Sweden's Blindside are back with a new album on Derek Shulman's DRT Entertainment label, this one called The Great Depression. If you haven't heard Blindside yet, the band does a fairly good job of combining the maniacal elements of The Dillinger Escape Plan, the power of Shadows Fall, the atmospheric drama of Opeth, and the crushing riff-rock of Clutch, all into a pretty accessible sound. In doing so, Blindside really don't fall into any one category. One second they are easily an alternative band, like on the catchy "Put Back the Stars", the next they whip out the stop/start complex metal on "Heartattack", and even get some groove going on the funky anthem "Fell In Love With the Game". However, it's the moodier numbers that really work best, like the melodic and emotional "Citylights", complete with passionate vocals and intricate, jangly guitar work, or the doomy riff-monster "Bleeding Under Your Eyelids". Even the raging hardcore of "Come to Rest" has enough European prog-metal flourishes to keep it interesting, including a wild & zany guitar solo.
The last two numbers are even more varied, as you get yearning psychedelia on "This Time" and dark yet melodic heavy rock on "When I Remember", a song that might appeal to fans of Landberk, Opeth, Anekdoten, or Paatos. Leave it up to the Swedish to once again come up with something interesting. There must be something in the water over there. Good stuff here, check it out.
Track Listing
01. The Great Depression
02. Heartattack
03. Ask Me Now
04. We're All Going To Die
05. Yemkela
06. Put Back The Stars
07. Fell In Love With The Game
08. Citylights
09. We Are To Follow
10. Bleeding Under Your Eyelids
11. My Alibi
12. Come To Rest
13. This Time
14. When I Remember
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