‘Salvation’ is the focus track and latest music video from DARKEST HOUR’s newly released album, Suffer Divine. The Washington, D.C. band’s blend of melodic aggression and hardcore intensity provides the musical context for the track, which appears fourth on the 11-song record.
Mark Lewis, whose production credits include Whitechapel, The Black Dahlia Murder and Cannibal Corpse, produced the album. Guitarist Mike Schleibaum describes its direction in terms of both melodic death metal and the guitar work he has developed with Nico Santora.
“Suffer Divine is a love letter to melodic death metal. While it stays true to our core sound, it also pushes the sound of our band forward with precision focus. It has so many dense layers; we’re very excited for listeners to get to know it and really dig into it,” Schleibaum says.
“It’s a guitar-focused record for sure, and you really hear the heightened guitar approach Nico and I have been developing over the past few records. But I also love the lyrics, John’s vocal performance, Deal’s thunderous sound, and the insanity that is Travis Orbin’s drumming. Can’t believe it is finally out, jam it now, and make sure you crank it up loud!”
DARKEST HOUR’s lineup comprises John Henry on vocals, Schleibaum and Santora on guitars, Aaron Deal on bass and Travis Orbin on drums.
The band emerged from Washington, D.C.’s underground punk and hardcore scene in the mid-1990s, combining hardcore with thrash and melodic death metal. That approach contributed to modern metalcore and the New Wave of American Metal. Their Billboard-charting catalog includes Deliver Us (2007), Eternal Return (2009) and Godless Prophets & the Migrant Flora (2017). Their tenth studio album, Perpetual Terminal, arrived in 2024.
New Noise Magazine has described the band’s dedication as “with an unrivaled level of dedication,” while noting its continued exploration of new expression within a punk-rock mentality. Henry spoke to the publication about the role that writing and touring have played in keeping the group going.
“This has been such a constant in my life that I can't live without,” Henry told New Noise. “Any time we ever felt dragged down, something would happen where we would write a song, or we would do a tour, and it'd be, like, okay, we can't stop. This is what we know. This is what we love, and we love doing it too much.”
- All Cruelty Springs from Weakness
- Gods of Decay
- No Conquered Hearts
- Salvation
- Suffer Divine
- Warrior
- Vile Angel
- The Unforgiving Hand
- Tribalist
- Everyday Horrors
- A Story of Redemption
The itinerary includes a New York City stop at St. Vitus in Brooklyn on December 11, with Judiciary, Nehemiah and Justifications. Two solo dates precede the November run with Fear Factory; December dates feature Judiciary with Eternal, followed by Judiciary, Nehemiah and Justifications.
- November 10 — Cleveland, OH — No Class
- November 11 — Indianapolis, IN — Hoosier Dome
- November 12 — Springfield, MO — The Regency Live
- November 13 — Wichita, KS — Wave
- November 14 — Denver, CO — Oriental Theater
- November 15 — Co. Springs, CO — Black Sheep
- November 17 — Billings, MT — Pub Station
- November 18 — Great Falls, MT — The Newberry
- November 20 — Seattle, WA — El Corazon
- November 21 — Portland, OR — The Hawthorne Theatre
- November 22 — Boise, ID — Shrine Social Club
- November 24 — Fresno, CA — Strummers
- November 25 — San Diego, CA — House of Blues
- November 27 — Pomona, CA — The Glass House
- November 28 — Los Angeles, CA — The Whisky A Go Go
- November 29 — Los Angeles, CA — The Whisky A Go Go
- December 1 — Austin, TX — Come And Take It Live
- December 2 — Dallas, TX — Trees
- December 3 — Lawrence, KS — Bottleneck
- December 4 — Chicago, IL — Reggies Rock Club
- December 5 — Pontiac, MI — Pike Room
- December 6 — Pittsburgh, PA — Preserving Underground
- December 7 — Toronto, ON — Lee’s Palace
- December 8 — Montreal, QC — Foufounes
- December 9 — Albany, NY — Empire Underground
- December 10 — Worcester, MA — The Palladium (Upstairs)
- December 11 — Brooklyn, NY — St. Vitus
- December 12 — Millersville, PA — Phantom Power
- December 13 — Washington, DC — Atlantis
