User Score
8.4

Universal acclaim- based on 37 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 32 out of 37
  2. Negative: 1 out of 37
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  1. Jun 5, 2016
    10
    This album is in my opinion, a masterpiece of metalcore. Jesse Leach in support with Adam D's vocals make for a ferocious and incredibly beautiful vocal performance, with exceptional music to support. I have to say I believe this is their best album to date, and is easily one of the best metalcore albums ever created.
  2. Jul 8, 2015
    5
    I'm quite surprised how high a rating this album got. Yes the opener is brutal and fast but most songs after that are pretty boring and basic, sounding like they could've been written by a 16 year old metal band who want to make fairly generic riffs that are heavy. The main songs that interested me were The Hell in Me, in due time and Always, but apart from that a fairly average album. TheI'm quite surprised how high a rating this album got. Yes the opener is brutal and fast but most songs after that are pretty boring and basic, sounding like they could've been written by a 16 year old metal band who want to make fairly generic riffs that are heavy. The main songs that interested me were The Hell in Me, in due time and Always, but apart from that a fairly average album. The songs are for the majority average but they are listenable. Also some of the singers screams just don't sound right. Sure it might be killswitch's new vocalists sound but still, it's a bit off putting at times. Cleans are reasonably good though. 5/10. Expand
  3. Jan 21, 2014
    7
    Track Rating Contribution
    The Hell In Me 3 243
    Beyond the Flames 4 1024
    New Awakening 3 243
    In Due Time 4 1024
    A Tribute to the Fallen 5 3125
    Turning Point 3 243
    You Don't Bleed for Me 3 243
    No End In Sight 3 243
    Always 3 243
    Time Will Not Remain 3 243

    TOTAL SCORE=6874
    10 THRESHOLD=10000
    FINAL=6.87
  4. Dec 9, 2013
    10
    I have never been a fan of Howard Jones over the top theatrical choruses so when I saw that Jesse Leach and his much more straight forward music were coming back I felt a sense of relief. Upon hearing this CD I am absolutely hooked. KSE have produced THE metalcore CD of the year. This has a wide ranging appeal not only to the basic KSE fans but other genres will now take notice. Great music.
  5. Sep 28, 2013
    8
    I was kind of hesitant about this CD before its release after the change from Howard on vocals back to their original singer Jesse, but they managed to do more than just crank out another album, they created another unique and worthy listening experience. They're relying less on catchy riffs and more on the vocals, which was a huge risk considering.
  6. Jun 1, 2013
    10
    This is such an amazing album. From the tight production value to Jesse Leach's ferocious screams, Disarm The Descent rises to become their best album yet. This is their "Master Of Puppets" album, and only serves to peak my anticipation for their next release.
  7. May 27, 2013
    10
    simply put this is their best effort since "the end of heartache" and I dare i say it is better.After their last(less than stellar) album "killswitch engage 2" i was worried that they could never regain the intensity and creative and uplifting songwriting that they were known for. I was a fan of howard jones but his scream always left me wanting(compared to leach) but vocally i believed hesimply put this is their best effort since "the end of heartache" and I dare i say it is better.After their last(less than stellar) album "killswitch engage 2" i was worried that they could never regain the intensity and creative and uplifting songwriting that they were known for. I was a fan of howard jones but his scream always left me wanting(compared to leach) but vocally i believed he was the better singer. On this album (disarm the descent) however, I was blown away by jessie leach's singing and his scream is still as spine tingling as on "alive or just breathing". Not only are leach's vocals superior to jones on this album but they have brought back one of my personal favorite signatures of their's the squeal". Guitar wise "disarm the descent" is as blistering and intense as their earlier efforts with song's like "the hell in me" and "in due time" leaving my face melted all over the floor. "Disarm the descent" has been playing non-stop in my car's cd player since purchase with "no end in sight" of it being replaced any time soon.lol Expand
  8. May 10, 2013
    9
    First of all,,please disregard the elitist that is prevalent on this site.This album while not comparable to the self titled debut is far from the mediocre efforts that Killswitch have offered on the albums released in recent memory..Recommended..
  9. Apr 24, 2013
    8
    A good return of KSE, but I do not really surprised.
    Jesse Leach returned years later muchs KSE was good news, because if I like singing in the band, but now I have to say it was somewhat disappointing on their part, their guttural voices were almost bad, maybe not you think so but a comparison of AOJB album is almost disappointing.
    Clarified that the clean vocals of Jesse Leach are
    A good return of KSE, but I do not really surprised.
    Jesse Leach returned years later muchs KSE was good news, because if I like singing in the band, but now I have to say it was somewhat disappointing on their part, their guttural voices were almost bad, maybe not you think so but a comparison of AOJB album is almost disappointing.
    Clarified that the clean vocals of Jesse Leach are still very good as previous works, but he also had the same problem as Howard Jones on his album, do not sound like themselves, in this case Jesse sounded like it was a sore throat if they hear this new album AOJB and can it be confused with the guttural voice and find new work ugly.
    The instruments still sound amazing and epic plus great guitar riffs or solos that can be seen in the songs: "The New Awakening" and In Due Time while continuing to have good lyrics.
    The truth is not what rating to give it, is very good pace, but he failed the guttural. Also, if it is true that Jesse them again with renewed push towards the wild and dark side of the band, but only rarely. If anyone expected the Killswitch, now back to Jesse's head, would dare to charge a second part of that great Alive Or Just Breathing, or simply going to continue from that point aside all the stage ultra-melodic emotional and have lived with Howard Jones, goes very wrong, or at least half.
    Prisoners of their own patterns and secured in a position they do not want being eroded, sweetened excesivametne choirs and emotion pastelosa breathing some tarnish again flawless production work and a potential that was lost many years ago.
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  10. Apr 20, 2013
    5
    I'm letting my metal loving friend trying to slowly ease me into the music and am being introduced to some of the best bands and Killswitch Engage was recommended and seeing as they had a new album out, I figured I'd give it a try. I am liking their style of metal but at the moment, I'm struggling to find lots of tracks that cross from "ok" into "brilliant." The best track is definitelyI'm letting my metal loving friend trying to slowly ease me into the music and am being introduced to some of the best bands and Killswitch Engage was recommended and seeing as they had a new album out, I figured I'd give it a try. I am liking their style of metal but at the moment, I'm struggling to find lots of tracks that cross from "ok" into "brilliant." The best track is definitely the opener, The Hell In Me and The New Awakening and In Due Time are very good too. But everything after that seems to fall into the acceptable category and tend to be rather samey. But I say all this is a beginner of listening to metal and I haven't listened to full albums of all the different styles yet and my overall opinion about metal music is still in the early stages. For now, most of the ones I listen to get a 5/10 rating, because none have been bad so far. And this is another one of those. Collapse
  11. Apr 19, 2013
    9
    Disarm the Descent is a fantastic return for Killswitch Engage. After the decent but highly disappointing 2009 album 'Killswitch Engage', Disarm the Descent is especially great. First off, those looking for a return of the sound of the band's first two records (also with Jesse on vocals) will likely find this album a little disappointing, Jesse has lost a bit of the aggressive edge to hisDisarm the Descent is a fantastic return for Killswitch Engage. After the decent but highly disappointing 2009 album 'Killswitch Engage', Disarm the Descent is especially great. First off, those looking for a return of the sound of the band's first two records (also with Jesse on vocals) will likely find this album a little disappointing, Jesse has lost a bit of the aggressive edge to his vocals but has picked up magnificently in his clean vocals. Seriously, this album reminded me of the best of Soilwork, Howard Jones' previous work for Killswitch and some of the best from fellow metal core band All That Remains; in all the right ways. The album has a lot of pace at times as well as the traditional Killswitch sound that goes throughout all their records, providing a clean, heavy sound that fans will love whilst still managing to remain fresh. Tracks 'In Due Time', 'No End in Sight' and 'The Hell in Me' are now personal favourites and will be sure to make new fans for this ever great band. Colour me excited for the future. 91/100. Expand
  12. Apr 17, 2013
    6
    I have high expectations for KSE. This album isn't dreadful like their last album, but it's also nowhere near as musically amazing as their earlier albums. I consider their best albums to be The End of Heartache, As Daylight Dies, and Alive Or Just Breathing (moreso for the music than the singing) in that order, and this album doesn't measure up to any of those three.

    If The End Of
    I have high expectations for KSE. This album isn't dreadful like their last album, but it's also nowhere near as musically amazing as their earlier albums. I consider their best albums to be The End of Heartache, As Daylight Dies, and Alive Or Just Breathing (moreso for the music than the singing) in that order, and this album doesn't measure up to any of those three.

    If The End Of Heartache is a perfect 10 then one can't possibly rate this album too highly. Where the better 3 albums are packed with creativity and freshness this new album sounds more like they've run out of good ideas and are kind of reusing previous ideas or are going thru the motions. End of Heartache and As Daylight Dies are the kinds of albums that blow you away. This album is not.

    I guess you could call it the KSE style but some parts of these new songs sound so much like parts from previous better songs that it's hard to say it's a style vs repetition.

    Can we all at least agree that the word "redemption" has been overused enough now?

    The album isn't bad, it just lacks the magic of their better albums. It lacks the devastatingly heavy and catchy riffs. The song structures are too generic. The riffs are repetitive, derivative, lacking punch. The guitar solos are generic (it's not like I expect amazing solos from KSE, or any solos at all, and it would seem Adam has been on a Van Halen listening binge I don't think the solos fit KSE at all). The background growls are less diverse and creative (pretty much all cookie monster sound). The songs are too formulaic. The songs aren't as musically interesting or fresh. Too much of the "iron maiden" gallop style they overdid to death on the previous album (I know Adam is a fan of maiden, so am I, but enough with the tribute).

    There are no songs on this album that I'd imagine would be sing alongs live the kind of song where the whole audience is singing. In Due Time is a catchy and ok song but it's almost too poppy sounding. Fast isn't necessarily heavy.

    I prefer Jones vocals but I don't dislike Leach. Leach has a fine clean voice. His growls are kind of lacking and sound too much like yelling for the sake of yelling it lacks the musicality of other growlers including Howard. I like Howard's clean and growl voices better. It was pretty devastating when Howard left the band since vocals are something harder to replicate and replace than any other piece of a band.

    What I mean is, on Heartache and Daylight the vocal styles used fit the music perfectly. On this new album the yelling/growling/whatever you wanna call it sounds forced and doesn't blend as well. This is kind of why AOJB is my least favorite of their better albums, Leach growling/yelling doesn't blend as well.

    Regardless. The vocals are the least of my concerns. As a music lover and guitar player I'm more critical of the guitar playing, riffs, and overall songs, and overall, it's impossible to rate this album as high as I'd rate their earlier work because it's just not as impactful
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  13. Apr 17, 2013
    10
    I have no complaints. this album is a masterpiece in my books, I shouldn't be reviewing this in the first place because i'm such a huge mark for KSE. Jesse Leach makes an excellent return to the band. I wasn't sure if was going to be able to fit back in, but he did it. welcome back to the band.
  14. Apr 11, 2013
    9
    TL;DR A great album if you can get over the Howard incident.

    This album has been on repeat for the past few days for me, and I really don't have any complaints. Yes, at times there will be some similarities with the structure of the songs, maybe the same "chugging" effect starts leaking through, but I can say without a doubt that this doesn't make it bad by any means. If you're going to
    TL;DR A great album if you can get over the Howard incident.

    This album has been on repeat for the past few days for me, and I really don't have any complaints. Yes, at times there will be some similarities with the structure of the songs, maybe the same "chugging" effect starts leaking through, but I can say without a doubt that this doesn't make it bad by any means. If you're going to sit there and compare Jesse to Howard for this album, then you're probably just not going to enjoy it. If you can forget about that incident and treat this as its own venture though, then you'll enjoy DtD from start till finish. On a side note, Jesse seems to bring a lot of "upbeat" tones to songs at times, I think some good examples of this would be In Due Time and Always.

    Overall, If you enjoy some clean vocals and great production, you'll easily enjoy this album.
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  15. Apr 5, 2013
    10
    Disarm the Descent is a fantastic return for Killswitch Engage. You can listen to this album from start to finish and enjoy every track. The return of Jesse Leach made all the difference on this album. You can clearly hear how much Jesse's vocals have matured over the years since Alive or just breathing. Though this is not AOJB, it is still proof that Killswitch is the master of Metalcore.Disarm the Descent is a fantastic return for Killswitch Engage. You can listen to this album from start to finish and enjoy every track. The return of Jesse Leach made all the difference on this album. You can clearly hear how much Jesse's vocals have matured over the years since Alive or just breathing. Though this is not AOJB, it is still proof that Killswitch is the master of Metalcore. My opinion this is the third best Killswitch album behind AOJB and The End of Heartache. Expand
  16. Apr 3, 2013
    8
    Its a solid album with very good production quality. Lots of hidden subtle touches added to the background or composition of many songs. It is NOT Alive or Just Breathing 2. Jesse Leache tries a different vocal style with his harsh vocals. As well as the music is slightly different than most KSE material. But his clean vocals are still some of the best in music. "In Due Time" is a greatIts a solid album with very good production quality. Lots of hidden subtle touches added to the background or composition of many songs. It is NOT Alive or Just Breathing 2. Jesse Leache tries a different vocal style with his harsh vocals. As well as the music is slightly different than most KSE material. But his clean vocals are still some of the best in music. "In Due Time" is a great choice for a first single that is well rounded and shows off the new vocal style as well as gets stuck in your head. The real champion of the album for me is the song "Always." An emotional, slow but heavy song that could really close out the album.

    My only complaint about the album is some songs sound slightly repetitive and the drums sound completely uninspired and Mike D's bass gets forgotten behind KSE's two amazing guitarists Adam D and Joel Stroetzel.

    Its a very solid return for Jesse, though no where near Alive or Just Breathing. But its a much better step in the right direction after KSE's 2009 (Second) self-titled album. which was barely had a pulse.

    Maybe once they continue settling in over the years, KSE can return to its full potential from 2002.

    It takes a few listens. but once you pay close attention to all the details in the music and the writing. its a very enjoyable album.
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Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 7 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 7
  2. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. Classic Rock Magazine
    Jun 25, 2013
    70
    This is an album that refuses to sit still and stagnate. [Jun 2013, p.87]
  2. Kerrang!
    Apr 30, 2013
    80
    Disarm The Descent is an overdue return, a prodigal son story and their best album since The End Of Heartache. [6 Apr 2013, p.53]
  3. Q Magazine
    Apr 9, 2013
    80
    This is direct, explosive and packed with big choruses. [May 2013, p.99]