When I first began to conceive this music, I knew I wanted it to be about something, and I knew I wanted it to be relevant to the listener. I wrote The Darkest Hour as a musical expression of the quality life in the early 21st century. The first major event of the 21st century that I remember was the tragedy of September 11th, 2001. Since that day, the world has continuously struggled to reach a sustainable equilibrium. In this music, you will notice that there is a similar struggle. There are moments of mirth and there are moments of sadness. There are moments of jubilation and there are moments of grief. This variety of emotions I think characterizes our world today.