Washington D.C. melodic -death-metal veterans Darkest Hour have announced the addition of drummer Travis Orbin (pictured above). Orbin brings his unique perspective and talents to the table as a seasoned touring musician (Periphery, Sky Eats Airplane) and as a noted session drummer.
“The chemistry has developed into something special, unique, and new. It’s hard to deny this feeling when you’ve been releasing albums for as long as we have and we couldn’t be more ready to unleash this new sound of ours on your senses,” says guitarist Mike Schleibaum.
Formed in 1995, Darkest Hour have released seven full length albums including the highly acclaimed The Human Romance (2011), Undoing Ruin (2005), and Deliver Us (2007).
Travis explains, “I’ve been jamming and writing the new record with the guys for over a year. It’s been especially rewarding in that everything was composed in a room together, a wholly organic process that I haven’t experienced in a long while. I’m excited about the tunes, signing on as a full-time member, and can’t wait to hit the road!”
Singer John Henry adds, “This is a very exciting time in the history of the band. Travis is hands down one of the best drummers I have ever seen, and is bringing to the table an incredible and inspiring amount of talent and musical ability. This marks the beginning of a new era for Darkest Hour, one you will have to hear and see to believe!”
Travis has joined the band in the writing process for their much-anticipated eighth studio full-length noting positive, natural progression and renewed energy. Darkest Hour’s new album is slated for a late 2013 release.
Watch Travis jam to his recent Cartoon Theory recording session below:
For more on Darkest Hour, check out www.officialdarkesthour.com, www.facebook.com/darkesthourdudes, www.twitter.com/darkesthourrock, and www.instagram.com/darkesthourofficial.
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Highness–the group featuring ex-members of Darkest Hour, Christie Front Drive, pg. 99, and City of Caterpillar–are set to release their new record, Hold, on Magic Bullet Records on May 14. In anticipation, the band is premiering the first track on the record, “Gaea (Strings),” right here right now.
Guitarist Brent Eyestone comments, “Once Brandon Evans joined the band, this was the first song we fleshed out with all five of us in the same room. We came in with a basic theme/chords in mind, but quickly found that our collaborative process yielded results far past our individual imaginations. I’ll always remember the moment we finished this song and did a run-through at full volume. It was exciting and all of us had gigantic smiles on immediately following that last snare hit. Moments like that are pure, and precisely what drives every one of us to put everything else down when it’s time to play music.”
Check out the song below and let us know what you think in the comments. For more on the band, visit them on Facebook or swing by MagicBulletRecords.com.
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Today, Revolver is proud to premiere the debut LP, Worse than Dead, from Richmond, Virginia’s Iron Reagan. Featuring Tony Foresta (vocals) and Phil “LandPhil” Hall (guitar) of Municipal Waste and Paul Burnette (bass) and Ryan Parish of Supression (drums), both also formerly of Darkest Hour, the band will release the album on March 19 via A389 Records and Magic Bullet Records. Check it out below, as well as a track-by-track discussion of standout songs by Foresta, and let us know what you think in the comments.
“Drop the Gun”
TONY FORESTA I’m not one that’s big on attending protests and such but there was some serious bullshit going down last year with Virginia Legislature trying to pass two really insane bills that pretty much denied women in Virginia their reproductive rights. It was pretty crazy. The protest I was at was on the states capitol and had 31 women arrested and carried off to jail during a peaceful protest. One of those police officers that was hog tying and carrying some of these women away was also herself a women. I was pretty shocked that someone could do something like that. Did she even know that these women were standing up for her? So yeah, that’s what that song is about.
“I Predict the Death of Harold Camping”
It seems like the end of the world is supposed to happen every three months or so nowadays. Harold Camping was one of the Christian nut jobs that used his false predictions to cash in on peoples fears. He also predicted that the world was going to end the day after my birthday. That would have been one hell of a hangover for me had it been true.
“Cycle of Violence”
This song’s conceptual premise stemmed from the insanity happening in Syria. It’s about the way in which our human society thrives on the day-in-and-day-out administration of violence upon ourselves and others. It’s a shame that such measures have to be taken by either one person or by a nation of people to defend their human rights or deem their choice of religious practice the utmost truth. For us, it’s fucking scarier that those motives are the driving force behind majority of violent acts because it depressingly puts all of the free thinking world at risk of falling victim to senseless acts of brutality, i.e. 9-11, Syria, etc.
“Eyes Piss Tears”
This song is kind of a fun one about a horrifying experience that happened to Phil and I while we on tour. To make a long story short, we both were woken up to “You guys gotta get the fuck out of here, the cops are coming!” only to realize we were sleeping in the middle of a bizarre crime scene involving an elderly women, her granddaughter, an extremely inebriated crust punk, and a lot of pee pee.
“We Know You’re Hiding”
This song was a blast to write musically. We wanted to put into it as many homages to our roots and influences as we could, so, that’s why we have a breakdown, fast-paced stops, and a rhythmic vocal pattern! Lyrically, it’s about internet trolls and how they spend all of their time fighting their battles behind a keyboard rather than giving positive reinforcement to those bands or people in which they respect.
“Paycheck”
Phil wrote the lyrics to this song. I really like the angle he went with this one. Basically the lyrics are taken from the point of view of a disgruntled video-game henchman. Remember those low level guys from Double Dragon that would get whipped up and beaten every game? Didn’t you ever wonder why someone would submit their lives to do such a thing on a regular basis? What was their story? This song’s is portraying the point of view of a person like that. It’s also a metaphor from where we are today as people in our every day society as a whole.
“Bodies”
This is simple. Women have the right to choose who, what, when, where, why, and how when it comes to their body and mind. Invasive practices on a woman’s reproductive organ is not only inhumane and barbaric, but it’s also downright senseless and grotesque. Live your life, have your beliefs, and adapt your ideological practices into your life the best way you see fit, but in return, harness the human emotion of compassion and let others live and thrive the same way. No old man in a business suit has any right to force any woman on this planet into motherhood. It’s not just Women’s Rights at that point, it’s Human Rights.
“Two Examples”
“How easily misconstrued gun advocacy, gun control, and gun regulation seems to be in this country. It’s a not a matter of trampling your Second Amendment rights, it’s honestly just an easy issue of amending it. To sum it up: Necessity. Think about it. I’m not a God-fearing man but what is the one deadly sin out of the seven that absolutely frowns upon stuffing your face with relentless amounts of food? Gluttony. There’s something to be learned from that. You don’t need an arsenal to keep you safe. Hell, you don’t need semi-automatic weapons and clips that hold thousands of rounds. All you need is the knowledge, the know-how, the respect, and the training needed to fire a simple handgun/rifle safely and effectively. This song doesn’t condemn the rights of gun-holders nor does it condemn the possession of firearms in this country. It’s sole purpose is to make you, the gun consumer, aware that when you conveniently place an order on the internet for weapons that can cause serious damage and destruction with little to no regulation or difficulty, the odds of some nut bag placing that same exact order in any–or your–small-town-America is alarming. Bottom line, those loose stipulations need to be radically challenged and amended. Gun reform can’t wait any longer.
“Snake Chopper”
We like this song a lot because it features guest vocals from our friend Thomas Linburg–At The Gates, Disfear, Skitsystem. This is also your Mom’s favorite song on the album.
“Walking Out”
Am sure the majority of the people reading this have worked at least one shitty job in their life. I can’t even keep track of the amount of awful jobs I’ve worked over the years. I’ve worked jobs from dishwashing at a hippie bar, mowing lawn to even working as a shoe salesman at Sears. I’ve pretty much done whatever it takes at wherever I could to get by. Working at such places sets you up for a lot of abuse from a lot of people way more ignorant than you. This song is about the satisfaction you get from realizing you would rather go broke for another month then take any more of their shit. Walking out and leaving them stranded with your workload is a great feeling sometimes.
On November 24, the NOS Event Center hosted California Metalfest VI, which featured a face-ripping lineup including Dillinger Escape Plan (pictured above), As I Lay Dying, Darkest Hour, Animals as Leaders, Pierce the Veil, Unearth, Bleeding Through, Born of Osiris, For Today, and many more. Revolver‘s own Stephanie Cabral was on hand to capture the mayhem, as was photographer Dirt Junior, who shot the photos of Unearth and Thrown Into Exile. Check out all the pics below.
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Machine Head have announced a North American headlining tour beginning next January, in support of their recently released Unto the Locust album. The band will be accompanied by Suicide Silence, Darkest Hour, and Rise to Remain. Full schedule below.
You can read a feature on Machine Head and their new record in Revolver‘s Hottest Chicks in Hard Rock issue.
01/15 Denver, CO, Summit Music Hall
01/17 Sauget, IL, Pop’s
01/19 St. Paul, MN, Station 4
01/20 Milwaukee, WI, Rave Ballroom
01/21 Royal Oak, MI, Royal Oak Music Theatre
01/22 Chicago, IL, House of Blues
01/24 Columbus, OH, Newport Music Hall
01/26 Portland, ME, State Theatre
01/27 Montreal, QC, Metropolis
01/28 Toronto, ON, The Sound Academy
01/29 Buffalo, NY, Town Ballroom
01/31 Pittsburgh, PA, Stage AE
02/01 Baltimore, MD, Ram’s Head Live
02/02 Philadelphia, PA, Trocadero
02/03 New York, NY, Best Buy Theatre
02/04 Worcester, MA, The Palladium
02/06 Norfolk, VA, NorVA Theatre
02/07 Charlotte, NC, The Fillmore
02/08 Atlanta, GA, Masquerade
02/10 New Orleans, LA, House of Blues
02/11 Houston, TX, House of Blues
02/12 San Antonio, TX, Backstage Live
02/13 Dallas, TX, House of Blues
02/15 Farmington, NM, Top Deck
02/16 Tuscon, AZ, Rialto Theatre
02/17 Hollywood, CA, Avalon
02/18 San Francisco, CA, The Warfield
Photo by Scott Kirkeeng
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Chris Krovatin is the author of two young adult novels, Heavy Metal & You and Venomous. He is currently working on multiple new writing projects, as well as new material with his local New York metal band Flaming Tusk. He is a contributing writer for Revolver and generally comes off as a good-natured pain in everyone’s collective ass.
On August 14, I saw Summer Slaughter, featuring The Black Dahlia Murder, at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ. Here’s what I witnessed:
Sunday schedule: Summer Slaughter.
Setting: Starland, Sayreville.
Forecast: Brutal rain all through the drive.
Highway visibility: Laughable.
Emotional resonance: Nothing like thinking you’re going to die during the entire journey to a show to really help you appreciate death as a concept.
Keen observation from my friend Julia: “Why does every band have to have the word “Within” in their name? Why is it so important to make sure people know that things go on inside of other things?”
Band onstage when I arrive at Starland: Within The Ruins from Westfield, MA.
Sound: Spirited.
Favorite onstage banter: “This song goes out to all the single ladies out there…this is ‘BEHOLD THE HARLOT!’”
Sustenance consumed: One piece of Starland Ballroom pizza and a Red Bull.
Things Starland Ballroom pizza is similar to: Scabs, papyrus, flattened insects.
Next up: Oceano from Chicago.
Sound: Solipsistic.
Stage banter includes: “If you see someone who’s not moving, punch ‘em in the fucking nose and drag them in the pit.”
My humble opinion: I always prefer a band who’s grateful to their fans, even if they are dark and violent in their banter. The whole ‘HURT SOMEONE FOR US’ thing is really fucking stupid and results in clubs not booking bands that I like. Just saying.
Then again: Isn’t Oceano the band that put out those really graphic snuff-style pictures of themselves a few years ago? So they probably don’t give a shit about playing most places.
Stupid move of the night: Forgetting my driver’s license. Not only can I not drink, but I can’t even stand in the bar area in the back.
Next, we have: As Blood Runs Black from Los Angeles.
Sound: Seething.
Awesome band facts: The lead singer goes by Sonik Garcia and the drummer goes by Leche (Spanish for “milk”).
Notable performance fact: Man, how does a growl this huge come out of a singer this small and spidery?
Disappointment of the day: Italy’s Fleshgod Apocalypse aren’t playing? What the figgedy-fuck, man?
According to FgA drummer/merch guy Francesco: “Our truck broke.”
Too bad, too: The new Fleshgod Apocalypse record is pretty fucking great.
Next, there’s: Powerglove from Boston.
Sound: SNES.
Stage banter includes: “This next song…is from Mega Man X.”
Favorite costume piece: The Samus shoulders worn by the one guitarist.
Favorite track played: The X-Men: The Animated Series theme.
Merch dilemma: Do I buy the Lovecraft-themed Black Dahlia Murder shirt or the Dying Fetus ‘Orgy Of The Sick’ shirt? Oh no!
Speaking of which, we now have: Dying Fetus from Annapolis, MD.
Sound: Seminal.
Favorite track played: “Praise The Lord (Opium Of The Masses)”
Blinding realization: All this deathcore, slamcore, whatever-core shit right now…it’s all just Dying Fetus worship!
Random memory: Hanging in Pennsylvania one summer and listening to Destroy The Opposition and Emperor’s Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk on repeat non-stop.
Moving on: Six Feet Under from Tampa, FL.
Sound: Straight-forward.
Interesting set-list move: The band opens their set with Cannibal Corpse’s “Stripped, Raped, and Strangled,” and closes with “Hammer Smashed Face.”
What can I tell you: Sometimes, you gotta give the kids what they want.
Cool artistic move: Chris Barnes going to the merch table after SFU’s set and signing autographs, taking pictures.
And now, we have: Darkest Hour from Washington, DC.
Sound: Sincere.
Surprise: For as much as they’re couched in this emotional metalcore shit, Darkest Hour can really shred.
Favorite track: “The Sadist Nation.” Old-school awesomeness.
Best onstage outfit: Vocalist John Henry’s torn-elbow shirt. It has a strange Johnny Cash-esque class to it.
Who’s an asshole: I’m an asshole.
Best back patch of the day: Dude with the Ghoul/Toxic Holocaust thing going. I feel like I’ve seen him around before.
Most worn shirts of the day: Easily Whitechapel. I’d say their shirts outnumber everyone else’s by a long shot.
And look at this: Whitechapel from Knoxville, TN.
Sound: Sadistic.
Literally: This band’s music hurts.
Crowd response: Overwhelmingly positive. Moshing in insane amounts.
Strange occurrence: The crowd doing its third Wall Of Death of the day. How many times can you run at each other?
Current state: Sad to say it, but I’m fucking exhausted.
C’mon dude: It’s been eight straight hours, man. I’m beat. There better be an awesome band closing this shit up…
And: The Black Dahlia Murder from Detroit.
Sound: Siiiick.
Singer Strnad: Sweaty.
Awesome opener: “A Shrine To Madness” from the band’s most recent release Ritual.
Band observation pt. 1: Wow, Trevor Strnad is looking bigger and meaner than ever tonight.
Band observation pt. 2: Bassist Ryan Williams looks fucking pissed. Gotta keep my head down in the photo pit.
Best stage banter: “SCRUMPTIOUS!”
Best track of the night: “What A Horrible Night To Have a Curse.”
Show: Settled.
Status: Slain.
Suds: Sipped.
With a hot new album, The Human Romance (read our review of the record here), these D.C. metalcore stalwarts are feeling pretty good right now. But as axman Mike Schleibaum illustrated with his list below, this has not always been the case.
Getting sent to jail
“Roland, Oklahoma, in 2002: That’s right—the infamous event in which all members of band and crew were jailed and fined over $8,000 [futureusgalleryon suspicion of drug possession]. Not something to write home about, and definitely a good reason to egg a Roland police car!”
Getting evicted
“You think it’s all strippers and drugs at Ozzfest, but for us it was no money and long days! During our stint on Ozzfest in 2004, [futureusgalleryvocalist] John [futureusgalleryHenry] woke up to a phone call that all of his stuff was being put out on the street ‘cause he hadn’t paid rent. Let me just say Ozzy did not offer to pitch in and help.”
Getting robbed
“We got some cash, and then it got stolen. At the time, we were just a punk band on a punk tour—no safes, hotels, or banks. We just had cash on us all the time, and that meant we were sitting ducks. During a concert in Toronto, a grade-A asshole broke into our van and stole all our money. Yeah, we were idiots for having all that cash—but, hey, we were kids, and the government takes too much of a bite! Fortunately, the good guys in Underoath and Atreyu came through, and the party could roll on. Without those dudes, we might still be in Toronto!”
Getting teeth pulled
“On the Soilwork tour in 2006, [futureusgallerythen-guitarist] Kris [futureusgalleryNorris] had uncontrollable mouth pain. The diagnosis: Get all of his teeth pulled. Yep, enough said—it’s brutal!”
Getting bitten by a spider
“On tour with Anti-Flag, the coolest dudes ever, we were taking a few days off in Cleveland when we realized that [futureusgallerybassist] Paul [futureusgalleryBurnette] had been bitten by the venomous brown recluse spider. He almost lost his foot, but we still rocked the tour. And now we know: Spiders bite!”