In their quest for growth, Darkest Hour’s decision to take their new material straight to the source of their inspiration: Sweden was indeed a wise one. In the pit of this inspiration lies Studio Fredman. Anyone familiar with this information will now shiver with expectation. Exactly; heavy melodic pointy riffs, pure double bass drums, aggressive vocals and always that crunchy Gothenburg sound.

Once hailing from Washington DC’s hardcore scene the band now more so than before stepped away from hardcore and musically admit their love for melodic death/thrash metal. Hell, there’s even a few blast beats (“Oklahoma”) on the album. The band’s lyrics however are still very abrasive and direct, leaving no questions on their point of views. Elements of war, personal relationships, fake patriotism and even the band’s collective lock up in Oklahoma City are spewed out effectively with fury and anger by singer John Henry.

Production wise there’s nothing to complain.

Obviously, I should say, ‘cause with the experience and history of producer Fredrik Nordström you just can’t go wrong. This smart investment definitely paid off; enough room for all instruments even in the more chaotic and furious parts of the songs. Hats off to drummer Ryan Parrish who keeps the whole package on track with fills and thrills. The essential melodic riffs are in abundance, a necessity for this kind of music. Also, the sheer aggression as displayed in songs like “Oklahoma” and “The Sadist Nation” adds to the fun.

So what does a smart band do when in Sweden (besides getting drunk on ridiculous expensive alcohol)? Do as the Swedish do and ask them to play along on the album. Members from The Haunted, Soilwork, At The Gates and The Crown all chipped in on various songs, making this album a must have for melodic death metal fans, more than for adventurous hardcore fans.