Washington D.C's Darkest Hour is one of the more established and seasoned metalcore acts around . They have been around for 16 years and been one of the pioneering acts in the scene. They frequently get overlooked and have been grinding it out for a long time without becoming one of the popular acts in the genre. On their 7th full length record, The Human Romance, Darkest Hour makes one of the best records in their long career.
The Human Romance is easily the most melodic Darkest Hour effort to date. There is a much stronger focus on melody and slower harmonies throughout the record. This really works expectationally well for them. "Love As A Weapon" has this amazing slow riff and is really melodic. It's also extremely catchy and one of the album's standouts. Even with Darkest Hour's more melodic approach on this record, their core thrash/melodic death metal influences are still very much in play as well. Under 3 minute tracks such as "Your Everyday Disaster" and "Violent By Nature" go straight for the throat and are heavy, fast thrash tracks that are impossible to not headbang to.
The Human Romance is really about blending the fast, heavy side of Darkest Hour's sound with the melodic side. This mix has been near perfected with The Human Romance. The riffing and soloing from guitarists Mike Schinelbaum and Mike "Lonestar" Carrigan is really the main reason this blend works so well. They have a gift for writing catchy riffs and great solos from all over the musical spectrum. The main example of the two sides of Darkest Hour coming together perfectly is the near 9-minute instrumental track "Terra Solaris". This is basically the perfect showcase for Darkest Hour's guitarists to make a multi-layered, complex song with staggering tempo shifts and wonderful guitar solos galore.
The Human Romance is the most mature Darkest Hour record to date. In their long and storied career, this is is one of their absolute best records. It's equal parts fast and melodic, the overall harmony of the record is spectacular. The Human Romance continues to diversify Darkest Hour's sound. Ever since 2005's Undoing Ruin, Darkest Hour has been experimenting with their sound from record to record and it always pays off. This is the mark of a band with true ambition and talent and I don't think they get nearly enough credit for their music. The Human Romance is another great one from Darkest Hour and even though it's very early in the year, I foresee it finishing pretty high on my year-end list.
4/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Love As A Weapon
2.Violent By Nature
3.Terra Solaris
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