Darkest Hour

Personnel: John Henry (vocals); Michael Carrigan , Mike Schleibaum (guitar); Travis Orbin (drums).Audio Mixer: Taylor Larson.Recording information: Oceanic Studios, Bethesda, MD (2013).Darkest Hour fans are a devoted, long-suffering lot. Since the band's inception in 1999, the Washington, D.C. unit has undergone numerous personnel changes, each one shifting its root sound -- death metal that firmly embraced hardcore, but remained committed to both. Until now, that is. On their self-titled debut for Sumerian, Darkest Hour enlisted producer Taylor Larson (best known for his success in working with Periphery) to help them craft a more expansive sound. With new bassist Aaron Deal replacing Paul Burnette, what transpires here isn't so much an evolution as a transformation. While things aren't so different musically on the chugging opening crush of "Wasteland" -- John Henry's still a beast as a frontman -- the clean refrains and completely retro guitar solos are a tad eyebrow-raising. "The M