Darkest Hour are a metalcore band currently signed to Victory Records. The band is officially based in Washington, DC, but several of the members live in Richmond, Virginia. Their sound is akin to classic European metal acts such as At the Gates and In Flames, but it is noted for the incorporation of elements of punk and hardcore music. Over the years they have toured with many influential acts, including The Crown, Zao, Dillinger Escape Plan, and Thrice. They also played 2004's Ozzfest.
The band began as the conception of guitarist Mike Schleibaum. There were various member changes before a first line-up emerged and the band played its first show on September 23rd, 1995, when most of the members were still in high school. In addition to Mike Schleibaum, the original lineup consisted of vocalist John Henry, drummer Matt Maben, and bassist Raul Mayorga. This version of the band released much darker and slower brooding music compared to their current, melodic metal sound. Their original sound has been compared to bands such as Bloodlet and Damnation a.d., who were undoubtedly both influences. The band released its very first CD, The Misanthrope, in the summer of 1996 on tiny local label Death Truck Records. In 1998 Darkest Hour released another EP entitled The Prophecy Fulfilled, on the slightly-less-tiny DC label Art Monk Construction. The new EP marked the beginning of the evolution of Darkest Hour's sound, specifically the introduction of the Swedish metal influence. This sound solidified with the addition of drummer Ryan Parrish, bassist Billups Allen, and second guitarist Fred Ziomek, culminating in the band's first full-length LP, The Mark of the Judas, which was released in the summer of 2000. Because their sound has changed so much, the band tends to quietly ignore their first EPs and instead refers to The Mark of the Judas as "our first record".