Blinded Black

The problem with the style of music Blinded Black play — clean singing with screamed back-up vocals over distorted guitars — is that it’s very difficult to do anything new or inventive with it. That’s not to say that the band don’t try to push the boundaries of the genre, in fact the inclusion of synthesisers goes a long way towards accomplishing this goal, but in many ways, they fall short. The heavier moments of Under The Sunrise, including said screamed backup vocals, often come across as sounding forced and contrived due, in part, to the band’s skilfully written poppy elements. In other words, the screaming and hardcore-style breakdowns take away from the best parts of the disc. The interplay between the synthesisers and the rest of the band creates some genuinely interesting melodies that get lost behind a wall of aggressive posturing and pointless screaming. The sad thing is that this band can write some really catchy hooks that will have you tapping your foot, assuming you can make it through the unnecessary parts. However, the use of gang vocals on songs like "Can You Hear Me Now” and the title track infuse a certain amount of much-needed vitality to the music. In the end, Under The Sunrise’s biggest downfall is over-production, which sucks out any edge that could have made this record sound unique or noteworthy.