DARKEST HOUR - PERPETUAL TERMINAL
- Current members
- John Henry – vocals (1995–present)
- Mike Schleibaum – rhythm guitar (1995–present), lead guitar (1995–1999, 2020–2021)
- Aaron Deal – bass (2011–present)
- Travis Orbin – drums (2012–present)
- Nico Santora – lead guitar (2021–present)
OVERALL REVIEW
TRACK-BY-TRACK REVIEW
1. PERPETUAL TERMINAL - What a way to start, the soft intro interlude that just rips right into a furious frenzy, great chorus "When I lost myself to learn" - wow, it has this great headbanging into a bouncing that sets the tone for what's to come next
2. SOCIETAL BITE - And what is next is just savage guitar work from Nico Santora and Mike Schleibaum, with this seething air raid symphony and this guttural discourse, which reminds a little of Slipknot with a little less word count. It's strong and aggressive and never lets go.
3. A PRAYER TO THE HOLY DEATH - This is when more of the melodic aspects of this album come crashing in. This song's structure is so tight and so fist-pumping, there is great retrospective within the storyline of this song too where there is a need to reach out and grab onto something, fitting the music so perfectly because it is a great foreshadowing of the more ethereal and softer songs to come.
4. THE NIHILIST UNDONE - This is the first callback song on the album, wherein we get both a callback to the tempo of Societal Bite and the lyrical content of Perpetual Terminal with an absolutely blistering chorus. The drum work by Travis Orbin is so masterful. It keeps us in rhythm and allows us to absorb into the song. This is my favorite track, it is everything that this album represents in one song.
5. ONE WITH THE VOID - Here's where this album takes its first twist and interesting turn. As the melodic intro dials back just a tad into a more Doom sound, bordering on Prog rock like that of an Opeth or Corrosion of Conformity. The clean vocals really give this a strange goth feel to it as well. I get little Smashing Pumpkin flashbacks with this one, which is not anything I would come to expect, also a little Alice in Chains too.
2. SOCIETAL BITE - And what is next is just savage guitar work from Nico Santora and Mike Schleibaum, with this seething air raid symphony and this guttural discourse, which reminds a little of Slipknot with a little less word count. It's strong and aggressive and never lets go.
3. A PRAYER TO THE HOLY DEATH - This is when more of the melodic aspects of this album come crashing in. This song's structure is so tight and so fist-pumping, there is great retrospective within the storyline of this song too where there is a need to reach out and grab onto something, fitting the music so perfectly because it is a great foreshadowing of the more ethereal and softer songs to come.
4. THE NIHILIST UNDONE - This is the first callback song on the album, wherein we get both a callback to the tempo of Societal Bite and the lyrical content of Perpetual Terminal with an absolutely blistering chorus. The drum work by Travis Orbin is so masterful. It keeps us in rhythm and allows us to absorb into the song. This is my favorite track, it is everything that this album represents in one song.
5. ONE WITH THE VOID - Here's where this album takes its first twist and interesting turn. As the melodic intro dials back just a tad into a more Doom sound, bordering on Prog rock like that of an Opeth or Corrosion of Conformity. The clean vocals really give this a strange goth feel to it as well. I get little Smashing Pumpkin flashbacks with this one, which is not anything I would come to expect, also a little Alice in Chains too.
6. AMOR FATI - The mood shift continues to evolve here with this very old school thrash approach of the classical music interlude. It's masterfully crafted, nice wailing guitars essentially screaming into the void with the backing percussion feeding its visceral beauty.
7. LOVE IS FEAR - This is the most metalcore song on the album and it has this great anthem vibe to it and it has a cool riff that blankets the chorus. This also has a signature steady pace you might expect with like a Killswitch Engage. There is a soft goth/doom underbelly here as well.
8. NEW UPTOPIAN DREAM - Another cool riff that blankets the bridge into the chorus. The Songs do have a small sense of blending together in this spot but that doesn't last long. This song might also contain the best solo of the album.
9. MAUSOLEUM - Here comes turn 2, a pseudo acoustic, clean vocal fry that is layered and punched with incredible introspection in the lyrical content. It all leads to this dark brooding growl that just seems perfect for the song's message.
9. MAUSOLEUM - Here comes turn 2, a pseudo acoustic, clean vocal fry that is layered and punched with incredible introspection in the lyrical content. It all leads to this dark brooding growl that just seems perfect for the song's message.
10. MY ONLY REGRET - So why end where we started. Again the lyrics here are so deep and resonating...
See what you've done
Never to wake upSee what you've done
Nowhere to run
The hardest thing to say is, "What if I'm wrong?"
Drunk on defiance
High on who won
...just amazing stuff. Again the melodies go right in line with how this album is structured with this nice anthem-esque metalcore thumping and rhythm that just has you bouncing, fist pumping, and/or headbanging.
11. GODDESS OF WAR, GIVE ME SOMETHING TO DIE FOR - Why not end with an epic, poetic, strong anthem that builds and builds and then kicks the door right off the fucking hinges. It is the kind perfect exclaimation point on an epic journey.
This album again as I said in my video review has everything and then some, it is powerful and punchy, it is thought-provoking and intro and retrospective, and it is musically toned and performed beautifully and masterfully. These are guys who know how to not just shred, which they do tenfold, they know how to tell a story and this album has one of the most interesting I have heard in a long time.
This album again as I said in my video review has everything and then some, it is powerful and punchy, it is thought-provoking and intro and retrospective, and it is musically toned and performed beautifully and masterfully. These are guys who know how to not just shred, which they do tenfold, they know how to tell a story and this album has one of the most interesting I have heard in a long time.
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