ðə sˈɪŋɡəl wʌz ɹᵻlˈiːst ɪn ɑːktˈoʊbɚ tˈuː θˈaʊzənd θɹˈiː, bˌʌt ɚɹˈɪdʒɪnəli ðə bˈænd hæd plˈænd tə ɹᵻlˈiːs ðɪ ˈælbəm ðə ɡlˈoːɹiəs bˈɜːdən fɹʌm wˈɪtʃ ðə tɹˈæks ˈɔn "ðə ɹˈɛkənɪŋ" ɑːɹ tˈeɪkən fɹʌm ɪn ɑːktˈoʊbɚ tˈuː θˈaʊzənd θɹˈiː, bˌʌt ˈæftɚ ðə bˈænd wʌz fˈoːɹst tə mˈuːv ðɪ ˈælbəmz ɹᵻlˈiːs dˈeɪt dˈuː tə sˈɪŋɚ mˈæt bˈɑːɹloʊz dᵻpˈɑːɹtʃɚ fɹʌmðə bˈænd, ɹˈɛkɚd kˈʌmpəni ɹᵻlˈiːst "ðə ɹˈɛkənɪŋ" ɪn ˈɔːɹdɚ tə fˈɪl ɪnðə ɡˈæp.
The single was released in October 2003, but originally the band had planned to release the album The Glorious Burden (from which the tracks on "The Reckoning" are taken from) in October 2003, but after the band was forced to move the album's release date due to singer Matt Barlow's departure from the band, record company released "The Reckoning" in order to fill in the gap.