The American metal outfit Darkest Hour are back with their latest platter of melodic death and thrash, titled The Eternal Return. After the success of their previous album Deliver Us, as well as guitarist Kris Norris leaving the band, Darkest Hour needed to come back strong, and they have certainly done so here. Though The Eternal Return is a bit brief at just over 34 minutes long, it packs quite a punch, each track no-nonsense extreme metal laden with plenty of furious riffage, ragged screams, tights rhythms, and a surprising amount of melody that doesn't offset the brutality one bit. Tracks such as "No God" and "The Tides" are instantly memorable and contain a wide assortment of inventive riffs that are heavily influenced by 80's thrash as well as the Gothenberg melodic death metal scene. New guitarist Mike Carrigan fits in quite well here, as he and Mike Schlebaum toss in a plethora of chunky riffs, tasty yet complex fills, and scorching solos. Their massive riffs and addicting harmonies on "Blessed Infection" will remind of early In Flames, and the manic guitar attack coupled with John Henry's maniacal growls on "Transcendence" make for quite the pummeling ride. The furious thrash of "A Distorted Utopia" ends all too quickly at just under three minutes, but the band finish out the CD with two red hot numbers, "Black Sun" and "Into the Grey", both prime examples of how well Darkest Hour can concoct impressive and memorable metal tunes jam packed with tasty guitar harmonies and riffs.
Not much to fault here, though some fans might gripe about the brevity of the whole thing, but in a day when some acts are giving us way too much music, a solid 34 minutes will do just fine.
Track Listing
1. Devolution Of The Flesh 2:46
2. Death Worship 3:10
3. The Tides 4:19
4. No God 4:47
5. Bitter 1:19
6. Blessed Infection 3:25
7. Transcendence 4:20
8. A Distorted Utopia 2:57
9. Black Sun 3:16
10. Into The Grey 4:34
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