With eighteen years of experience under their belt, melodic death metal band Darkest Hour is back again with their self-titled, eighth album. This is the band’s first release with Sumerian Records, and one can only imagine how big of an influence the label will be to their sound. For better or for worst, Darkest Hour is not the album that fans of the band are expecting. In this self-titled release, the band has decided to abandon a great deal of their melodic death metal roots in pursuit of an alternative rock and metalcore sound.
No one knows for certain whether these changes were requested by Sumerian or that the band has simply decided to experiment in a new direction. Many perplexed fans of the band are still wondering: “What the hell happened to Darkest Hour?” One major aspect of this sound deviation is Sean Henry’s usage of clean vocals. They have transformed into a softer, more radio-friendly tune that we hear from post-hardcore and alternative rock albums rather than on melodic death metal albums. I think it’s safe that say that this is the first DH album that will not be classified as melodeath, simply because nothing about these vocals are “death metal”. However, the band utilizes this vocal style to deliver some extremely catchy choruses, ones that anyone can sing along to. Guitar work is quite exceptional, filled with intricate solos and entertaining riffs. However, the addition of multiple breakdowns once again derives it away from melodic death metal to metalcore. For example, “Beneath the Blackening Sky” sounds like a track that would fit perfectly on An Ocean Between Us by As I Lay Dying. Instrumental work on the record is still phenomenal and technical; however, they are often too reminiscent of alternative for prior fans of the band to enjoy. Additionally, many tracks lack emotion and atmosphere. As a result, this album has its fair share of tedious moments, especially during the latter parts when the soft vocals and guitar melodies begin to get repetitive. Darkest Hour can be quite tiresome to listen to in one sitting, but can sound refreshing and interesting when broken into multiple pieces. With that said, there are still a myriad of gems to take away from this release. “Futurist” is my favorite track, as it features one of the catchiest vocal performances and an incredible guitar solo. “By the Starlight” is another terrific track, blending in different vocal styles and an atmospheric melody. “Anti-axis” and “Wasteland” are also great tracks as well, and I highly recommend you to check these four songs out.
Lyrical content on Darkest Hour is fairly average. Ironically, melodic death metal has been known for amazing lyrics, while radio-friendly metalcore lyrics have been known for being subpar and superficial. Lyrics on the album fall on the rather generic side, with very easily relatable themes such as love and courage. They fit decently with the album’s light-hearted nature, but lack the extra depth for them to be interesting.
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Overall, there are some great moments on this album, but some monotonous ones as well. Many fans of melodeath and Darkest Hour are not going to enjoy the change in sound. I actually found the album to be quite fun and upbeat, but I do miss the emotional aspect on their prior releases. As I’ve stated, there are a few terrific songs on here that I wouldn’t mind listening to a few more times, but I don’t think I’m going to be visiting this album much as a whole. If you’re a fan of alternative metal, post-hardcore, and even hard rock, this is the album for you. However, if you’re looking for the same Darkest Hour from the early 2000s, I suggest that you audition this first before buying, as this might not be your cup of tea. Thank you very much for reading LegionCore, and please check back soon for more metal news and reviews.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6L9gjNOo44