A Dirty Dozen with MIKE SCHLEIBAUM from DARKEST HOUR – November 2026

According to a recent press release: “Washington, D.C. metal veterans DARKEST HOUR have unleashed their latest full-length album, Suffer Divine, marking another milestone in the band’s decades-long career. Mark Lewis (Whitechapel, The Black Dahlia Murder, Cannibal Corpse) produced the album, which distills everything Darkest Hour loves about heavy music, from force to spirit. Emerging from Washington, D.C.’s underground punk and hardcore scene in the mid-’90s, DARKEST HOUR forged a distinctive identity by combining the raw energy of hardcore with the speed and ferocity of thrash and melodic death metal. Their pioneering approach helped shape modern metalcore and established them as a key force in the New Wave of American Metal.” We get guitarist Mike to discuss new music, influences, and more…

1. Tell us a little about your latest release.  What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through?  Are there any hidden nuggets you put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

I think that the lyrical content, reflections, observations are pretty dense. We spend a lot of time crafting the lyrics and I think our fans find a lot of joy diving in and trying understand what we are talking about conceptually. Of course sonically there are some little hidden gems. My favorite is that the vocals and some of the madness going on in the intro of the album are actually taken from the last song on Perpetual Terminal something about that seems so poetic. But yeah, not goanna give away all the details. I encourage every one, jam this record and dig in!

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

I’ll never forget the first time I saw the music video for AC/DC’s – “For Those About to Rock” on MTV. I immediately knew I wanted to play guitar, borrowed one from a neighbor, and started hacking away. Immediately I wanted to start a band, tour, and most of all write my own songs. Of course there were a lot of other moments, but I remember sitting on my friends couch watching that video and having my mind blown!

3. Building on that, is there a specific song, album, performer, or live show that guided your musical taste?

We are just super fans of music and we soak up everything. Here are the basics: AC/DC, Scorpions, Black Sabbath, Ozzy, Dio, Steve Via, Van Halen, Pantera, Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Exodus, Anthrax, At The Gates, Carcass, Entombed, Dismember, In Flames, The Crown, The Haunted, Minor Threat, Bad Brains, Earth Crisis, Integrity, and Damnation AD…to name a few!

4. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

We already feel so lucky to have collaborated with both Thomas and Anders from At The Gates. To us, this was and still is the greatest guest spot we could EVER ask for. On top that we also collaborated with the one and only Devin Townsend… who is a god of rock in our opinion. So yeah… that said, I always answer David Lee Roth. Sure the guest spot would probably be bad, BUT it would be so rad to hang with him. Although also I would love to collaborate with Steve Via or even Paul Gilbert – you know some real guitar god shit! That would be rad too!

5. What is your favorite activity when out of the studio and/or not on tour?  What do you like to do to unwind?

I love to paint! I love oil painting and I love painting cats, mostly cartoon cats. I know it sounds insane as I type it but my whole studio and the bands practice space is littered with fun cat paintings everywhere. I really like the art of cartooning and creating these fun pet paintings. I’m not like amazing but I also sometimes surprise myself. I try to give away as many paintings as I can but I do so many they end up sitting around all over. I have even painted over old paintings to make new ones. Something about just the act of it all, getting messy, creating something visual, creating something outside of all the expectations that come with music etc., I think if you are a true creative then having a hobby is a must. It helps me clear my head, focus, and gain perspective.

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?

If I had to explain it to someone who had never heard it I would say we play – Melodic Death-Metal-Core. Labeling you music is the worst, but I guess it helps some people make sense of it all. I think the only comparison we ever cringed at were the ones that said we were “metal-core” in the early 2000s. Now we have accepted it, along with accepting that we don’t have to exist inside that narrow description. There are so many nuanced details that make all the subgenera’s of metal so special.

7. When your band is hanging out together, who cooks, who gets the drinks in, and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

John – (our singer) – cooks – he kills it too! Deal – (our bass player) – usually in charge of beer choice and usually can be trusted to hang on to the band weed and not smoke it all. Me – I am definitely the first to crack out an acoustic guitar. In fact we usually have a small acoustic guitar stuffed in a bunk or in the back of the bus that we play all day. We are always showing each other songs, figuring out songs together, and even making them up on the spot. We love to play and we love guitar so yea, that’s me for sure!

8. When was the last time you were starstruck and who was it?

I think meeting Ice-T on the 2017 Mayhem tour when we toured with Body Count was insane… life unlocked moment. Also getting to know the guys in Exodus in 2024 was just too cool after years of worshiping their records. Recently I met Bill Steer from Carcass that was so cool, his playing is just so iconic and I even got to watch him sound check which was like having your own private Carcass concert. Each one of those experiences I will take to my grave!

9. What is the best part of being a musician? If you could no longer be a musician for whatever reason, what would be your dream job?

The best part is being able to tour the world, eat new foods, see new places, meet new people, connect with people you may never have met before, create new memories, and go on new adventures as a gang! Being a musician is my dream job, but if I guess I had to do something else then I’d go with professional cat cartoonist.

10. What is one question you have always wanted an interviewer to ask – and what is the answer? Conversely, what question are you tired of answering?

Favorite overused question – “What was it like recording in _____ with ___?” that question is just to open lol! Question I never get asked – Yellow Mustard or Spicy Mustard? For real, I LOVE YELLOW MUSTARD, not sure why everyone always acts like spicy is better! I guess I am just a simple man.

11. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over,” even if it didn’t change your current situation?

I wish I could go back to the 2004 Ozzfest. We know so much more now, play so much better, are so better organized, are so more focused, just are an all-around much better band. Knowing what we know now, we could have ROCKED THAT TOUR SO HARD… but we were young and it took that experience to learn all the things we needed to. Getting to tour with Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Slayer, etc., was just the best, would go back and really crush it, other than that, no regrets!

12. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

Oh man so MANY! Here are just a few: Pantera – Vulgar Display of Power, Van Halen – 1984, AC/DC – For Those About to Rock, Beastie Boys – License To Ill, At the Gates – Slaughter of the Soul, Fugazi – 13 Songs, Ozzy Osbourne – No Rest for the Wicked. All these records are legendary, changed my life, are part of my musical DNA, and are just all around so killer that being able to exist alongside these albums in real time would be just too awesome!

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Category: Interviews