Customer Reviews

The Eternal Return

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4 star:		(3)
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Don't believe all the talk that Darkest Hour sucks since they lost their "shredder" Kris Norris. On their latest record, these D.C. metallers have taken their fast, heavy, and scary sound........and made it faster, heavier, and scarier.

Though it doesn't quite match up to their 2005 masterpiece Undoing Ruin, it's a step in the right direction after 2007's so-so effort Deliver Us. Check out one of the album's stand-out tracks like "The Tides" and you know will know what I am talking about.

To put it plainly, this is a band based around riffs, not leads, and The Eternal Return proves that, acting as a modern nod to old-school thrash, without sounding old, tired, or cliche.

This is my first Album review on Amazon, and I have to admit that my motivations for writing it were found in the guitar riffs of Darkest Hour's new song, "Black Sun," on this very album. Pure metal bliss! I could not help but heap praise on the album after hearing that segment!

I have only given the album a cursory play through, half expecting a regression of the band from a supposed peak they reached with their last album Deliver Us. Luckily my fears were not realized! Darkest hour has produced another album that will make the hair on the back of your neck stand on end and will sock you with its fast tempos and genius songwriting.

There is some recycled material, and you may find yourself thinking, "hey, haven't I heard this song before," but Darkest Hour actually manages to take each song to different levels. They show that they do not have a limited number of permutations for their songs, and they throw in enough new techniques to make this an actual progression from their previous album.

To all American Metal Bands: you can keep your style and sound and come up with new material. No need to "experiment" with more mainstream sounds; Darkest Hour just proved that with this new release. I highly recommend this album!

This album is brutal! It shows Darkest Hour hasn't strayed much from their sound. Which makes me wonder why so many people scorned this album. Well those people have no idea what they're talking about. This is one of Darkest Hour's best albums. I haven't stopped listening to it since I first heard it. "No God" has become my favorite Darkest Hour song so far.

That's a pretty bold statement right there, but then again Darkest Hour have done nothing but prove it over and over again for about the last decade.

"The Eternal Return," the sixth full length record for the band, is indeed one that's not going to immediately hit with fans. After all, these guys are coming off the heels of two amazing albums in "Deliver Us" and "Undoing Ruin" (and to a lesser degree the three which preceded them, most notably "The Mark Of Judas"). It's not going to take the title of "best album" away from any of the previously mentioned records, so it's important to not waste time comparing it to them. But what "The Eternal Return" does do, is solidly cement Darkest Hour as one of the most reliable and otherwise outstanding bands of their respected genre. How many other metal bands can say they've put out 6 records in a row that were all great? Not many (if really any that I can immediately remember).

Although Kris Norris is gone, its rather untrue to argue that his replacement isn't sufficient. In fact, though Kris may have had a distinct, melodic edge to his playing (particularly his solos), Mike Carrigan more than does the job of filling his rather large shoes. "Death Worship" and "Bitter" both rip with ferociously heavy, metallic riffs and show these guys haven't lost a bit of their gas at this point. "No God" recalls similar feelings as larger singles the band produced like "Demons" and "Convalescence" (minus the clean singing), but still knows how to keep things heavy. There really is not a single moment for the listener to stop and catch their breath throughout the disc's run, as even the more "epic sounding" tracks like "The Tides" and "Into The Grey" are still overtly pummeling. This album sounds a little less produced and raw, partly because of Brian McTernan's production, and it really adds to the unrelenting and heavy nature the band seems content to stay with.

Which brings up a notable point about this album: they still have it. After "Deliver Us" most were expecting to see DH lighten their sound, get more progressive and expand into a larger audience (which even the band admits they were expected to do.) Instead these DC natives have toned down the gloss and turned up the volume. It may take a few spins to sink in, but this is equally as good as any record in the band's discography, and a firm testament to how consistent and talented they really are. A listener never has to worry when they put on a Darkest Hour disc; it always delivers exactly what a melodic metal listener is looking for.

Although the idea of this record representing "all the best parts of all the previous Darkest Hour albums" is somewhat debatable, it's still one of the best Melodic Metal albums to be released in all of 2009. Like stated before, it's not easy to name many metal bands that have released three great albums in a row, let alone six. Any fan of DH should be more than pleased with this disc, though it could take some time to get into at first. The edgier production, excellent song-writing and overall unrelenting nature of this band continue to keep me coming back for more, and if this is any indication that they're not going to let up, I'll happily be listening to them for another six albums!

In my opinion, this is one of the best albums of the year to this point. The vocals are much better along with the overall tightness of the group. Darkest Hour are proving why they're at where they are now. The solos that are on "The Eternal Return" are nothing short of amazing.

To get to the point, this CD is a must for any fan or anyone who is interested in this genre of music. You won't regret it. :)

This is one of the best metal albums of the year (along with Mastodon's Crack the Skye). When I first listened to this I thought of it as a not-so-good Deliver Us/Undoing Ruin, but man was I wrong! Darkest Hour delivered us the goods once again, and are still slowly evolving. I'm not one to buy CDs, but I will definitely pick this up when I get the chance.

So rather than talking about the album as a whole, here's a song by song breakdown:

1. Devolution of Flesh - A great, heavy way to start the album, not one of my favorites, but a good one nonetheless.

2. Death Worship - Reminds me of "Sanctuary" from Deliver Us; not all that, but still good to listen to.

3. The Tides - The first great song (imo) with a cool flashy solo halfway through the song.

4. No God - The album's first single, and one of the best songs. Catchy verse riffs, dark lyrics, brief solos, and an ending reminiscent of "The Sadist Nation". Can't go wrong here.

5. Bitter - The shortest song at 1:19, and somewhat similar to "Stand and Receive Your Judgement". Nothing special here.

(To me, this is where the album REALLY picks up)

6. Blessed Infection - This one is for all the fans who love Mark of the Judas. One of my favorites, and a fun one to play.

7. Transcendence - An awesome, heavy song to get you pumped with a nice solo.

8. A Distorted Utopia - Clocking in at just under 3 minutes, this just adds to the 2nd half's greatness. And if you're wondering 'why does that harmonizing solo sound familiar?' it's because it just identical to "Fire in the Sky".

9. Black Sun - Possibly my favorite song. The dark, heavy chorus is unmatched and the solo isn't some throwaway blur. If the song "Deliver Us" were darker, this would probably be it.

10. Into the Grey - The intro sounds similar to "Tunguska". The chorus is great with the high-pitched guitar and the guitar work itself is fantastic. And a heavy outro to close the album.

Overall, a must-have for metal fans. Darkest Hour fans should not be disappointed (I definitely wasn't).


Pros: Guitar work, lyrics, solos, harmonies (what makes Darkest Hour great)

Cons: Only 10 songs, some songs are too short, sounds recycled at times


And in case you were wondering, Kris Norris was replaced by Mike Carrigan on guitar and this does NOT have melodic singing like Deliver Us had. And yes, this is what Darkest Hour would sound like if they took their best moments from their previous records (they said it themselves).