Pete Duvall
DARKEST HOUR PREMIERE “KNIFE IN THE SAFE ROOM”,
GODLESS PROPHETS & THE MIGRANT FLORA (MARCH 10, SOUTHERN LORD RECORDINGS)
PRE-ORDERS AVAILABLE NOW
Darkest Hour stream the first new music from the band’s forthcoming album, Godless Prophets & The Migrant Flora (March 10, Southern Lord), debuting the song “Knife in the Safe Room”
“This song sets the tone for the album both lyrically and sonically,” explains Darkest Hour guitar player Mike Schleibaum. “While this may be the most fierce album we have ever released, its depth and sonic richness are sure to be discovered as the listener dives in. Thematically this song has a dual purpose. On the surface it is a classic Darkest Hour song, ripe with the reflection of today’s bleak modern age but as you peel back the lyrics and ideas contained within the album story unfolds, one that is all too common in human history. This is the beginning, it is part bitter reflection of the way things are and part anthem for those who struggle to survive as the world encircles them. To quote Nina Simone: “An artists duty is to reflect the times”, with that we hold a mirror to the face of all things truly horrific and give you, ‘The Knife in the Safe Room.’“
The 12-song album was part of a crowd funding campaign that the band launched earlier this year, with the ultimate tally netting the band well over 100% of the initial goal and allowing them to also create an album beyond their initial expectations. The band chose producer Kurt Ballou (High on Fire, Nails, Converge, Black Breath) for “his obvious genius” (as guitar player Mike Schleibaum said) and recorded the release at Ballou’s Godcity Studio. Artist Shaun Beaudry was commissioned to create a custom painting, giving the album a unique visual identity.
“Working at Godcity was the perfect vibe for this record and Kurt was everything we could have asked for in a producer,” said guitar player Mike Schleibaum. “The passion and experience he brought to the whole album really shows.”
Darkest Hour have since partnered with Southern Lord, which Schleibaum discussed, saying “The band has a long history of working with Greg and Southern Lord, who originally released the vinyl version of The Mark of Judas. While working with Kurt, we became reacquainted with Greg. We’ve always respected Greg’s work ethic, creative prowess and steadfast dedication to quality.”
“Southern Lord is beyond stoked to be working with long time favourites Darkest Hour on their upcoming album!,” offered Southern Lord’s founder Greg Anderson. “Their tasteful, seamless fusion of hardcore & metal as well as never ending dedication to underground music is both admirable and praise worthy.”
The band talks about the new album, crowd funding and the partnership with Southern Lord in the first of an ongoing series of podcasts, which can be heard here: http://dhradio.libsyn.com/ and http://apple.co/2htDn5v.
(album cover, designed by Shaun Beaudry)
Godless Prophets & The Migrant Flora track list:
1. Knife in the Safe Room
2. This is the Truth
3. Timeless Numbers
4. None of This is the Truth
5. The Flesh & The Flowers of Death
6. Those Who Survived
7. Another Headless Ruler of the Used
8. Widowed
9. Enter Oblivion
10. The Last of the Monuments
11. In the Name of Us All
12. Beneath It Sleeps
The Godless Prophets & The Migrant Flora tour, presented by Metal Sucks:
February 17 Washington, D.C. Black Cat
February 18 Pittsburgh, PA Diesel
February 19 Cleveland, OH The Agora Theater
February 21 New York, NY Saint Vitus
February 23 Chicago, IL Reggie’s
February 24 Milwaukee, WI The Metal Grill
February 26 Kansas City, MO The Riot Room
February 28 Denver, CO Marquis Theater
March 1 Salt Lake City, UT Metro Bar
March 5 Portland, OR Analog Cafe
March 6 Seattle, WA Studio Seven
March 8 San Francisco, CA DNA Lounge
March 11 San Diego, CA Brick By Brick
March 12 Phoenix, AZ Club Red
March 13 Tucson, AZ Club XS
March 14 Albuquerque, NM The Compound 2
March 15 Lubbock, TX Backstage
March 16 Austin, TX Grizzly Hall
March 17 Houston, TX White Oak
March 19 Dallas, TX Gas Monkey Bar & Grill
March 21 Cincinnati, OH Northside Yacht Club
Ringworm and Rivers of Nihil (except D.C.) open on all dates, Rotten Sound open Feb. 17 to March 4, Tombs open March 5 to March 21.
European tour dates:
April 16 Linz, Austria Posthof
April 17 Graz, Austria Orpheum
April 18 Budapest, Hungary
April 20 Bucharest, Romania
April 21 Sofia, Bulgaria Maimunarnika
April 22 Thessaloniki, Greece Principal Club Theatre
April 23 Athina, Greece Piraeus Academy
April 25 Barcelona, Spain Razzmatazz
April 27 Madrid, Spain La Rivier
Parkway Drive open on all European dates except Budapest.
More dates will be announced soon. Pre-orders are available now, physical bundles can be placed via the Southern Lord Europe storeand digital downloads, which include a download of “Knife in the Safe Room,” available via Bandcamp, iTunes and Apple Music.
Darkest Hour is John Henry (vocals), Mike Schleibaum (guitar), Mike Carrigan (guitar), Travis Orbin (drums) and Aaron Deal (bass).
No Comments