This albums stinks. First off let me say that i’ve been a fan of Darkest Hour since I heard “So Sedated, So Secure” So it’s not like I’m writing this not liking any previous work. But this pile of garbage is one of the biggest steps backwards I’ve ever heard a band take. Ok, let me be a little nicer than that. It is straight forward metal, all business. “Hidden Hand of The Sadist Nation” is by far the bands best release, then they got a little grown up with “Undoing Ruin” and showed some really strong songwriting chops. “Deliver Us” was a little too proggy and technical for them and the songwriting suffered. So the band decided to go back to what made them awesome. Too bad what came out was a bunch of boring, predictable songs. The album was produced by Brian McTernan who had previously produced Darkest Hour’s debut album “The Mark of the Judas” in 2000, and the production stinks too. Muddy guitars deluxe, also the kick is so overpowering is some parts you can’t hear the guitars. I know my speakers may not be the best in my sweet Civic, but it’s not like i had trouble hearing their other albums.

I don’t even want to go through the tracks because they all sound the same. When Kris Norris left, I really think the band suffered. There is one highlight lurking in the depths of all the over played metal riffs. Track number 3, “The Tides”, sounds like a more mature rewrite of “An Epitaph” off of So Sedated. It’s got that great rolling rhythm that’s more apparent in their earlier albums. And it’s got two great solos. Another good thing about this albums is it doesn’t have one of the dumbass “singles” they put on their two previous albums. You know “Demon(s)” from “Deliver Us” and “Convalescence” from “Undoing Ruin”. Soooo lame. But besides that, not much here. “No God” and “Blessed Infection” sound like a bunch of high school kids wrote it. The bands said that this album was going to have tons of energy filled with “aggression and speed”. Well just because you put fast drums behind songs doesn’t mean they’ve got energy. Bad form DH. I hope with the next release they really go back to how they were, not two albums ago because those weren’t really that good either, but 4 albums ago, when their songs had some honesty in them. Back to a band jam packed with super catchy and melodic metal riffs ready to mosh to.

Verdict: Knock It.
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