Eyeing the stage during the soundcheck for Darkest Hour at the Ottobar on Thursday night, my brother and I started talking about the first time we saw them. It turns out it was a little over 7 years ago at Fletchers, also in Baltimore, where they played after a lovely band named Shat. I watched the odd performance, that ended with the drummer shitting on the stage, standing unbeknownst next to DH guitarist Mike Schleibaum.
Waiting for them to set up before playing all I wanted to do was ask Mike if he remembered that performance that precluded my first of many Darkest Hour shows spanning through high school and outlasting college. This show at the Ottobar wasn't as memorable as others - the crowd wasn't quite there and for them being headliners the set wasn't quite as long as I would have liked.
But that doesn't mean it wasn't blistering because it was from the very start when Mike stepped on stage with a smile plastered on his face, high fiving everyone in the front row while feedback wailed, signaling the intro to A Thousand Words But One. It also didn't mean the show was without surprises - the new songs sounded tight and full of energy and not only did regular guitar hero Kris Norris run his gamut of solos, his typically rhythm driven partner dove into several of the shred sessions himself, including a team performance on Sound the Surrender.
If there is one consistent thing about their performances it's their passion for performing the songs they obviously love. Their playlist included three new songs, a heavy dose of 'Undoing Ruin,' a splash of 'Sadist Nation' and their usual epic "For the Soul of the Savior" unfortunately sandwiched in the middle.
People can criticize John Henry for not having any vocal range or the entire band for not having a creative style of their own, but I think after the seven years and five albums now that I've been following Darkest Hour, they've never disappointed, and continue to evolve and improve as musicians just enough with each album that they're fresh and bring something new to the table for punk and metal.
I guess a brief review of the new album is in order to get my words in after seeing a range of reactions online. 'Deliver Us' didn't produce any songs that are going to crack my Top 5 list of favorite DH tracks, but as a record I think it emerges as the best produced and impressively written album. The band has grown so much from 'Mark of the Judas' and as far as songwriting is concerned, this is it for them.
The drums and bass keep everything as heavy as it's ever been. The guitar work is phenomenal and you can distinguish the solo styles between Norris' sprinting fret acrobatics and Schleibaum's meticulous bends, squeals and riffing. As for John Henry, my humble opinion is that the album is his best vocal performance. He's oft criticized for not being dynamic - I assume that means not singing like he's in Taking Back Sunday.
Darkest Hour is not Taking Back Sunday and the vocals rang from grind metal burps to gravelly punk yells that harbor a subtle melody.
Aside from the short interlude track that gets under my skin everytime I'm playing through the album, everything belongs. 'Doomsayer' lights a fire at the beginning of the album that the title track 'Deliver Us' closes out with as much intensity. My favorite track is #5, 'Paradox with Flies' that shows exactly how much musical balance DH possesses.
Since that didn't make it onto Youtube from the show at the Ottobar, here is the track 'Demons' the way I heard it on Thursday.
This is truly a band that will be long appreciated by metal fans for maintaining a place on the scene and elevating their game after time they are asked. If you're in the DC area I hope to see you slam dancing and circle pitting at the 9:30 club on August 12.
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