It probably bothers some of you that the same guys that bought Limp Bizkit's Chocolate Starfish And The Hotdog Flavored Water — the same guys that wear red baseball caps and visors backwards and upside down and seriously think it looks cool, the same guys that go to Nickelback concerts and come back reporting that they really "rocked out," and the same guys that wear cut off shirts when going out to social events — are going to buy the new Blindside record. This new crop of Blindside listeners will most likely encroach on the underground proud fans that have been there since the beginning and don't want to share Blindside with the mooks. Here's the bad news for those people (look for good news below) — MTV consumers of bland rock will indeed be buying Silence. But will the discerning hard music lover go out and purchase it, also, or will they discard Blindside as a "sell out?"
Well, I hope not, because here is the good news for all who are independent of corporate rock: Blindside has not suddenly turned its back on you. But do understand that Silence is sonically more universally appealing than any previous release from the Swedish rockers. And another thing, Silence is not a hardcore record. Whenever anyone talked of Blindside before the release of Silence, immediate comparisons to fellow Swedes, Refused, were inevitable. Now, whether ignorant or not, comparisons to any number of nu-metal bands are bound to be used to size up Blindside and Silence. Brandon Boyd and Linkin Park comparisons are not completely unfair for parts of the record. But that didn't scare me away, and it shouldn't necessarily scare you either, because the similarities are subtle. And in fact, the band's new aesthetic actually bears more resemblance to Thursday than anything "nu-metal." Except Blindside does not sink to a contrived emocore formula — Blindside's histrionics are more viral than staged. And even if Blindside is inevitably couched with the nu-metallers, Silence is smart and original enough that any nu-metal band would have been blessed to have written any of these songs.
"Caught A Glimpse" starts the whole shindig off with a gently picking guitar intro, reminiscent of some epic Metallica song, which then leads into a signature Christian Lindskog yelp which soon turns into variable singing and unusual screams (unusual for Christian, that is, who used to stick to a standard half scream/half yell). The chorus on "Caught a Glimpse" is catchy enough for radio, and contains layers of singing and harmonizing which had me singing along. "Pitiful" falls next, with another Metallica (I'll stop saying Metallica after this, I promise) Black-era guitar intro, and then waterfall-like guitar riffing with breathy vocals. The chorus on "Pitiful" is emotional, and displays Christian's dualistic vocal range abilities (screaming and singing). It all leads up to the bridge, when all the instruments are silent, and they leave a screaming Christian laid bare. The whole affair left me quite satisfied.
Some of the tunes, like "Midnight," "Thought Like Flames," and "You Can Hide It," could be accused of veering too far from the sound that has gotten Blindside this far. Their hardcore fans and DIY approach has indeed gathered Blindside a loyal following, and by potentially alienating those people Blindside may burn a bridge, never to return to their indie roots. But, in my opinion, this album does not do that. Deep, searching lyrics, quality, high energy song arrangements, and plenty of growth (some will call that "selling out," though, I'm sure) mark Silence as a good recording by a good band.
By signing to 3 Points/Elektra Records, Silence is an album that is going to reach a lot more consumers, and don't be surprised if you see Blindside regularly on MTV, like their friends and A&R in P.O.D. If one can deal with that, and just enjoy the music without any baggage, then one will do well to pop the dynamic Silence into the CD player.
Editors' ratings - Doug 4/5, Jason 3/5
Other coverage for this album
The Rebel Base 2002Reviewed by Andree FariasSofties, be warned: This is a hard record. In a market where Creed hopefuls and nu-metal outfits have reached mind-numbing proportions, it's refreshing to find a group that can hold its own without falling prey to the predictable conventions of made-for-radio rock. Sweden's blindside is one of those groups. After two mildly successful indie efforts, blindside have finally hit it big with their…Art for the Ears 2002Reviewed by Marco PovervestThe history of Blindside is a success story. Started in the mid nineties this band got their first record deal with the new Swedish company Day Glo Records. The self titled album attracted attention overseas which led to a tour with another upcoming act: POD. A license deal with Solid State Records came forth plus more tours. And then, in the slipstream of POD's worldwide success, Blindside…The Phantom Tollbooth 2002Reviewed by Vik BansalIf, as someone once claimed, that the key to success is "not what you know, it's who you know," then Sweden's Blindside ought to be okay. For them, the "who" is flavour-of-the-year, metal heroes, P.O.D., who have "big-upped" Blindside in the press at every available opportunity, had singer Christian guest on "Anything Right" from the mega-selling Satellite album, and recently made Blindside the…The Phantom Tollbooth 2002Reviewed by Chris SardaBlindside's third full length release and first major label release Silence is a departure from their last album A Thought Crushed My Mind. Silence seems to showcase lead singer Christian's singing abilities this time around rather than his screaming abilities. Some will throw this new album in the 'radio friendly' corner and just pass on it, which is unfortunate since it's a very strong release.…Similar sounding releases
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