One could argue Darkest Hour was one of the US’s first bigtime metalcore bands of the early 00s (certainly So Sedated, So Secure was one of the first albums I heard in the style), mixing hack and slash At The Gates riffs and US hardcore. Throughout their albums, they have delivered a pretty consistent take on the sound with varying degrees of experimentation and natural development thrown in, with varying results. And what we have here after a 7-year gap is kind of what you’d expect from a Darkest Hour album in 2024.

To me, the album falls in line with the aforementioned The Eternal Return in that it mixes some of the band’s polished sounds (Deliver Us) with a little of the Undoing Ruin era experimentation and maturity. The 11 tracks cover all aspects of the band’s consistent discography and certainly, I was happy to hear some real rippers here as well as some more divulgent and experimental moments and tracks that do a little of both.

The opening title track is a perfect gateway for the rest of the album with an excellent mix of fast and mid-paced riffage interspersed with some beautiful acoustic moments. The next track, “Societal Bile”  goes straight for the throat, and then “A Prayer to the Holy Death” delivers a more restrained song but it’s graced with the excellent leads that the band has been known for, provided by new guitarist Nick Santora (ex-Fallujah).

Then we get “The Nihilist Undone” a searingly melodic track that might be one of the best songs the band has penned since the first 4 albums. Unfortunately, the momentum of that killer track stalls a bit with the next track “One With the Void” a somber, clean-sung almost ballad. It’s not a bad track and certainly highlights the more experimental and patient aspects of the bands’ latter discography, but after the prior track, the energy of the album grinds to a bit of a halt with this track and the following short instrumental “Amor Fati”. “Love is Fear” gets the energy level back up again while “New Utopian Dream” chugs with a mid-paced sternness. “Mausoleum” is an odd one, it’s mainly a wondrous acoustic ballad with hints of a really killer melody line that the band only partially fleshes out into metallic grandeur.

But speaking of metallic grandeur, after the short rager “My Only Regret”, the album closes with “Goddess of War, Give Me Something to Die For”, which like “The Nihilist Undone” is an album standout and one of the better songs the band has penned. Clocking in at 6 and a half minutes, it delivers a gorgeous acoustic intro before jumping into a classic hack-and-slash melodic romp full of sumptuous leads ending the album perfectly and showing despite the 7-year layoff Darkest Hour is still relevant even if the genre might not be in 2024.

Guitarist Mike Schleibaum comments: “We are so thankful to all the bands, promoters, organizers, and of course fans who made this year’s Summer Slaughter so much fun. It was a metal onslaught that took over the whole US, and if you came out to any of the dates then you know just how much of a good time it was! We hope to BBQ and party with everyone involved again real soon. With that in mind, we can’t wait to hit the road this fall with Trivium! We’ll be hitting a ton of places we missed on this summer’s tour, and we can’t wait to bring the good times and good vibes to new cities. We will be playing some more new songs of our latest record, The Eternal Return, as well some classic DH. If you love metal, good times, dirty dudes, and sick-ass mosh pits, make sure not to miss these shows! You’ll know where to find us, out back tail-gait-N!” 

Drummer Ryan Parrish adds: “We are totally stoked to hit the road with metal titans, Trivium, and having this opportunity to blare our style of metal to the masses is awesome!! Ever since our return home from Summer Slaughter, we have been itching to introduce more metalheads to our new album, The Eternal Return, and this tour is the obvious solution! We want to thank all of the amazing bands we toured with on SS and thank everyone involved for a wicked summer! Now, we are gearing up and looking forward to sharing the road with our shredding friends in Trivium and Whitechapel, as well as making new friends with Dirge Within. So, break out the tab books and jean jackets, find the city closest to you, and bang your head and air guitar with all of us in September/October!” 

DARKEST HOUR is touring to support their latest album, The Eternal Return, which hit streets on June 23 and debuted at #104 on the Billboard 200, #1 on the Heatseekers chart, and #16 on the Independent chart. The Eternal Return is the band’s sixth full-length album and first with producer Brian Mcternan (Thrice, Senses Fail). Full tour dates are below. 

DARKEST HOUR w/Trivium, Whitechapel

September 11 – Crazy Donkey – Long Island, NY

September 13 – Town Ballroom – Buffalo, NY

September 15 – Bogarts – Cincinnati, OH

September 17 – Cowboys Bar – Guelph, ON

September 18 – Orbit Room – Grand Rapids, MI

September 19 – The Rave – Milwaukee, WI

September 20 – The Venue – Fargo, ND

September 21 – Electric Park Ballroom – Waterloo, IA

September 23 – Murray Theater – Salt Lake City, UT

September 24 – Wilma Theater – Missoula, MT

September 25 – Wonder Ballroom – Portland, OR

September 26 – Knitting Factory – Spokane, WA

September 28 – The Senator Theater – Chico, CA

September 29 – The Catalyst – Santa Cruz, CA

October 1 – Glasshouse – Pomona, CA

October 2 – Ventura Theater – Ventura, CA

October 3 – House of Blues – Las Vegas, NV

October 7 – Concrete Street Amphitheater – Corpus Christi, TX

October 9 – Music Farm – Charleston, SC

October 10 – Jesters Pub – Fayetteville, NC

October 11 – Orange Peel – Asheville, NC

So now with album number six, The Eternal Return sees Darkest Hour strike a balance between the more open and experimental Undoing Ruin and the hack and slash of their early work and Deliver Us. Still, present is the At the Gates and Dark Tranquillity back bone and a hardcore sheen, but I’m still stunned as to how these guys are still not mentioned when folks start talking about Killswitch Engage, All That Remains and God Forbid, when they are so much more talented and, more importantly, more metal.

The sumptuous solos that littered Deliver Us return in force as killer tracks like “Death Worship”, my personal favorite “The Tides” (with one of the best sweeps I’ve heard this year), “No God”, “Bitter”, “Blessed Infection”, “A Distorted Utopia” and “Black Sun”, and those generally are sprinkled around tight, feral and slicing yet melodic death metal that sounds American without being a mere Black Dahlia Murder wanna be. The album is pretty high octane from start to finish but not Inferi or Mirror of Dead Faces relentless, but rather a smart use of energy and dynamics with a few moments of restraint such as “Transcendence” and closer “Into the Grey”. But gone are the interludes (i.e. “Pathos” and “Ethos” from Undoing Ruin) as the band simply focuses on stellar riff after stellar riff backed by John Henry’s continual rasps and new/old producer Brian McTernan (From Autumn to Ashes, Senses Fail, Destroy the Runner, Darkest Hour’s Mark of the Judas and So Sedated , So Secure).

Basically the whole album is top notch from start to finish, with each track delivering bristling energy and deftly melodic moments blended together perfectly in unison showing that Darkest Hour are one of the most consistent yet underrated metal acts in the US scene. Fans that think that watershed album Hidden Hands of A Sadist Nation  (which came out at the height of metalcore/US Melodeath popularity) was their pinnacle need to come back to this band and see how good they truly have become while the genre has eaten itself alive.

“It;s been a long road, but we have finally completed work on our new record, The Eternal Return,” added Schleibaum. “I am very proud of the hard work and passion that both the band and producer Brian McTernan poured into this. After 14 years, we’ve decided there’s no reason to put out DARKEST HOUR records other then for ourselves and for the people that love this band. This record has no hidden agenda, no pop hit, or stylistic departure to broaden the fan base. Rather, it is a sick thrash, speed, melodic, metal record! It feels like it has all the aggression and speed of our Hidden Hands… record, the melody and songwriting of Undoing Ruin, and the technicality and musicianship of Deliver Us. We encourage anyone who has loved our records in the past or present to check it out. And if you’ve never found something that’s connected with you in a DARKEST HOUR record before, then take some time to listen to this one, because this is a defining DARKEST HOUR record… We look forward to playing new songs on our upcoming European tour with Bleeding Through and on this year’s Summer Slaughter Tour! See ya in the pit!” 

Fans will surely not be let down by this upcoming album, and prior to its release in the states, DARKEST HOUR will head over to Europe on the Thrash and Burn Tour (presented by Metal Hammer, Myspace, Metal.de, Fuze and Peta) on a co-headlining stint with Bleeding Through, with support from Beneath the Massacre, Carnifex and more. 

The touring machine does not stop there… 

Once the band returns to the US, they will head out in support of Necrophagist and Suffocation on the Summer Slaughter 2009 tour (presented by Affliction and Decibel Magazine). Dates for Summer Slaughter run from early June to early July, and a full list of upcoming DARKEST HOUR dates can be viewed below. Check out http://www.Fangoria.com to win tickets for the Summer Slaughter 2009 Tour. 

The Thrash and Burn Tour w/ co-headliners, Bleeding Through, and Beneath the Massacre, Carnifex and more:

4/19 – Wiesbaden, GERMANY – Schlachthof
4/20 – Stuttgart, GERMANY – LKA
4/21 – Hamburg, GERMANY – Markthalle
4/22 – Berlin, GERMANY – Postbahnhof
4/23 – Amsterdam, HOLLAND – Melkweg
4/24 – Münster, GERMANY – Sputnikhalle
4/25 – Leipzig, GERMANY – Conne Island
4/26 – Katowice, POLAND – Mega Club
4/27 – Prague, CZECH REPUBLIC – Abaton
4/28 – Budapest, HUNGARY – Durer Kert
4/29 – Wien, AUSTRIA – Arena
4/30 – Salzburg, AUSTRIA – Rockhouse
5/1 – Milan, ITALY – Musicdrome
5/2 – Pinarella, ITALY – Rock Planet
5/3 – München, GERMANY – Backstage Werk
5/4 – Aarau, SWITZERLAND – Kiff
5/6 – Barcelona, SPAIN – Sala Razzmatazz
5/7 – Madrid, SPAIN – Sala Caracol
5/8 – Durango, SPAIN – Kafe Antzoky
5/9 – Paris, FRANCE – Trabendo
5/10 – Norwich, UK – Waterfront
5/11 – London, UK – The Electric Ballroom

5/12 – Sheffield, UK – Corporation
5/13 – Yeovil, UK – Westland
5/14 – Leeds, UK – Rios
5/15 – Birmingham, UK – Academy
5/16 – Köln, GERMANY – Essigfabrik
5/18 – Helsinki, FINLAND – Club Nosturi

5/19 – St Petersburg, RUSSIA – Orlandina

5/21 – Moscow, RUSSIA – XO Club

5/22 – Athens, GREECE – An Club

Summer Slaughter 2009 Tour – with Darkest Hour, Necrophagist, Suffocation and many more 

6/5 Baltimore, MD – Sonar
6/6 Richmond, VA – The National
6/7 Philadelphia, PA – TLA
6/8 Hartford, CT – Webster Theater
6/10 Charlotte, NC – Amos Southend
6/12 Louisville, KY – Headliners
6/13 Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade
6/14 St. Petersburg (Tampa), FL – Jannus Landing
6/15 Jacksonville, FL – Plush
6/16 Orlando, FL – Club Firestone
6/18 San Antonio, TX – White Rabbit (Night One)
6/19 Houston, TX – Java Jazz Outdoors
6/20 San Antonio, TX – White Rabbit (Night Two)
6/21 Dallas, TX – House of Blues
6/23 Denver, CO – Gothic Theatre
6/24 Albuquerque, NM – Sunshine Theatre
6/26 Phoenix, AZ – The Marquee Theatre
6/27 San Diego, CA – Soma
6/28 Anaheim, CA – The Grove
6/29 Las Vegas, NV – House of Blues
6/30 Los Angeles, CA – House of Blues
7/1 San Francisco, CA – The Grand Ballroom
7/2 Portland, OR – Roseland Theater
7/3 Seattle, WA – King Cat Theater

Call it blazingly melodic, call it melodically blazing, either way, Darkest Hour have raised the game for US based Gothencore by mixing their inherent US ferocity with now fully developed and superbly delivered sense of harmony that is far more steeped in classic In Flames, Dark Tranquility-isms that the full on assault of Hidden Hands. Kris Norris and Mike Scheibaum have upped their game in the solo department, now brimming with confidence; their tight shredding riffs now are littered with some artful but seething elegance that separates them from the pack (I hate to use the term metalcore, as DH are so more European sounding and with virtually no hardcore elements).

No doubt, “Convalescence” is the track that will find a sticking spot with fans with its simplistic percussive gait and rough ands ready clean chorus, even thought the track makes a nice comeback with some deft solo work and epic climax. Fans of Hidden Hands will relish the vitriolic and violent “They Will Outlive Us” as it’s a cathartic anti-song to the prior tracks relative ease. “Sound the Surrender” is pure Swedish dual harmonies that belies Darkest Hours angry fits with galloping supine melodies. The two instrumentals are actually stunningly good; both imbuing the hauntingly beautiful acoustics segues of The Jester Race and Skydancer with “Pathos” being particularly brilliant. Of course the two are sandwiched the raucous bite of “Low” and the direct ass kicking of “District Divided”.

The last three tracks of the album “These Fevered Times”, “Paradise” and “Tranquil”, are the epitome of Darkest Hour’s newfound eloquence. Despite being undeniably Darkest Hour in their energetic prose and scathing musicianship, the melodic maturity of the band is front and center in high octane form for “These Fevered Times”, far more controlled and restrained for “Paradise” and a intelligently melded into album closing grandeur for “Tranquil” (which is anything but).

As I said above, Undoing Ruin greets it predecessor’s hype head on and looks down at it with a almost Neanderthal condescendence, shaking its head and its barbaric simplicity. This album is the perfect musical evolution for Darkest Hour, not too sweeping, but cleverly developed enough to warrant some severe end of year notice from the media and fans.

Whereas The Mark of Judas displayed raw talent and youthful enthusiasm, So Sedated, So Secure features Darkest Hour as a more mature and pensive outfit. More often than not bands pairing metal and hardcore list At The Gates as their primary source of their metallic inspiration – it’s abundantly clear on Shadow’s Fall Of One Blood as it is in outfits like All That Remains and A Life Once Lost. While small traces of Slaughter of the Soul can be heard on Darkest Hour’s third full-length, the stabbing ferocity of The Mark of Judas has progressed tastefully into the wistful meanderings of Eucharist and overt melodic work driving In Flames (circa The Jester Race). The guitar work of Mark Schleibaum and Fred Ziomek is reminiscent of their Swedish peers in that they use infectious melodic lines and classic metal chugging to drive the songs. Yet, there isn’t an ounce of evidence on So Sedated, So Secure of superfluous musicianship – keyboard flourishes and blithe passages are left on the European continent. In fact, the playing here is difficult to beat in times of self-indulgence and unnecessary lead interplay.

Imagine Entombed’s “Crawl” fused with In Flames’ “Dead Eternity” but without the solos. Exactly. Nowhere on So Sedated, So Secure is there a solo, or even a hint of one. That’s hardcore. The tumbling, distortion-ridden crafting of opener “An Epitaph” and “Kick” are reminiscent of the ‘old school’ Stockholm buzz, where tension and forward momentum were interchangeable in the lead and rhythm sections. Darkest Hour’s compacted sound is indicative of this attribute. Elsewhere, the quintet’s output is equally impressive. The voracious pace of the title track “The Last Dance” and “No Closer” demonstrate a band that knows their hardcore/metal chops, and, furthermore, employs them to levels on par with their more established American and European brethren. However, ‘neath the aggressive face is a melancholic interior (think Eucharist) that surfaces at key times throughout each of the three songs. “No Closer” and “The Last Dance” are flooded with emotional charge, dispelling the myth that memorable melody lines are first and foremost cheerful. The band’s distortion also changes on “The Last Dance” – Cemetary’s An Evil Shade of Grey, with its bizarre accord, is remarkably similar.

Vocally, John Henry’s throaty rumblings are one-dimensional but sufficient. It’s heartwarming to hear a guy scream his heart out without succumbing to the urge to sing off-key like most of his compatriots. The production of McTernan’s (Cave In, Drowningman) Salad Days is suitable for Darkest Hour in its non-gloss finish. The band’s previous album’s production was dry, sucking the life out of the majority of the material. Thankfully, McTernan’s latest knob twiddling helped Darkest Hour achieve the sonic velocity needed to propel them past the second and third tier of bands they compete against.

The only misgiving with the Washington D.C.-based outfit is where do they go from here? Do they continue in the direction on So Sedated, So Secure (ala AC/DC) or pursue the greatness on tracks like “No Closer” and “The Last Dance?” Time shall tell. Darkest Hour may not be one of the most original bands in the extreme metal circuit, but then again few acts in metal/hardcore exude the passion present on So Sedated, So Secure. Metal or hardcore, Darkest Hour demands to be heard, and this is the album that is certain to signal their breakthrough.