Honestly I think I kept this interview lingering I bit way longer than everyone would expect, this being recorded last November in Milan, but, you know, I'm dead sure DARKEST HOUR fans will always be eager to read up what guitar player and founder Mike Schleibaum (he's a real dude!) had to say about the then freshly released new self-titled record, on how he backed my not so concealed critics on their move toward more poppier sounds, and among the other things how Darkest Hour and Machine "Fucking" Head are a badass bill for every metal bangers and diehard fans of these two bands who put their hearts in whatever they do and just rip the stages together.
After a year and a few days since its release, Darkest Hour, the record, hasn't yet managed to fully change my mind on its value (it has definitely some) and perhaps like some others out there I still have a little hope they will be coming back with a more ass ripping follow up to match their explosive live performances. Only future will tell, right? Meanwhile, support the DH-dudes, they still really deserve it. It's been twenty years these guys are around and they're not gonna slow-down anytime soon.
By the way, I was almost forgetting to mention this, the oldschool fans will be happy to know that Sumerian rec. re-released "Mark Of Judas", DH's first full-length, in re-mastered form.
gan: Okay, I have got a bunch of things written down on here and I hope you'll find them interesting enough...
We'll fuckin see. I'm a professional interviewee.
gan: How're things today? You guys are in Milan...
Italy is awesome and we've been in kind of eastern part of Europe. We did France and one or two shows in Germany just to start out but it's awesome. We're really excited to be on tour with Machine Head. Last tour was a pretty big party but this one is gonna be like 6 weeks...so now...“we're gonna calm down a little bit!”. There's already lot of kids out and I don't think you can ask for a better audience than Machine Head metal fans, and it's a fucking extravaganza...raging...and they go for it every night.
It's been a nice way to introduce the album to metal masses. For whatever reason when we come by ourselves we are in world...I don't know...I don't wanna say slightly segregated but it's a bit more in the punk hardcore underground...which I love, don't get me wrong...that's my youth, that's where I'm from but I play heavy metal and it's nice to see people's reaction. They just truly love the music.
The Machine Head fans basically, to give you an idea, it's like a very open minded heavy metal fans so it's a great tour.
gan: You did another Euro tour two years ago with Machine Head and I was wondering whether being around again with them is the result of kind of bond built up between your bands...
Yeah, we did that tour and it was awesome and then we did the US with them. So that was a lot of shows and we pretty much figured we were done. “That was it. We're never gonna have another Machine Head tour again” because we had already toured the world with them...and we were cool with that. And out of nowhere we get a text from Rob Flynn... “oh shit! We are going on tour”. They asked us to do the tour, we figured it out to make it possible and here we are again.
gan: So did first Rob approach you directly and then you worked out the details?
Yeah, I mean, you know, managers, booking agents and everybody is involved but Machine Head is very personal with what they are doing and I kinda of expect nothing less because that's how they are.
gan: Last night you played Roma. Was it your first time there? How did it go?
We did an headline show last night. We played Rome many times and it was cool. You know, I love Rome...we really kinda played a very few cities in Italy and in Rome we have a really loyal core fan base there which we really appreciate and love but it really takes the big guns to come out to Europe nowadays on your own and so it's good to team up in some kind of package.gan: And what about your expectations for tonight?
I expect it to be awesome but I expect it to be awesome every night.gan: Better than last time?
Oh, I thought last time was fine. Maybe there are shows that aren't the world most amazing reveling concert but I guarantee there are shows that people never knew who the band was and they hear a bunch of our songs...later on...maybe when you're a little tired of listening to Machine Head and you check out our album and that's what we are here trying to do.
gan: I guess you added new songs to the setlist. If so what is the first reaction you got from the crowds?
This is the first time in Darkest Hour history we play all these new songs in a set. I'm not trying to say that we're scared to fuck all old fans away because we play the staples too...I mean Machine Head gives us one hour set so we can do that. But the energy that's with the new songs it's totally different, you know, perhaps this sounds almost like sacrilege, but I'm almost like we just only play songs. Because the attention there...people are like “what's going on?”. That's because of the way they are built, they are hybrids of old songs...there's a lot more action and you get to the point sooner because you've learned in your songwriting and you have to do that. Other people like how that doesn't happen because they like older songs, more classic style, metal style sounds and that's why we're still playing those songs. But the energy of the new songs is cool...
gan: I understand. But actually I have to tell all the truth I'm one of the guys who wrote a totally positive review to your new album.
So you hate the album?
gan: No it's not really like I hate the album...
You're classic...
gan: Yeah, let put it that way...my point is I'm more into the hardcore and in your face side of your music and so the what I've found more difficult to connect with is this more polished sounding songs...
When I was a kid I had hardcore albums and I would plays those albums to everybody and everybody would say the same thing “Wow, awesome but what the fuck goes with these vocals, it sounds terrible!”. You know, I think these people liked Metallica, Anthrax, Pantera... but we grew up going to hardcore shows we played in the 90's where ever Earth Crisis, Snapcase, Mouthpiece we did the all run, you know what I mean? And I knew how fuckin wrong those guys where... “they're wrong these screams are awesome!” Then John when he put out albums as a singer he kind of wanted to have different voice as an artist, right? And have some more nose... I mean think about it the guitars went from just riffing to fucking roar up in your face so why with the vocals never go somewhere else. Eventually he's an artist and you have to let him go. So I think as a listener you should decide at some point to go like “Am I gonna allow myself to go with this guy because like...he connected to me...he wrote these songs that touched me, okay? So why should I not show him gratitude? Like “ah, let me hear more where he's gone artistically”. But at the same time you can't force people to like some shit, right? I can play a riff in the practice space and three dudes can be “Ohh...it's cool” and then one dude is like just “fuck this!” and you cannot convince that guy, you know? So that's the great thing about music it's not sports. I'd always be glad if we made an impact...any songs, any records...
gan: You guys got a different guy producing this album. Has this thing somehow influenced you while in the studio and the way the new record sounds?
Yeah, him as well as the record label. Look having the record label going like “do something different!”...that was something new because all other times in the past they were like “make a Darkest Hour album!”, right? So we'd stuck to the formula as much as we could. This time was like “shake it up!” because really I'm not gonna lie the formula is awesome but when you see what's happening in the world musically you want step up and put your influences in there, you know, this album isn't so much Scandinavian influenced than it has American influences naturally about it. Like in the earlier shit there was some Goteborg's worship, and I'm proud of that because I might be one of first American who was running around and go “oh Swedes are the best in metal”. Dude! Darkest Hour was in it, Shadows Fall records in the beginning, like...I'm proud of that, right? We told you At The Gate was awesome long time ago! And after they broke up we went all around the world and they said this sounds like At The Gate, even in the countries where At The Gate would still never go and they said...this sounds like At The Gates, right? So I'm proud of that but this new record also sounds like Pantera, you know? It sounds like some other shit too...gan: Right! “Wasteland”, the first song you got out for everybody to listen to has to me a cool very Dimebag style solo... (you can watch the music clip below)
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah...of course, lot of people rip off Pantera but where me and Mike fell in love with Pantera is the guitar solos. I mean I love the riff and shit but he was like Eddie Van Halen for the generation I've grown up in and that's why you hear it in our music because I wanna hear that in some heavy metal more than I wanna necessarily hear neoclassical shredding arpeggios going, that shit is little nerdy for normal people and they're gonna turn the page on me like “what the fuck!” --laughs...
gan: Since we've just got the close down sign I wanna leave you room for some closing words.
I think we probably said everything you need to hear. Check out the new album and for all the old fans, all the people who worship the classics, “we still go to church”, you know what I'm saying? I still listen to every Converge album that comes out and I'd still go see hardcore shows when I'm in the town, you know? We're still good at trying to get drunk on Mexican beer, whatever...my point is artistically Darkest Hour might be the band who might have gone a little poppier here than people were expecting but people need to check out the new album, it's 15 songs and they go all over the place.
gan: Thank you very much Mike. It's always a pleasure.
My pleasure man!
Check: www.facebook.com/DarkestHourDudes
Photo by Joe Winn Photography
gan: Okay, I have got a bunch of things written down on here and I hope you'll find them interesting enough...
We'll fuckin see. I'm a professional interviewee.
gan: How're things today? You guys are in Milan...
Italy is awesome and we've been in kind of eastern part of Europe. We did France and one or two shows in Germany just to start out but it's awesome. We're really excited to be on tour with Machine Head. Last tour was a pretty big party but this one is gonna be like 6 weeks...so now...“we're gonna calm down a little bit!”. There's already lot of kids out and I don't think you can ask for a better audience than Machine Head metal fans, and it's a fucking extravaganza...raging...and they go for it every night.
It's been a nice way to introduce the album to metal masses. For whatever reason when we come by ourselves we are in world...I don't know...I don't wanna say slightly segregated but it's a bit more in the punk hardcore underground...which I love, don't get me wrong...that's my youth, that's where I'm from but I play heavy metal and it's nice to see people's reaction. They just truly love the music.
The Machine Head fans basically, to give you an idea, it's like a very open minded heavy metal fans so it's a great tour.
gan: You did another Euro tour two years ago with Machine Head and I was wondering whether being around again with them is the result of kind of bond built up between your bands...
Yeah, we did that tour and it was awesome and then we did the US with them. So that was a lot of shows and we pretty much figured we were done. “That was it. We're never gonna have another Machine Head tour again” because we had already toured the world with them...and we were cool with that. And out of nowhere we get a text from Rob Flynn... “oh shit! We are going on tour”. They asked us to do the tour, we figured it out to make it possible and here we are again.
gan: So did first Rob approach you directly and then you worked out the details?
Yeah, I mean, you know, managers, booking agents and everybody is involved but Machine Head is very personal with what they are doing and I kinda of expect nothing less because that's how they are.
gan: Last night you played Roma. Was it your first time there? How did it go?
We did an headline show last night. We played Rome many times and it was cool. You know, I love Rome...we really kinda played a very few cities in Italy and in Rome we have a really loyal core fan base there which we really appreciate and love but it really takes the big guns to come out to Europe nowadays on your own and so it's good to team up in some kind of package.gan: And what about your expectations for tonight?
I expect it to be awesome but I expect it to be awesome every night.gan: Better than last time?
Oh, I thought last time was fine. Maybe there are shows that aren't the world most amazing reveling concert but I guarantee there are shows that people never knew who the band was and they hear a bunch of our songs...later on...maybe when you're a little tired of listening to Machine Head and you check out our album and that's what we are here trying to do.
gan: I guess you added new songs to the setlist. If so what is the first reaction you got from the crowds?
This is the first time in Darkest Hour history we play all these new songs in a set. I'm not trying to say that we're scared to fuck all old fans away because we play the staples too...I mean Machine Head gives us one hour set so we can do that. But the energy that's with the new songs it's totally different, you know, perhaps this sounds almost like sacrilege, but I'm almost like we just only play songs. Because the attention there...people are like “what's going on?”. That's because of the way they are built, they are hybrids of old songs...there's a lot more action and you get to the point sooner because you've learned in your songwriting and you have to do that. Other people like how that doesn't happen because they like older songs, more classic style, metal style sounds and that's why we're still playing those songs. But the energy of the new songs is cool...
gan: I understand. But actually I have to tell all the truth I'm one of the guys who wrote a totally positive review to your new album.
So you hate the album?
gan: No it's not really like I hate the album...
You're classic...
gan: Yeah, let put it that way...my point is I'm more into the hardcore and in your face side of your music and so the what I've found more difficult to connect with is this more polished sounding songs...
When I was a kid I had hardcore albums and I would plays those albums to everybody and everybody would say the same thing “Wow, awesome but what the fuck goes with these vocals, it sounds terrible!”. You know, I think these people liked Metallica, Anthrax, Pantera... but we grew up going to hardcore shows we played in the 90's where ever Earth Crisis, Snapcase, Mouthpiece we did the all run, you know what I mean? And I knew how fuckin wrong those guys where... “they're wrong these screams are awesome!” Then John when he put out albums as a singer he kind of wanted to have different voice as an artist, right? And have some more nose... I mean think about it the guitars went from just riffing to fucking roar up in your face so why with the vocals never go somewhere else. Eventually he's an artist and you have to let him go. So I think as a listener you should decide at some point to go like “Am I gonna allow myself to go with this guy because like...he connected to me...he wrote these songs that touched me, okay? So why should I not show him gratitude? Like “ah, let me hear more where he's gone artistically”. But at the same time you can't force people to like some shit, right? I can play a riff in the practice space and three dudes can be “Ohh...it's cool” and then one dude is like just “fuck this!” and you cannot convince that guy, you know? So that's the great thing about music it's not sports. I'd always be glad if we made an impact...any songs, any records...
gan: You guys got a different guy producing this album. Has this thing somehow influenced you while in the studio and the way the new record sounds?
Yeah, him as well as the record label. Look having the record label going like “do something different!”...that was something new because all other times in the past they were like “make a Darkest Hour album!”, right? So we'd stuck to the formula as much as we could. This time was like “shake it up!” because really I'm not gonna lie the formula is awesome but when you see what's happening in the world musically you want step up and put your influences in there, you know, this album isn't so much Scandinavian influenced than it has American influences naturally about it. Like in the earlier shit there was some Goteborg's worship, and I'm proud of that because I might be one of first American who was running around and go “oh Swedes are the best in metal”. Dude! Darkest Hour was in it, Shadows Fall records in the beginning, like...I'm proud of that, right? We told you At The Gate was awesome long time ago! And after they broke up we went all around the world and they said this sounds like At The Gate, even in the countries where At The Gate would still never go and they said...this sounds like At The Gates, right? So I'm proud of that but this new record also sounds like Pantera, you know? It sounds like some other shit too...gan: Right! “Wasteland”, the first song you got out for everybody to listen to has to me a cool very Dimebag style solo... (you can watch the music clip below)
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah...of course, lot of people rip off Pantera but where me and Mike fell in love with Pantera is the guitar solos. I mean I love the riff and shit but he was like Eddie Van Halen for the generation I've grown up in and that's why you hear it in our music because I wanna hear that in some heavy metal more than I wanna necessarily hear neoclassical shredding arpeggios going, that shit is little nerdy for normal people and they're gonna turn the page on me like “what the fuck!” --laughs...
gan: Since we've just got the close down sign I wanna leave you room for some closing words.
I think we probably said everything you need to hear. Check out the new album and for all the old fans, all the people who worship the classics, “we still go to church”, you know what I'm saying? I still listen to every Converge album that comes out and I'd still go see hardcore shows when I'm in the town, you know? We're still good at trying to get drunk on Mexican beer, whatever...my point is artistically Darkest Hour might be the band who might have gone a little poppier here than people were expecting but people need to check out the new album, it's 15 songs and they go all over the place.
gan: Thank you very much Mike. It's always a pleasure.
My pleasure man!
Check: www.facebook.com/DarkestHourDudes
Photo by Joe Winn Photography
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