The Human Romance (Bonus Track Edition)

Fans of metalcore quintet Darkest Hour may be somewhat surprised to find the band’s seventh studio album aiming for commercial accessibility, though not as obviously as some of their more ambitious peers. The Human Romance still throws solid metalcore punches beginning with the eardrum assault of “The World Engulfed In Flames” where a foundation built on ham-fisted drumming and root-note bass-runs come together to support melodic guitar shredding and John Henry screaming like a young Lemmy Kilmister (sans English accent). “Savor the Kill” boasts twin guitarmonies that recall early Iron Maiden and a chorus catchy enough to get stuck in your head like a pop song. But even the tunes that flirt with mall-friendly screamo (“Love As a Weapon” and “Beyond the Life You Know”) keep the scales tipped on the side of classic metal’s influence, so this direction sounds more like a natural evolution instead of a blatant sell-out. And there are still moments where the band harks back to their darker hardcore roots, like bonus track “Hierarchy Of Heathens” — a feral tirade of vocal tantrums and six-string catharsis.