboard.
  49. "Killswitch Engage Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard.
  50. "Killswitch Engage Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard.
  51. "Killswitch Engage Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard.
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