Customer Reviews

Deliver Us

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is Darkest Hour's second album produced by Devin Townsend. He did an amazing job with the experimentation of "Undoing Ruin". What they learned working together on that album really comes out in "Deliver Us". Its almost a masterpiece. The guitar playing stands out the most. Townsend really focused on Kris Norris and Mike Scheliebaum. Amazing solos are all over the place. The drumming and bass is as expected of Darkest Hour -excellent time changes. Together they pulled off an atmosphere that will make this a classic metal album.
Now here is where musicianship comes in. Darkest Hour has grown a lot since "So Sedated.." and they are able to pull off a more epic sound. John Henry had to EVOLVE his vocals to fit. His screams and growls still dominate the album. He has only added another element to his vocals. Kinda like what Matt Heafy had to do with Trivium when they put out the Crusade, except not nearly as extreme.
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IN RESPONSE TO OTHER REVIEWS:

There are always those "original" fans that cling on to the old school and reject the new. Yet they fail to make any comparisons between the two sounds. Darkest Hour has been playing this style of metal since they were kids. "Deliver Us" is a progression of that style -the band did not take on a new sound. If I did not follow this band I would assume that "Deliver Us" came before "Undoing Ruin", as it actually ties "..Sadist Nation" and "Undoing Ruin" together. If you loved either one of those albums then you will like this one.

When I first listened to the album and the song Demons came on i thought "what? is john trying to sing?". I was really bored by the chorus on that track. The assumption by the so-called old schoolers is that Darkest Hour is selling out, going main stream, blah blah whine poop mommy whyyyy -But if they were a little more opened minded about the new album instead of expecting the band cover something that was already done ten years ago, they would realize that John is only syncing himself in with the atmosphere Townsend was trying to create. And despite watering down the track Demons, he did an excellent job on the rest of the album. There are parts where growling just would not work. The track A Paradox With Flies is a good example of this.
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Stand And Receive Your Judgment is the strongest track on this album for those who like the earlier stuff.
Tungusta is the best example of their evolution for those who were more in to their last two albums.
Five stars. Buy this album. See you at Sounds of the Underground.

Wow.

That was the first word that I could say when the opening track for Darkest Hour's fifth true full length kicked off. If "Doomsayer" isn't the closest thing to classic In Flames that's been released since the birth of metalcore, I don't know what is. Opening with acoustic guitar work that explodes into a mid-paced drum groove with shades of Gothenburg leads underneath, the song quickly becomes a straight In Flames cut when they kick it into overdrive. The lead work is strong and the growls are true. No melodic sing-song chorus here, just brutality. From the melodic breakdown to the syncopated rhythm section that lead into an excellent solo, the song is trademark In Flames and, despite all of that, is actually quite good.

The opening track gives you a good idea of what Deliver Us is all about. Darkest Hour has grown as a band through the years and I believe are beginning to reach their full level of maturity with this disc. The Gothenburg influences have become their sound yet, they manage to remain unrelenting in their crushing riffs and speed. I have to give credit to John Henry for limiting his melodic vocal approach on the disc in a time when everyone in this scene is singing every chorus (including In Flames!). I wouldn't mind seeing him back off even more though and let the music do all of the talking though. This style of music has always been about the guitar work.

"Doomsayer" is followed by a short burst of energy called "Sanctuary" which has a brief glimpse of a melody in the vocals but is buried quickly. "Demon(s)" then kicks in and that pure Gothenburg sound returns. The lead that takes over after the breakdown isn't cheese laden, like most metalcore, but powerful and emotive. This album is truly a testament to the influence that those classic bands have had on modern metal.

Henry's guttural vocals, in spots, recall Devin Townsend which may be due to his production

The strength of this band is found when they allow themselves to explore in their longer songs. When they have time to flesh out a melody or lead into a new section, the songs truly breathe and emote what they're looking for. Where "Stand and Receive Your Judgment" fails, the epic feeling "Tunguska" succeeds in spades. Pay attention to the breakdown whose progression shows hints of Opeth. "A Paradox with Flies" is another strong track while "The Light at the Edge of the World" is both thoughtful and brief.

"Full Imperial Collapse" may be the only miss on the album and that's only because it leaves behind the Gothenburg mold for a more EveryTimeIDie style of dirty hardcore. It's not a terrible song but it doesn't fit the sound of the album.

If you're looking for an album that is a return to 1995, this is the disc for you. Don't be misled of confused; this is metal with hardcore influence, not the other way around. Despite the fact that the album leans heavily toward the Gothenburg sound and borrows from early In Flames--the song writing is incredibly tight and leads are delicious.

For Fans of: In Flames, At The Gates, Arch Enemy

well, i was dissapointed, i thought they would expand (in a better way) on their Undoing Ruin sound. I just thought this was really boring. Demon, Doomsayer, and An Ethereal Drain, were my favorite songs, with Demon probably the best. But you can hear Demon on myspace anyway... I wanted to hear some more crazy shredding like in Sound the Surrender, nothing like that here. Nothing like District Divided either, and they never even combined the deep powerful sound in District Divided with the insane beautiful complex sound of Sound the Surrender. Oh well, maybe their next CD will be more interesting, they have a great sound in their tuning of all the instruments. I would have to say its better than a lot of stuff I hear nowadays.

I first started listening to Darkest Hour when my buddy sent me a few of their songs off their last album, Undoing Ruin. I quickly became addicted to songs like Convalescence and These Fevered Times and began looking up more of the band's decently sized discography. I liked their style of harsh vocals and the lyrics themselves were very catchy and fairly clear (for a metalcore band anyway). In their newest release, Deliver Us, Darkest Hour has expanded their horizons and put together a solid album that will please fans of their previous albums, as well as give them a little something different.

First of all, it seems they've experimented with much clearer, sung vocals, rather than the constant gravelly vocals that their previous albums contained. Usually, I'm pretty against bands doing this to their vocals, but in this case, it's not so extreme that it takes away from the older style that I originally liked. Songs such as "Sanctuary" and "Demon(s)" feature choruses that are more sung than screamed, but still rely heavily on the screaming vocals for verses and remainder of the song. These songs are a careful blend of singing/screaming that really worked for me: you can still tell it's Darkest Hour, but there's a definite destinction between this album and other releases. It also seemed to me that in "Stand and Receive Your Judgement", the vocals played around with a little heavier, death metal style of growling when building into the chorus, which I liked a lot. The vocals have been played around with slightly in this album, but not all songs are tinkered with in this way. "Doomsayer (The Beginning Of The End)" and "Fire in the Sky" are everything I've come to expect from Darkest Hour: hard, fast, in-your-face style metalcore, and an all-around catchy songs. These could have easily blended into their last album, and are very reminiscent of the older releases.

Vocals aside, the instrumentation and technicality of their music has improved as well. Guitar solos are much more abundant and hard-hitting than before, and the all around guitar within the songs is MUCH clearer and more distinguished. Many of the songs are very fast-paced ("Full Imperial Collapse" and "Doomsayer (The Beginning Of The End)"), which is much like Darkest Hour of yore, however, songs such as "A Paradox with Flies" and "An Ethereal Drain" move at a much slower pace. These songs still deliver, in my opinion, but on a different level. These tracks contain more of actual singing than screaming and a lot more instrumentation. Kind of a new look for Darkest Hour, but it's not bad. Some of the lyrics, especially in "A Paradox With Flies", can get kinda sappy, but take it at face value and it's still damn good music.

Some of the songs tended to run on the shorter side however, which was slightly disappointing. "Sanctuary" and "Stand and Receive Your Judgement" seemed like they were over before the should be. They were both good songs, but I tend to shun away from tracks that are under three minutes or so, just because even if they are good, they seem like they're finished too early. I wasn't a huge fan of the instrumentation track on this album either ("The Light at the Edge of the World"). It's just kind of waning guitar work with some talking in the background that's almost inaudible and hard to understand. I think the album could have done without that track and still stand fine. A bit on the shorter side maybe, but still worth listening to.

My Top 3:

3. "Stand and Receive Your Judgement" - Face-paced, hard-hitting, all-around good song. I liked the experimenting with heavier vocals in here as well. The intro instrumentation reminded me slightly of Destroy The Runner, but I may be the only one to see that, hah.

2. "Doomsayer (The Beginning Of The End)" - Nice, slow intro into the CD, but builds itself up very quickly. A very fast tempo-ed song that will definately please hardcore Darkest Hour fans.

1. "Fire in the Sky" - This is definately a signature style song for Darkest Hour. It contains everything I've come to expect from Darkest Hour: fast, harsh vocals, catchy lyrics, and nifty guitar licks. This track delivers more however, with crystal clear instrumentation and awesome guitar work throughout the song, with a very nice solo about 1:40 in. Awesome song!


In closing, Darkest Hour's newest album has stayed true to their original style, while taking small, but necessary, steps towards new ideas. A band that released album after album that sounded exactly the same, regardless of whether I liked the first album or not, would get really old. New vocal styles and an increased focus on technicality has made this a fresh album to listen to, while still giving me what I expect from these guys. I hear some complaining about this album and how Darkest Hour is "selling out" to a singing style and shunning away their harsh vocals which many fans have come to love. To those that claim this, listen to my top 3. If you're still disappointed, then you're not a true Darkest Hour fan as far as I'm concerned. This is definately an album that metalcore fans and metal fans alike should pick up. Solid album by a solid band!

Darkest Hour's fifth full-length, "Deliver Us", is yet another strong album by this band. Devin Townsend did a nice job producing this album, I must say, but let's get to the music.

"Deliver Us" is a melodic metal album that shows definite progression for the band. The guitars give out more of an epic feel, but are still very similar in the vein of their previous days. John Henry still stands out as a vocalist, and even with singing vocals (which he uses sparingly), he's still intense and stands out well. The best element of "Deliver Us" is the guitar work. Tracks such as "An Ethereal Drain" and "Doomsayer" demonstrate the excellence of guitarists Kris Norris and Mike Scheliebaum that they still carry on. "Stand and Receive Your Judgment" and "Sanctuary" are songs that won't disappoint for those who liked their more speed-oriented "Hidden Hands of a Sadist Nation" days. "Demon(s)", the first single, has a catchy chorus and guitar riff. "Tunguska" is a perfect example of a more "epic" track. This CD is able to keep its variety, yet it doesn't disappoint.

Check this out if you're into melodic metal. If you're a Darkest Hour fan, you may notice the change, but listen to it a few times and it'll grow on you. Darkest Hour has progressed well during their years as a band, and "Deliver Us" is proof.

I commend Darkest Hour for growing on every album while still maintaining a signature sound of harsh screams and thrashy-melodic guitar work. Some more clean vocals have been added to the mix, less as an experiment this time around than on Undoing Ruin. While some reviewers here complain about this new addition, I feel that they are blended seamlessly into the mix and actually add more intensity to the overall effect. While some bands seem to be making huge changes on their latest albums (Poison The Well, Slipknot), DH has managed to change just enough to keep each album unique without disappointing their fans with a complete overhaul. I feel that this is probably the best album to date (although Mark of Judas will probably always be my favorite). In fact, this is one of the better metal albums I've heard this year.

These guys have stepped it up even further than Undoing Ruin. Everything great about that album has been expanded and a lot more has been added. They play around a lot more with "cleaner" vocals, although I wouldn't exactly call John Henry's voice a smooth singing type, but it works really well. The first two tracks sound like they could have been from the last album but after that they begin to vary the song elements quite a bit.

Standout tracks for me point to three songs in the middle of the album. "A Paradox With the Flies", "The Light at the Edge of the World", followed by the crushing "Stand and Receive Your Judgment." These three tracks back-to-back make for an awesome summary of the album. The last half of the closing title track has to be one of their best moments as well. Diving into an amazing instrumental part and ending with a destructive version of the chorus.

If you want a good thrash album with some death metal influences, I highly recommend this. These guys have shed their hardcore beginnings for good if this album is going to be a sign of where they are going to continue their musical path.

Darkest Hour has delivered its fans another masterpiece from producer Devin Townsend brazingly entitled Deliver US. So after only a few listens of select tracks from Undoing Ruin(Convalescense,These Fevered Times, and Sound the Surrender), I decided to buy a copy of it. The only Darkest Hour album available at the local Hastings and f.y.e was Deliver Us, which dissapointed me at first, but I was determined to buy a DH CD, considering the quick affect it's predessor had on me I was sold. Deliver Us has become one of my favorite all-time CD's (period).The vocals, guitar work, and drums are all on point and blow me away every time listen to it. This album does have more "clean singing" than any previous DH album, but with enough beauty and brutality to appeal to longtime DH fans. My fiance loves this album and she's more of a nu-metal fan, and my manager has two twin boys (Matthew and Michael) that love this CD, especially Doomsayer, and go around screaming the lyrics at only six years old. If you have the chance to buy this album or download any of the songs from it, I implore you. You will not be dissappointed unless your totally F**Ckin stupid and don't like good music.(and yes I KNOW GOOD MUSIC!!!!!) Here is my breakdown and rating for the tracks of Deliver Us.

Doomsayer(The beginning of the End)- Great opening to start an insane album. Slow acoustic entrance that explodes into some of the best lyrical content in heavy metal today in my opinion. A relentless, passionate, and pulverizing serenade that never lets up. Great solo, potentially the best song on the album, if the album wasn't so damn awesome. 10/10

Santuary- A good song with the beginning of John Henry's "clean singing" showing face, but in a very metal way. Kinda short but in all a pretty good listen. 8/10

Demon(s)- The albums only single and video. Radio-friendly yet still brutal enough to appeal to longtime DH fans. Also featured on the newly released Guitar Hero 5. A great listen. 9/10

An Ethereal Drain- A great find in a song. One that did not automatically stand out, but has become one of my favorites among all the jams on this album. The guitar work is incredible as is the solo. It's very remenicent of a damn good song from Undoing Ruin called Paradise, but yet a very unique and different song all its own. An essential song. 10/10

A Paradox with Flies- The most clean singing you'll probably ever hear from John Henry. Though this may not seem like true DH fashion, but this song has become more enjoyable the longer I listen to it. It has enough passionate screaming, and accesible guitar work to go around just in a slightly softer way that opens new doors without jepordizing the beauty/brutal balance. 8/10

Stand and Recieve your Judgement-Ther is nothing clean or nice about this brutal assalt. This malicious offering of procecution and punishment is a short and sweet statement of brutal proportions. A great, heavy song. 8/10

Light at the Edge of the World- Not really a vocal song, but it's more like a filler of time in my opinion. Slow music with inaudilbe speaking in the fore ground from a book entitled "The Wasteland. Not one of my favorites. 6/10

Tungusta- This song features one of the best solos on the album in my opinion. This medium fast song captures, serenades and also pummels you with it's addicively catchy outline and chorus with as much clean singing as Convalescense from Undoing Ruin. Not much but just enough and with a solo to die for, makes this song flawless. 10/10

Fire in the Skies- An awesome song that gets better with time, and reminds me of Undoing Ruin more and more everyday. Also the solo rocks, which as a matter of fact is the same solo from a song featured on the new album The Eternal Return. I won't spoil that for you all though your on your own. Definitley one of the best on the CD. 9/10

Full Imperial Collapse- Another good song yet nothing special or different about it except maybe the solo and John Henry's vocals are a bit deeper and more pissed off. A good listen leading to the epic close of the album. 7/10

Deliver Us- The name of the album and a great ending that matches the intensity of doomsayer making them the perfect match for alpha and omega of Deliver Us. John Henry captivates listeners with his trademark screams, and Kris Norris(who shreds for his last album with DH) and Mike Schliedelbaun frantically yet precisley shred their way to the final seconds of the song, and the last two vocals screamed : DELIVER US!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 10/10

And to think we created this monster
Crawling in and walking out on us
To think that we craft our own disasters
Falling in and falling out of hope

Don't leave me, give me release
Don't sink down into defeat
Only when you're through fleeing
Can you save yourself deliver us

And that's what Darkest Hour did. Sure, they decided to go kind of soft with the melodic singing (to get more fans) but they are still one of the best metal bands out there. This was one of the best albums of 2007, and for good reason. I love metal, I like Darkest Hour, and I really dig what they do (and they do IT well).

This is their softest record to date, but it's one of their best (and possibly my favorite). I've always been a sucker for melodic choruses, and they got me on this one; especially on "Demon(s)" and "A Paradox with Flies". I can't say how many times I've heard "Doomsayer", but I'll just say it's my favorite DH song. The harmonies are tight, the solos full of sweeps and melody, and the vocals are as good as they've ever been.

Get this CD if you like metal, Darkest Hour, or are an aspiring guitarist. You won't be disappointed.

All I have to say is Doomsayer. If there is any reason to buy this CD it is for that song, and that song alone. All the other tracks sound like your good old Darkest Hour (they really haven't progressed that much in their career, maybe got a little more melodic but that's about all). They are a great band, but put out very similar sounding releases. Doomsayer is their best song ever, one hell of a way to kick of a CD, and one hell of a metal anthem.