Darkest Hour’s highly influential fifth album, Deliver Us turned 15 this year and we have commentary from guitarist Mike Schleibaum. Check it out below and let us know your thoughts on the record!

First of all, how does it feel knowing Deliver Us turns 15 this year?

It feels very special that this record has retained all of it’s shine and held up over the course of time and the evolution of metal music. A lot of these songs have been staples in a Darkest Hour live set but having he chance to play the whole record is also really special, really sets a vibe for a unique Darkest Hour show. We love this record and it’s a joy to jam all the tunes of it.

How did you feel when the album came out?

I remember being very proud of it, getting to work with Devin for the second time was such an honor and we were very appreciative of that opportunity. He poured his heart into Deliver Us and the result felt like an evolution, even form Undoing Ruin. I also remember being very nervous. Although we had experimented with melodic vocals before, this record, DELIVER US was definitely our first venture into that world head on and while were excited about this new sonic pallet we were still nervous about the roll out and release of the music etc.

Where do you think the album fits in the band's legacy?

You know we love this record and it’s hard to imagine a show or a Darkest Hour live set that wouldn’t include at least one of these songs. Demon(s) is still our most streamed, most downloaded song of all time so it’s fair to say this album sits solidly in the center of our legacy.

How did the band approach writing? What inspired the lyrics?

We were under a lot of pressure to write this album fast. We had a limited amount of time that Devin was available so we had to work fast. I remember we had all the music recorded and demoed (and have shared a lot of those songs / demos with our Patreons) but we did not have very much of the lyrics written. It wasn’t till we got to Vancouver and John got immersed in the city, and the album that the lyrics and themes came together.

I remember coming up with album title Deliver Us, I was always coming up with the more biblical ideas, but john really filled in the message of the album with his thoughts and lyrics as he wrote along side the recording in Vancouver.

Do any of the themes touched on the album still hold relevant for you?

Yes, a lot of the albums themes center around this sort of feeling of self preservation while the world collapse around you, - which are till are relatable today. I have always loved how John wrote lyrics and the perspective he uses. I think this really helps make the music matter more and helps make the entire album timeless.

What were your hopes and expectations for the record during the writing and recording process?

Of course we wanted this to be the black record hahah! We wanted this to be THE GREATEST METAL RECORD OF ALL TIME! - obviously in reality it is what it is but to us, this was all that mattered. So to say we had high hopes and expeditions for this record would be an understatement. To us the pressure was on coming off the success of Undoing Ruin and that made everything feel more urgent and important.

When you were in the studio, how was the morale of everyone?

We had a blast, but we also had hard times. Making an album like this which was at the top of our playing potential was of course not easy but we enjoyed each other’s company and we REALLY loved the city of Vancouver. We were so excited to live there for 6 weeks and make this record. We lived together in an apartment that had a few rooms and beds. Really made for a great bonding experience but also for some insane stories. Lots of great times living and creating together for sure!

When was the last time you listened to the record? Are there memories and emotions that come back?

LOL, yesterday hahaha! We have been working on rehearsing the album and that means lot of re-learning and re-interpreting - AKA a lot of listening. I honesty like the way it sounds when we play the songs in a room more than the way it sounds on the album. Now that we are older we can actually playthings with some swagger to them, i love this, to me some of the playing feels a little to stiff on the album.

What do you remember most about making the album?

Devin. Being around him, his energy, his genius. When I think of Deliver Us, I think of Devin. I know that we all suffered and put in an insane amount of work into it but Devin bleed his soul into Deliver Us and gave us this extremely special gift, the music.

Were there any bands in particular you enjoyed playing with while touring for the record?

Man that was so long ago but I remember we toured with Bleeding Through, Misery Signals, Himsa, A Life Once Lost, Cephalic Carnage, Parkway Drive to name a few!

How did things change for the band after the album came out?

The album was received very well and the subsequent tours also did well. Things felt like they were moving the right direction for us. In retrospect we probably over toured because in the end that is what lead to the member changes after this album but for what it is worth we came out hard with this album and hit the street to prove it.

Do you remember what you were listening to at the time?

Lots of In Flames, Metallica, Slayer, At the Gates, but also lots of Devin Townsend, Ziltoid (Devin showed us this for the first time when we where in Vancouver), Strapping Young Lad, etc. Also, we were dug in deep with neoclassical guitar and tuned up the head with the leads because of the influence we were drawing form.

Do you think of the album any differently now than you did when you recorded it?

Of course, I think that time always give you perspective on art that you create. Sometimes it shines new light and you no longer like what you did or you feel you wish you could change it etc. and other times LIKE WITH DELIVER US time makes things feel classic. Songs have a way of connecting to a specific time in you life and in some ways can help you time travel back to those times. This album still feeling good, sounding good, and it being lyrically relevant is a perfect example of music that can tie us to a period of our life but also be with us for the rest of it.

Did you ever expect the album to have the influence it did?

Even though we knew we were making a great album and were super proud of the music we definitely did not think about that. It’s an absolute honor to have the music connect and stay with people let alone have it influence other’s musical DNA. We love Melodic Death Metal and if we can inspire others to love it and create it then we feel we must have done something right.

Mike Schleibaum | Darkest Hour