An old music comparison chart once compared Blindside to the flood of rapcore bands dropping like bombs onto the market. This album bears little or no resemblance to rapcore; the boys from Sweden have created a monster entirely their own.
Over the course of 11 tracks, the vocals rarely descend from the level of impassioned, throat-ripping yelling. Occasionally, however, a melodic vocal interlude appears. In these rare moments, Blindside sounds vaguely like Korn. For the most part, though, Blindside's intensity is far beyond that of most of the bands they find themselves compared to.
Lyrically, Blindside paints a picture of the struggle of humans dealing with a messed-up world, and what happens when a merciful God chases us down and won't let us go, as in "King of the Closet"
I'm a vampire, afraid the light will set me on fire...
we are not trained to see His mercy here...
This choice I've got to make, I've got to make alone
A heart of stone
This choice I've got to make
I've got to make it true
A heart broken in two.
They're screaming, they're singing (occasionally); they're yelling. Whatever it is the boys of Blindside are doing, they're doing it well.
4 tocks
Other coverage for this album
HM Magazine #81Reviewed by David M. PoggeAfter nearly two years since their stunning debut album, the Swedish heroes of emotional hardcore have finally unleashed their sophomore album upon an increasingly impatient public. With this release, a new musical direction is pursued. Gone are those grooves that you can't help but move to, and the majority of the mellow singing parts that make you want to cry. Instead of creating melody in the…Art for the Ears 2000Reviewed by Marco PovervestFrom the first seconds on it's clear that Blindside didn't copy their first album. The opening-track Vow Of Silence isn't about silence at all! You hear screaming hardcore with some uptempo parts and singing part in the choruses. This album is definitely harder than their debut. Surprising is the mellow end of As You Walk (with cellos!). So, it's not only heaviness here. My Mother's Only Son has…The Phantom Tollbooth 2000Reviewed by Michial FarmerEveryone knows that the best hard music comes from Scandinavia. From black metal to hardcore, almost all of the most creative artists are from Norway and Sweden. The latter's Blindside is no exception. Their first album scored major critical and commercial points here in America, and it seems that the entire world was waiting on the edge of their seat for the follow-up, A Thought Crushed My Mind.…
