Call them the chameleon of the "Christian" punk scene. Or, call them a bunch of guys who refuse to remain stagnant and want to grow musically. Whatever you call them, The Blamed seem to have found what works best for them. Picking up where the band's "Germany" EP left off, the Chicago quartet throw in their old rock influences and a dash of Fugazi influence into the formula. Stand out cuts on "Isolated Incident" are "At This Moment", which opens the disc. "To See You As You Are Seen" where vocalist Grey pleads, "I want to separate myself, help me see what you see," this song also features a nice tasty groove towards the end. "At Least We Have Each Other" with piano implementing catchy guitar lines, "NXNW" which also makes good use of piano and rocking guitar riffs and finally "The Finest of Society's Philanderers" featuring some grooving bass work.
While "Isolated Incident" lacks in vocal melody it excels in guitar interplay and almost danceable grooves. The production is solid. It's quite obvious The Blamed spent well over 21 hours on this release. (sorry, lame joke about the band's first album) Look for Brian Grey and crew to keep stretching their creative muscle on future releases.
B
Other coverage for this album
HM Magazine #89Reviewed by Josh SpencerI haven't met many fans of The Blamed. I don't know why. Is it because they change their sound a little every album? Or is it their tenacious loyalty to an old school hardcore gruffness in a slick new school world? I suspect mostly it's because over the years The Blamed have developed two things foreign to most hardcore punk bands: 1) musical ability and 2) the courage to take chances. They've…Decapolis 2001Reviewed by Tom BastianAs many of you know that come here and read the reviews, I'm not always the biggest fan of hardcore. But the Blamed, who I would say fit the hardcore tag, are a band I have actually really enjoyed lately. With "Isolated Incident" the band brings us their best release to date. They bring creativity and innovation to hardcore. They have vocals that you can understand and sing along to, "I'm on the…The Phantom Tollbooth 2001Reviewed by Kerry MaffeoThe challenge for any band is the distinct barrier between technology and live sound. Somehow when transferring energy, emotion, and vibe onto a record, the live distortions and movement tend to get lost in a sea of cables and recording equipment. For The Blamed, if the ocean of sound and frenzy captured on their newest offering, Isolated Incident is any indication of their musical power live,…Similar sounding releases
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