Darkest Hour

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From left to right: John Henry, Ryan Parrish, Kris Norris, Paul Burnette, and Mike Schleibaum.

Darkest Hour is a heavy metal band currently signed to Victory Records. The band is officially based in Washington, DC, but several of the members live in Richmond, Virginia. Their sound is akin to classic European metal acts such as At the Gates and In Flames, but it is noted for the incorporation of elements of punk and hardcore music. Over the years they have toured with many influential acts, including The Crown, Zao, Dillinger Escape Plan, and Thrice. They also played 2004's Ozzfest.

Contents
1 History
2 Members

2.1 Current Lineup
2.2 Previous Members

3 Related Projects
4 Discography

4.1 Full Lengths
4.2 EPs
4.3 Splits
4.4 Videos

5 Statistics
6 External Links

History

The band began as the conception of guitarist Mike Schleibaum. There were various member changes before a first line-up emerged and the band played its first show on September 23rd, 1995, when most of the members were still in high school. In addition to Mike Schleibaum, the original lineup consisted of vocalist John Henry, drummer Matt Maben, and bassist Raul Mayorga. This version of the band released much darker and slower brooding music compared to their current, melodic metal sound. Their original sound has been compared to bands such as Bloodlet and Damnation a.d., who were undoubtably both influences. The band released its very first CD, The Misanthrope, in the summer of 1996 on tiny local label Death Truck Records. In 1998 Darkest Hour released another EP entitled The Prophecy Fulfilled, on the slightly-less-tiny DC label Art Monk Construction. The new EP marked the beginning of the evolution of Darkest Hour's sound, specifically the introduction of the Swedish metal influence. This sound solidified with the addition of drummer Ryan Parrish, bassist Billups Allen, and second guitarist Fred Ziomek, culminating in the band's first full-length LP, The Mark of the Judas, which was released in the summer of 2000. Because their sound has changed so much, the band tends to quietly ignore their first EPs and instead refers to The Mark of the Judas as "our first record".

The Mark of the Judas was a major step for Darkest Hour, and many fans continue to say it is their favorite Darkest Hour album, but the record was not widely distributed or promoted because the label that released it, M.I.A. Records, went out of business shortly after the album's release. However, the band had garnered enough attention at that point to catch the ear of Victory Records, who scooped them up after M.I.A.'s collapse. Darkest Hour released their Victory debut, So Sedated, So Secure, in 2001. After the release of So Sedated, Billups was replaced by Paul Burnette on bass, and Fred also left the band. Darkest Hour continued to tour with Schleibaum's longtime friend Mike Garrity filling in on second guitar while they looked for a permanent replacement. When they finally accepted Ryan's old friend Kris Norris as the new permanent guitar player, they began to write the next record.

Kris's influence on the songwriting caused a shift away from the band's hardcore influences to a more purely metal sound. This shift was amplified when the band chose to record their next album with noted Swedish metal producer Fredrik Nordström. As a result, 2003's Hidden Hands of a Sadist Nation gained much more attention from the traditional metal scene, to the point that Darkest Hour was asked to play 2004's Ozzfest. Interestingly, even though Hidden Hands marks a decline the band's hardcore influence, it is the first Darkest Hour album with overtly political lyrics, with several songs criticizing American militarism post-September 11th.

The band is still continuing to develop their sound, and promises that their new record, due out in stores June 28th, 2005, will be their most brutal and extreme album to date.

Members

Although John Henry and Mike Schleibaum are the only original members, the band didn't have a solid line-up until Billups Allen, Ryan Parrish, and Fred Ziomek joined the band in 1999. This would be the band's first line-up to release a full length album, 2000's The Mark of the Judas. The band would remain fairly solid until 2002, when Billups Allen and Fred Ziomek left the band. Paul Burnette quickly filled the shoes of Allen, while the band searched for months for a suitable replacement for Ziomek.

Current Lineup

Previous Members

Related Projects

Discography

Full Lengths

EPs

Splits

Videos

Statistics

External Links

See also: Darkest Hour, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004