Search - Blindside :: Thought Crushed My Mind

This Album Crushed My Mind

S. Alix | NYC | 05/24/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the album that put BlindSide on the map. At this point you either loved thenm to death or you hated their guts. No band goes from alternatve rock to hard core metal but this band managed to somehow pull it off and with style. From the crazy opening of the now classic "King of the Closet" to the beautifully structured epic "Nothing but Skin" this album mixed all the harmonic elements of their first album with a new sound that caught everyone by surprise. It's light years better than "Silence" and matched only by the sonic velocity of "About a Burning Fire". The bonus tracks are a real treat and the bonus cover art makes this one really worth getting. If you own the first release of this record (and its probably worn out by now) than you owe it to yourself to get this version.



Since this record BlindSide have moved on from the hardcore scene but you can still see the remnants of it in their new songs.



"

Great way to witness the evolution of a powerful metal band

George Dionne | Cape Cod, MA | 05/18/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"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."

Blindside's best gets better

S. Cagle | Tulsa, OK | 05/17/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

""A Thought Crushed My Mind" has always been my favorite Blindside album. This rerelease has been beautifully remastered and is better than ever. The bonus songs are exellent stuff (sounding very punkish for Blindside). If you already own the first edition of this album, you need to buy this rerelease. The remastering alone makes it worth the 12 bucks (including shipping!), nevermind the extra songs. My only disappointment is that neither this disc nor the remastered selftitled disc contain the song "Sidewinder", which is on the original Swedish Day-Glo Records release of the selftitled album. That aside, I consider this to be the best Blindside album on the market to date."