Lately it seems that so many bands are trying to pull off mixing metal technicalities with a hardcore attitude; it’s a genre fusion that sounds better on paper than in reality as more often than not one breakdown merges into the next and one growl rumbles into another with little in the way of distinguishable features. To put it simply; no-one in my eyes has actually released a consistently solid record that can hold my attention let alone achieve anything more than firing a barrage of tuff-guy riffs and over the top blast beats which border on the ridiculous. No doubt I’ll take a slating for the above few sentences but it’s my opinion so go smoke one. DARKEST HOUR have however, excited me a lot with this record by not only finding a balanced equilibrium between technical riffery and full on brute force but by being able to capture it so well on disc where I feel a lot of bands fail.
As the albums opener ‘With a Thousand Words to Say But One’ meanders through atmospheric feedback before it kicks in you have a few moments to take a deep breath and prepare yourself for the powerful whirlwind of tracks that follow. ‘This Will Outlive Us’ is metallic hardcore mayhem which also scores well in highlighting this bands musical ability as it really does contain a high dosage of shred. The same can be said of pretty much all the tracks; it’s really consistent release with little in the way of duds. I can quite easily listen to the entire forty minutes without reaching for the skip-button once.
‘Undoing Ruin’ is a dark and heavily atmospheric record, the two instrumental tracks showcase this as ‘Ethos’ adds a strong brooding mood perfectly whilst ‘Pathos’ is just pure acoustic serenity and, although it’s barely over ninety seconds long, adds a lot of character to the record as well as providing a short breather. The album draws to a close with the epic ‘Tranquil’ which will get even the sternest browed guitar geeks wet whilst maintaining the dark and moody tone to the very last note.
A particular mention must not only go to the songs themselves but the way in which they’ve been caught on record. Something that puts me off with this genre in particular is the way that every blast beat is turned up so high in the mix you can’t hear anything else (AS I LAY DYING I’m looking your direction) DARKEST HOUR fortunately don’t stoop to this. The vocals on this album actually sound good and not comically ridiculous (ATREYU) and in general the production just captures every instrument perfectly and audibly which makes a massive difference in my eyes as it’s instantly more accessible.
DARKEST HOUR could easily be pigeon holed in a heavily clichéd genre which I usually detest. This album however has really caught my attention and held onto it well. ‘Undoing Ruin’ is a record that oozes power and aggression whilst keeping credibility with its high level of musicianship and general consistency; it’s definitely worth checking out sooner rather than later.
www.victoryrecords.com
www.darkesthour.cc