I remember arguing with a friend several years ago about how to define Helmet's music. She refused to acknowledge that the band had any heavy metal leanings, as I think the metal stigma would have caused some sort of strife within her Acceptable Music Belief System. Skimming through Darkest Hour's bio, I notice that Victory Records says that the band is part of the "extreme hard rock genre", reminding me once again of how people still don't want to label any music they enjoy as "metal", for fear of prospective fans immediately shunning the band before giving it a listening chance.

There's definitely an argument to be made that Darkest Hour has a current of fervent hardcore flowing through its musical veins. Besides the obvious -- a tribute to Raybeez on the back cover -- vocalist John Henry applies almost indecipherably maniacal growls, keeping the band from tipping over the edge into 100% power-metal territory. Likewise, the throttling of rhythm guitar is reminiscent of labelmates Snapcase or the scream fest that is Jihad. However, the rumbling double bass drums and melodic guitar notes have a very familiar sound to us old-school Iron Maiden and Judas Priest fans; they leave the sound of metal ringing in our ears. Even more blatant is the band's admission that they appreciate bands like Carcass -- and, of course, their willingness to play metal tours.

Regardless of whether your tastes run to metal or hardcore, the truly important thing here is whether Darkest Hour can deliver the goods. The opening track, "An Epitaph", is perhaps the band's most straightforward tune. With a high-octane tempo and brutal vocals, this DC-based quartet incorporates the classic Victory Records sound with its own unique vision of how to successfully wrap a meaningful message between heavily distorted guitars and terrorizing vocals. Switching gears entirely, the next two tracks cross Euro-metal lead guitar with a wall of drums, leaving listeners who expected nothing but hardcore scratching their heads. The reality of this mysterious musical conundrum is that Darkest Hour has such an incredible amount of energy and intensity that there's simply no time to contemplate what genre is spilling from the stereo. Just when you finally think you've nailed So Sedated, So Secure down, the closing track, "The Last Dance Massacre", drenches you with heavily effected space-rock guitars that mesmerize you with their startling eeriness.

If the metal label leaves you cringing in pain and bring to mind Warrant or Dokken, you need to realize that everything evolves -- including music. Metal and hardcore have quietly become bedmates over the past five years, practically becoming a new genre, while still appealing to strict fans of each individual style. If your ears appreciate a good thrashing, and you have an open mind, Darkest Hour may be your next destination for sonic destruction.