Darkest Hour was formed in 1995 and is based out of Washington D.C. Darkest Hour incorporates elements of At The Gates into its hardcore recipe. The band was originally signed to Death Truck and then Art Monk and then MIA, but with the latter label's bankruptcy in early 2000, the band showcased and signed to Victory Records.
A DVD called Party Scars And Prison Bars - A Thrashography was released in 2005. Undoing Ruin was issued in the summer of 2005. The album was recorded at Green House Studio in Vancouver and produced by Devin Townsend. A tour with Bleeding Through, Zao and Martyr A.D. followed.

DARKEST HOUR - UNDOING RUIN - VICTORY RECORDS
Undoing Ruin is a sometimes atmospheric version of the current wave of US bands. Darkest Hour borrow the same Swedish sound and mixes it with some of the familiar hardcore and metal elements. This release advertised as being produced by Devin Townsend of Strapping young Lad is actually pretty weak and low key in that department. The vocals are the usual screaming kind and the band claims that this is their first non-political album but one more about personal and musical change. The opener With Thousand Words To Say But One gives a clear indication of where this change has taken Darkest Hour with the aforementioned atmosphere created by the often melodic riffs. Convalescence starts off very much like a melodic European metal song befitting the likes of Withering Surface, for example. The two songs that follow, This Will Outlive Us and Sound The Surrender, feature heavy metal solos taking this album further away from any hard core sound one might expect. This Will Outlive Us’ opening segment borrows heavily from Slayer’s Divine Intervention. Pathos, an acoustic instrumental follows, providing a mandatory intermission heard on many heavy metal albums. Low mixes much of the same influences and is followed by yet another instrumental in Ethos. District Divided has a slightly upper tempo and is therefore a clear candidate for an album highlight. Closing out the album These Fevered Times, Paradise and Tranquil make one reach the conclusion that Darkest Hour is not really sure as to its direction, providing more hints of traditional heavy metal mixed with the usual hardcore/mallcore sound. - Anna Tergel