Darkest Hour Albums (6)
What The Critics Say
Darkest Hour keep the pedal to the metal on their sixth album. There are no stylistic leaps here, just refinements of the band's impressive technique. The time they spent opening the previous year's At the Gates reunion/farewell tour has clearly affected their songwriting and delivery, as vocalist John Henry's raw-throated roar owes more to Tomas Lindberg than ever. Meanwhile, guitarists Mike Schleibaum and Mike Carrigan carve riffs out of stone and split the sky with lightning-fast solos that blur the line between thrash and prog. The rhythm section keeps it all moving, drummer Ryan Parrish beating the kit right through the floor; bassist Paul Burnette, unfortunately, disappears into the mix -- except for an impressive break on "Bitter." Darkest Hour's D.C. hardcore roots emerge on that 80-second tirade, which compresses all the strengths of their more traditional-length songs into a lightning-fast barrage. Just about every other song here, though, features a hooky riff and a memorable -- if not "catchy" in the traditional pop chart sense -- chorus. These are songs destined to be shouted along with as fists pump in the pit. Combine that with the totally air-guitar-worthy solos, and you've got a very solid metalcore/melodic death metal album. This is what Darkest Hour have always done very well (let "always" = "since Hidden Hands of a Sadist Nation"), and they show no signs of slowing down or slackening on The Eternal Return. ~ Phil Freeman, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Victory Records has spared nothing, put it all on the table for Darkest Hour's fifth full-length Deliver Us. The package is a deluxe four-color job with metallic inset print for the band's name. And there's a reason to do that for this band, because Deliver Us is their most realized statement yet. They are still a devoted, thrashed-out death metal band whose Washington DC hardcore roots run deep. It's more that as a band, they've matured, arrived at something completely realized after nearly a decade together. John Henry's lyric writing has matured beyond what even he expected; the sheer, taut wiry throb that guitarists Kris Norris and Mike Schleibaum create is hopelessly heavy. The rhythm section of drummer Ryan Parrish and bassist Paul Burnette, is lock-grip solid. The music has dynamics, texture and plenty, plenty of attack. Check the flipped out melodies in "Tunguska," where the riff turns in on itself to produce a melody that just crackles out of the gate. The shimmering opening of "A Paradox with Flies" doesn't even hint at the distorted squall of fury that lies within the body of the song itself. The chronic shredding guitars in the title track that closes the disc are almost buried under the wall of bass and drum thud but are nevertheless edgy as a stiletto. For those who are curious, this is a way in, for the faithful, this is what you've been waiting for. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
'So Sedated, So Secure'
Release Date 1/17/2006
Tracks 8
Label Victory
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
So Sedated, So Secure holds promise, its ambitions indicating a penchant for gruff death and thrash balanced by melodic turns and solos. Darkest Hour don't always do their ambitions justice, though. The tones, production, and vocals -- a wonderful evil sneer fighting a throaty growl -- are all right-on, but their simple guitar riffs, which stylistically may have peaked with Exodus in the late '80s, are what hangs them up. The album is solidly written, though, and new melodic takes on death metal are always welcome. No one is expecting the next Carcass, but if Darkest Hour upped the technical ante some, they could definitely enter the big leagues. ~ Matthew Kantor, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
On Undoing Ruin, Washington, D.C.'s Darkest Hour continue to refine their metalcore attack, bringing a bit more dynamic range and added complexity to their arrangements but otherwise leaving their time-tested, searing roar intact. The most notable step forward is taken by singer/screamer John Henry, who takes a welcome break from his usual lyrical attack on such fish-in-a-barrel subjects as government duplicity, crass commercialism, and religious hypocrisy and turns his formidable lung capacity inward, addressing more intimate issues related to change and personal progress. Lines like "If we can make it through the landslide standing/We'll lift each other up to see the bliss on the horizon" read more like something from the Rocket Summer than from any of Darkest Hour's more obvious musical predecessors, but the band's mosh-pit faithful don't need to worry -- Henry screams those lines as if his skin is being peeled off, and on "This Will Outlive Us" he plays a probably inadvertent vocal tribute to fellow Washingtonian H.R. The guitars of Kris Norris and Mike Schleibaum just get bigger and more flashy with every album, to the point that they're starting to flirt with prog rock complexity; on tracks like "Convalescence" and "These Fevered Times" their contrapuntal twin solos walk that very, very thin line between "Dude!" and "Dude, is that the new Asia album?" Recommended. ~ Rick Anderson, All Music Guide
'Hidden Hands of a Sadist Nation'
Release Date 5/20/2003
Tracks 9
Label Victory
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
On Darkest Hour's third album, Hidden Hands of a Sadist Nation, it should come as no surprise that the lyrics are as vitriolic as the vocal timbre, decrying and describing a society where guns, violence, and malevolent media rule. The band rolls through twisted grindcore progressions in the background with reasonable aplomb. The album unexpectedly concludes with an uncharacteristic instrumental, "Veritas, Aequitas," whose piano, acoustic guitar, and air-guitar-hero soloing come as nothing less than a total shock after the mayhem of the preceding eight tracks. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The Mark of the Judas is Darkest Hour at their finest, mixing hardcore with metal in a quite intense fashion. The band's flair for lengthy progressive metal songs is encouraging, as they never falter at hooking the listener in, even when the songs carry on for several minutes. The album's packaging aptly describes the band, as its abstract darkness and rough texture is a fitting description for the music contained within. At times Darkest Hour is very coarse, yet this gritty exterior allows the band to convey their meaty hardcore subtext in a very effective manner. Surprisingly enough, there is an incredible instrumental hidden beneath all the testosterone and anger flowing from the disc, and this brief retreat from the otherwise nonstop barrage of aggression displays that Darkest Hour is much more than just another metal band. The production may be lacking, yet that muddy sound distinguishes Darkest Hour from the horde of similar groups and is an accurate portrayal of the band in a live environment. Although this quintet is far from groundbreaking, The Mark of the Judas is a solid slab of metalcore brutality and finds Darkest Hour at their finest. ~ Jason D. Taylor, All Music Guide
