Back to the start
I became a fan of Blindside when Silence was released and have continued to be impressed with their growth as songwriters and as a band over the years... This release takes you back to the start to see where all that comes from.

This reissue and the one for A Thought Crushed My Mind were released to celebrate the band's 10-year anniversary (also chronicled on the excellent DVD Ten Years Running Blind) and are a treat for old and new fans alike.

Admittedly the production quality is somewhat rough - but given the budget they must have been working with that is perfectly understandable. What you get here is a young band, raw and full of energy, which is quite a different take on their music than the later, smoothed out Howard Benson productions, Silence and About a Burning Fire. (It is somewhat interesting to note that on The Great Depression the band sort of returned to their roots with a much more raw sound, produced by Lasse Marten who also served as producer on this CD.)

Another reviewer claimed that Blindside lacks any relevance in "heavy music" today but I would say that depends largely on what you define as heavy... I'd never characterize them as metal or nu-metal - they are, if anything, post-hardcore - but their music is edgy and has a definite weight to it, both musically and lyrically, and still stands up even today.

Complete Waste Of Time
Review by Tyler Wagnon:

Ehhh. These reissues bring back a lot of memories, but mostly of stuff I would like to forget. Things like middle school.

Blindside were part of the explosion of heavy Christian bands in the mid to late 90's and were one of the few to have a bit of a nu-metal tinge to their sound. Needless to say, the sound on these albums are dated and honestly, Blindside are so far past any relevance in heavy music these days that these are really a waste of time and energy.

There are a few decent tracks here and there, but most of the material is just... boring, completely lackluster, and the nu-etal edge is frankly horrible. Perhaps their major label signing had something to do with the reissues, but they are pretty much pointless.

From Sweden With Love
The Boy's return to their roots with the re-release of their debut album. Originally released in Sweden than distributed here in America thanks to Solid State Records. BlindSide purchased their masters and have given a new fresh look and feel to their first two records. The band is all over the place with this album moving from alternative rock riffs to modern rock grooves and some hard rock as well. The singing shifts from melodic to screaming without warning. It's a bit jumbled and the songs move from really good to really not so good. It's not until their sophomore effort that we truly see the band come into their own. I won't say this record will blow you away but if you're a fan you'll enjoy hearing the very unique evolution of this now great band. If I had to rank their four records It would be as so.

A Thought Crushed My Mind 4.5/5
About a Burning Fire 4/5
Silence 3.5/5
Self Titled 3/5

Looking back on this record I find myself enjoying it more and more than I did the first time around and it's nice to see that the spark of potential was there from the very start and it was certainly not wasted on future records.

Great way to witness the evolution of a powerful metal band
The Good
The best part about having both of the Blindside re-issues is that you get to hear how they evolved and defined their sound. On their self-titled debut, Blindside struggle with finding their sound. You can hear that they become torn between sounding sort of like Clutch or sort of like Shadows Fall. "Invert" comes barreling at you like a 16 wheeler out of control on a steep hill (long way to go for a simile), with its monster riffs and manic vocal delivery. It's almost like Blindside is messing with you on "Born". The track takes a completely different direction with more subdued vocals and minimal distortion. The track is defined by a simple guitar lick.

It's back to releasing the fury on "Empty Box". This time theirs a soulful bass line matched by heavy breakdowns. A meaty chugga-chugga riff runs rampant on "This Shoulder". The vocals are melodic yet still edgy. "Teddy Bear" has a clean arpeggio lick and somber drum rhythm. By the time the chorus kicks in, the riffs become thunderous and driving. It's nice to be able to compare the four demo bonus tracks to their final product.

On A Thought Crushed My Mind, Blindside have settled on what they want to sound like (more like Shadows Fall). It's also apparent that they had a bigger production budget when this was originally released. "Vow of Silence" is everything but silent. It's pure assault of heavy distortion and furious vocals. It's amazing that vocalist Christian Lindskog's lungs haven't exploded. "King of the Closet" is a tale of vampires that chugs along with breakneck unruliness.

"My Mother's Only Son" briefly flirts with the soulful sounds of Blindside's debut, but reverts to the angst they so relish in. Think bass riffs take hold of "Nara". The intensity builds when the guitars and vocals kick in. Instead of including demos with this reissue, Blindside decided to include two hard to find 7" vinyl releases and two previous unreleased tracks. If you want to hear a completely different side of the group, listen to the final track "[Phatbeat 1303]".

The Bad
Nothing

The Verdict
The Blindside reissues are a great way to witness the evolution of a powerful heavy metal band. It will also hold over their fans with demos and unreleased material, until their new album is released later this year.

Generating A Pattern?........................
Notice how this album like Silence is very mellow. Whereas in A Thought Crushed My Mind has all the screamo effects of About A Burning Fire. Blindside is still one of my favorite Christian rock bands around. This was very cool of them to remaster and redistribute their first two albums. The new added tracks are actually the band's demo songs from when they first started out. It sounds like they were in someone's garage when they recorded it. Still a good CD though. Keep up the good work guys. I'll be patiencently waiting for you're next new album.