On May 28, 2009, the band's official fanclub, Take This Oath, were granted access to listen to the track "Reckoning".

It was released as a promotional single the following day, and was available as a free download on Roadrunner Records' official website.

[9] It debuted at number 7 on the Billboard 200, selling more than 58,000 copies in its first week, making it the band's highest charting album to date.

[13] The entire video was created using claymation, and depicts the band members saving lead vocalist Howard Jones from aliens.

[22] While praise has been generated around Howard Jones' vocals and the album's stylistic use of the metalcore and post-hardcore genres, criticism has been directed towards Adam Dutkiewicz's and Brendan O'Brien's production as well as the band's reliance on formula.

Where 2006's 'As Daylight Dies' hinted at an accelerated focus on the more melodic aspects of extreme metal, Killswitch Engage cements the notion.

[24] While positively commenting, "As an act that forsakes breakdowns and unintelligible screaming in favor of focused aggression and predictable melodic swells, you can't help but enjoy such quintessential Killswitch Engage tracks as 'Never Again' or the Metallica-esque chords that open 'The Forgotten,' the review concluded, "Aside from a few unique moments ('The Return,' 'Take Me Away'), there's not much new to report here.

[21] While praising Howard Jones' vocals, commenting "With its contemplative tone and sense of melodrama, the contagious 'Starting Over' borders on post-hardcore and features some of Jones's strongest vocal melodies to date," and "'Reckoning' and 'This is Goodbye' feature some very effective melodic death metal touches reminiscent of Swedish stars In Flames and Soilwork, while 'The Return' is a daring foray into teary-eyed power balladry, a terrific showcase for Jones," the review criticized Adam Dutkiewicz's and Brendan O'Brien's overall production, commenting, "Unfortunately, though, the production by Dutkiewicz and mainstream go-to guy Brendan O'Brien strips the guitars of any bite whatsoever, rendering the overall tone surprisingly muddy and often flaccid, something we notice most on tracks like 'Never Again' and 'The Forgotten', which play up the crunchy riffs, but completely lack the power they deserve on record."