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Album Review

Blinded Black

Under The Sunrise (2007)

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The Emo genre is the Nu Metal of our current time… a genre in which way too many people are jumping onto the bandwagon! Too many kids I see at the mall, or at school, or at my barbershop are emo. Blinded Black would be one of these emo bands. This band utilized MySpace in order to get the word out about shows and their new album, dropping early 2007. Because of this method of advertising, the turn-out for the shows wasn’t that bad, considering bands add random people all the time. The current line-up for Blinded Black would be Jeff Nizick (lead vocals), Nick Rohlmann (guitar), Mike Smith (guitar), Jack Rohlmann (drums), Chuck Kraus (synth/vocals), and Tyler Hanks (bass/screams).

First up on the album is “Intro,” which is well… an intro… kind of like the title suggests. It has a slow, melodic feel about it, using stringed instruments, which may be violin, but don’t quote me on that, I’m not positive. The track opens up into “Death Is Never Permanent,” a sentiment which I completely agree with. The band definitely uses emo style guitar, but the fast, up-beat bass style used is more punk than anything. The emo is very much noticeable in the lyrics, when Jeff’s vocals seem to be kind of whiny. The occasional scream made the track stand out a bit more.

Fifth on the album is “Can You Hear Me Now.” This track is slightly industrial, with the synth playing in the background, this becomes apparent. The whiny vocals return again and are highly present in this track, but the band continues to show more versatility than others. Jeff’s vocals are more “normal” throughout this track, but then Chuck begins using the “shrill” vocals. Fortunately, Tyler’s screams occasionally echo throughout the track, bringing on a more interesting sound.

“The Process of Eliminating Options” is ninth on the LP. The intro to the track reminded me a little bit like something Green Day would use, up until the distortion turns on. The guitar riff has a bit more to it in this track, with a slightly hardcore breakdown midway through the verses. Tyler’s screams are chilling enough, to the point where he shouldn’t just be a back-up vocalist. He should wave those talents around proudly!

Overall, this album has got to be the most “standable” emo album I have heard to date. It’s not nearly as whiny or annoying as Fall Out Boy or The Used and these guys just might go somewhere. I give the album a 7/10.  [ END ]

Track Listing:

01. Intro
02. Death is Never Permanent
03. Under The Sunrise
04. Set in Stone
05. Can You Hear Me Now
06. A Perfect Murder
07. Time Is All We Got
08. Behind The Scenes
09. The Process of Eliminating Options
10. Figments of Your Imagination
11. The Greed in You

Run Time: 34:00

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