Album Rating: 2.0

Top 9 Darkest Hour

I'm a big DH fanboy but this isn't clicking for me yet. Definitely missing out on the leads from Kris Norris and Lonestar.

Album Rating: 5.0

For me Id say... Easily their best non Norris album. Final song is 6/5. Takes it from a 4.5 to a 5. Extremely enjoyable metal.

Album Rating: 3.0

deliver us > undoing ruin > godless prophets for me personally

Album Rating: 2.5

I've been listening to both this and Godless Prophets over the last few days and think it's wild that people actually like this one more. For me it's not even close, their songwriting so was much more inspired on GP it's ridiculous. Riffs are absolutely killer, Orbin's drum work meshes with that album way better, and it still has a ton of melodic high-points.

The only real criticism of that album that I have is the needlessly grating production. I understand wanting to go for a more rough sound, but they took it a bit to far imo. I really have to sit with it for a bit before it stops bothering me.

Album Rating: 3.0 | Sound Off

Shook Orbin’s hand tonight at the show. He’ll yeah

Album Rating: 1.5

This is extrememly enjoyable metal if you enjoy ur metal watered down to shit and recycled from the 2000s core scrap heap yeah. A 5 for this is unfathomable tbh.

Album Rating: 3.5

Hawks I don't know what you're hearing because this doesn't feel that far removed from their usual formula aside from a few acoustic sections. Like the writing isn't quite as engaging but... what is so different here? Please explain, it feels like the usual DH formula to me. I've heard their entire discography, nothing here sounds particularly out of place for them. You act like they put a Blood on the Dance Floor song smack dab in the middle.

Album Rating: 1.5

They might as well have. I've explained multiple times in this thread exactly why I hate this I'm not doing it again lol.

Album Rating: 3.5

You haven't though, you've just said empty nothings. No specific riffs, vocal lines, anything that set you off, just a "this isn't clicking, I must pretend it's a radical shift in direction" type of reaction. It's literally no different from something like The Eternal Return, The Human Romance, or the self-titled, and it's production is miles better than The Mark of the Judas and So Sedated, So Secure. I don't see anything that screams "this is way worse than their whole discography."

Album Rating: 3.5

Album is pretty good but it isn't amazing.

Album Rating: 3.0

only song ive really come back to is nihilist undone but its great

Album Rating: 3.5

Yeah it's basically a competent later-era album that sounds more or less like what you'd expect. Not many wheels have shifted, it's just them spinning their tires the way they always have. It's an album where I could almost predict everything but it still sounds good to me.

@Bubs: weird, Nihilist Undone to me was one of the most predictable "heavy" tracks and I perked up when I heard an acoustic guitar straight after.

Album Rating: 1.5

I've said 500 times that I think this is a generic replica of 2000s scenecore. How much more specific do you want me to be? Try the god awful opening to Mausoleum and the horrific clean vox throughout the entire album? You can disagree all you want and say its exactly like their other albums but its not lol. Ur ears are accustomed to shit scene music so maybe it doesn't sound any different to you personally. Is that specific enough?

Album Rating: 3.5

Okay so basically your hangup is you dislike the clean vocals (which are fine, typical for this style even, are you expecting Bruce Dickinson level "technically good" singing from DH??), and the opening to one of the more unique songs here for them. Yeah that's specific enough but I honestly don't think your hangups are present nearly enough for a 1.5 to make that much sense.

Album Rating: 3.0

this doesnt really sound like either straight up scenecore, or darkest hour from old imo. hear a lot of other bands in this, like abr in the opener and norma jean in one with the void but uh, i wouldnt call those scene lol

Album Rating: 1.5

My hangup is that everything sounds recycled and generic like they're on autopilot. If you consider Mausoleum unique then I agree. Its uniquely fucking awful. The riffs are lifeless and, once again, recycled and yes the vox on this are insufferable. Its everything I can't stand about metal. Its ok when there's a fun factor, this is just sad. Y'all can disagree all you want. Thats why its called an opinion.

Album Rating: 3.5

Just revisited Mausoleum just to be sure...are you allergic to acoustic guitars or is it just the vocals you hate?

It's unique in that it's one of the songs here that isn't written with the express purpose to be "typical heavy" and actually has a more defined sense of melody.

Album Rating: 1.5

Well if you knew anything about what I like then u could answer that for yourself. Even though I think I just said it for you.

Album Rating: 3.5

You just kinda sound like you're actively trying to hate this imo, dislike it all you want but this feels oddly like you're trying to keep up an image of "all scene-style stuff is terrible" when this is barely even remotely close to something like Stand Up and Scream.

And the cleans sound no different from any other mxc clean singer from this time that isn't Howard Jones imo.