Darkest Hour – Archives / 2007 A-F / 16 Tracks / http://www.darkesthour.cc / http://www.a-frecords.com / Reviewed 22 May 2007 Darkest Hour is an act that I’ve heard about but have never had the chance to hear. Luckily, this album came to my doorstep and I can hear the intense metal meets hardcore with a twinge of punk that the band plays during tracks like “The Choir of the Prophecy Fulfilled”. “Archives” is an album that collects their first two EPs, so if anyone is trying to get a complete collection of their releases and do not want to spend tons of money on out of print stuff, “Archives” may be a must by. The brand of melodic death metal that Darkest Hour play is in a rough format here, and this is shown even more so by the presence of alternative versions of “This Side of the Nightmare”, “Reflections of Ruin”, and “This Curse”.

The most interesting thing about Darkest Hour is that they are able to keep up such a breakneck pace for over five minutes right out of the gate. There are times when one would thing a style change is imminent on the track, but Darkest Hour does well in crafting a coherent sound that does not feel as if the band is getting into a rut. A lot of the changes that Darkest Hour does are not easily discernible; there are small changes in the time signatures or the band throws in a bridge, but the overall sound is pretty much the same. It is a small tactic, for sure.

The most interesting thing about this album is the fact that it is on A-F Records. It seems that the label is branching out to include more emo styles (The Vacancy) and harder stuff (Darkest Hour) than what individuals would normally think would be coming from something related to Anti-Flag. Darkest Hour bounce back and forth between something that would sound fitting on a Blind Guardian CD and something that is a little harsh even for fans of Cannibal Corpse. The band’s ability to make such disparate styles work together is a reason why they’ve amassed such a large follower base. Their next album will be coming out in July, so make sure to pick this up and compare it to their new album; see how they have innovated and changed their style over the decade since these tracks were first committed. For sure, a solid metal album no matter how individuals slice it; Darkest Hour is the real shit.

Top Tracks: This Side of the Nightmare, The Misanthrope

Rating: 7.4/10

[JMcQ]