When you think of music from Sweden, chances are the first thing that springs to mind is the bubbly, bouncy, disco-pop of ABBA, Ace of Base or the Cardigans (not coincidentally, all bands fronted by attractive, blond females). Swedish metal band Blindside is set to change that. Vocalist Christian Lindskog displays a wide vocal range, frequently going from singing a fractured melody to a full-voiced scream. Simon Grenehed provides the emotional undercurrent with his ragged guitar. From the haunting loop on "Liberty" to the sloppy rhythm and raging, feedback-drenched leads on "Born," Grenehed's noise-laden guitar provides the perfect framework for Lindskog's emotion-worn vocals. As hard as the music is, the lyrics hit even harder, searching out the grace to do God's will in a fallen world, or as Lindskog sings in "Invert": Ouch, want to go mainstream just like them/ God help me go bolder/ I know I'm not/ and I forgot/ that I am not the one/ who is going to get things done. In a genre not known for originality, Blindside mixes up the hardcore tag with emo, punk, an occasional dash of hip-hop, and big metal riffs for a sound that is as enthralling as it is explosive.
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 1998Reviewed by Josh SpencerIn a recent issue of HM, Blindside said they're hoping in the future to "learn how to sing and how to play." If they aren't any good, then the other Christian hardcore bands must be really bad! I don't know what it is about Scandinavia, but some of the heaviest music in the world these days originates from those frozen nether regions, be it Christian or otherwise. They must sit around inside and…Dead Zine 1997Reviewed by FletchThis is, although not bad, not what I would have expected from Solid State. Let's face it, Solid State is pumping out some seriously heavy stuff such as Zao, Embodyment, Living Sacrifice, etc., so what would possess them to put this out? I guess the answer to that would be that it sounds pretty cool. Don't buy this cd expecting metal or for your brain to be warped after listening to it, but…Dead Zine 1997Reviewed by dEaDsMilEThis does not seem like something Solid State would release, but that is no disappointment here. You may have heard that Blindside is crustcore, a mix of punk and hardcore, but that is not completely accurate. Yes, there are many crust-like parts on this disc, but they really do have their own style going here. There are some "nice" sounding emo-like parts with singing, mixed with lots of fast…Garlic Press #4Reviewed by tedcoreWith a very original sound and vocals reminiscent of Skipline, they rip & tear through 8 tracks of punk and grind influenced hardcore. The best element of this record is the lyrics. Combine the militance of Earth Crisis and Christianity and you have Blindside's lyrics. In 'Rebirth of Anger' they state "I have no tolerance for your complaining...my fuse is now burning, the heads are all turning to…Similar sounding releases
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