The Blamed

    The Blamed

    Chicago, Illinois24 reviews across 10 releases

    hardcorepost-hardcorepunkthrash metal
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    The Blamed began in northern California around 1994 and later became associated with the Jesus People USA community in Chicago after Bryan Gray moved there. Early releases worked within rough, old-school punk, with 21 capturing distorted guitars, studio chatter, static, teenage angst and a hurried recording approach. Frail changed the balance. The band sounded tighter and larger, with fuller bass, faster thrash passages and Jeremy Moffett's forceful vocals, while its lyrics pressed Christian belief and personal failure directly against the listener. The group's sound kept shifting. Germany moved toward subdued post-hardcore, using gray moods, gothic structures and uneasy tempo changes rather than constant attack. Even at their most abrasive, The Blamed paired blunt religious conviction with unusual subjects, including a song about Matthew Shepard and another addressing the death penalty.

    Jeremy Moffett and Gary Ottosi had left by the time ...again appeared in 1998, with Jeff Locke and Johannes Hansen joining Gray and Jim Chaffin for a harsher, less impassioned version of the band. Matt Switaj became a major vocal presence on Forever in 1999, and the Chicago lineup remained comparatively stable through Germany, Isolated Incident and Give Us Barabbas. The final album returned to Tooth & Nail Records while pushing further into chaotic post-hardcore, with Switaj barking over dense guitars and pounding drums. The Blamed disbanded in 2003. Gray formed The Satire the following year, and The Blamed briefly reunited in 2012 before returning for an Audiofeed performance in 2016. A split with The Satire followed in 2018, then The Church Is Hurting People in 2019.

    10 releases reviewed