Of course, the greatest improvement over the group's previous outing is the return of Adam's vocal harmonies, layering together with Jesse's singing to dial up the aggression with fierce screams and collective chants, fortifying vocal power with his comparatively mellow, clean voice. And in counter to the group's most Metallica-esque complaints, most tracks seem to feature blistering melodic guitar solos with plenty of spotlight-ready space to shine. The crunch and attack have been dialed up to 11 on the guitars, the bass and drums have returned to the frantic pulse they'd maintained on previous Killswitch offerings ('The Call'), and Jesse shreds his vocal cords in a fierce growl Howard Jones simply couldn't achieve ('All That We Have'). If Killswitch Engage was criticized for being too soft, Disarm the Descent is a counter to that criticism in every way, shape, and form. Without a doubt, Disarm the Descent is an album that's going to be a dividing line for many. Even the melodic ballad that became Alive or Just Breathing's signature song and a huge influence on Killswitch's future releases, 'My Last Serenade' has been scorched along this warpath, leaving Disarm the Descent looking even more like a highly refined version of the band's eponymous first outing. This might leave some fans scratching their heads, wondering where some of the finer bells and whistles of The End of Heartache and As Daylight Dies have gone in favor of the more minimalistic and bombastic approach fronted by Leach's more aggressive vocals. While Killswitch Engage asked the question 'Can we start again?' (both in earnest on 'Starting Over' and metaphorically in its newer, slower, and less metal presentation), Disarm the Descent answers that question with an unquestionable 'No, we're going to pick up where we left off.' Maybe a bit surprisingly, that point ends up being Alive or Just Breathing, the last time Jesse Leach appeared with Adam D.

Killswitch engage disarm the descent