Blindside (band)
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Blindside |
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Blindside is a Christian hardcore band from Stockholm, Sweden. They formed in 1994 as Underfree and kept that name for two years before releasing their debut EP in 1996.
History
In 1997, Solid State Records got a hold of the EP and signed Blindside. The first album, the self-titled Blindside, was released to American audiences. The album had a raw, punk-rock feel and was well-received by fans of P.O.D., Mr. Bungle, and the Glass Novel.
In 1996, Tooth & Nail Records issued a new EP, Empty Box.
In 2000, A Thought Crushed My Mind was released. This album explored a harsher, more hardcore side than the band's debut, and vocalist/chief lyricist Christian Lindskog also voiced his pain of missing his wife, Elina, while touring. Due to lackluster sales of the two albums, it would be Blindside's final album with Solid State. Fellow Christian group P.O.D. began actively endorsing Blindside and signed them to Elektra Records under the imprint 3 Points.
2002 saw the release of Blindside's next album, Silence. It generated hits such as "Sleepwalking", "Pitiful," and "Caught a Glimpse." In 2003, they toured with Hoobastank to support the album. Some fans consider this their best work yet, citing how it meshes Christian's vocal melodies with the band's dramatic, crunchy instrumentation.
In 2004, About a Burning Fire was released. It generated a minor hit in "All of Us." The album showed the band toying with their diversity, as they threw in techno elements in "Where The Sun Never Dies" and yodeling Swedish vocals in the ethereal "Shekina". "Shekina" was used on WWE DVD, Cheating Death, Stealing Life - The Eddie Guerrero Story.
In 2003, the Warner Music Group was sold to private investors, leading Elektra to drop Blindside. The Blindside Union and P.O.D. Warriors, the two bands' street teams, stepped in to help in promotion. Blindside sold out five of the shows they headlined in 2004.
However, the headlining tour was marred by a couple of incidents. First, their tour bus crashed and was in disrepair, forcing the band to rent a van. Secondly, their last show in Bartlesville, OK had to be canceled. After dining in a restaurant in Dallas, TX, they found everything in their rental van stolen, including passports and money.
In 2005, Blindside re-released their two Solid State LPs with bonus tracks and new cover art. A DVD titled Ten Years Running Blind was released on June 21, 2005, and a new album, The Great Depression, was released August 2 2005.
The Great Depression showcased Blindside experimenting with multiple new genres. Many jazzy elements were incorporated, such as in the spiritually uplifting "My Alibi" and the dreamy, ethereal "City Lights." Guest vocalists were incorporated, namely Ilkka from Benea Reach, as well as J. Jamte. Ilkka's vocals dualed Christian Lindskog's in "Come To Rest" while J. Jamte contributed to the ballad "You Must Be Bleeding Under Your Eyelids." Blindside will be releasing "When I Remember" as a single in Sweden. A video has been completed and can now be viewed on their website. In addition, Blindside's song "This Time" will be part of a compilation CD titled Friends With Microphones, along with fellow Christian artists such as mewithoutYou, Anberlin, Paul Wright, and Dogwood; the proceeds from this CD will benefit Lifewater International.
Blindside released a new EP, The Black Rose EP, on June 27, 2007. [1]. They will be touring in Australia and New Zealand in spring 2007.
In mid 2007 Blindside left DRT for undisclosed reasons which led to their making of an EP instead of a full album.
Discography
Albums
| Title | Year | Label | Billboards | Producer | Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Empty Box EP | 1996 | Lasse Marten | |||
| Blindside | 1997 | Day-Glo / Solid State | Lasse Marten | ||
| A Thought Crushed My Mind | 2000 | Solid State | Andre Jacobsson | [2] [3] | |
| Silence | 2002 | Elektra | #83 (US) | Howard Benson | [4] |
| About a Burning Fire | 2004 | Elektra | #39 (US) | Howard Benson | [5] |
| Blindside (re-released) | 2005 | DRT | |||
| A Thought Crushed My Mind (re-released) | 2005 | DRT | |||
| The Great Depression | 2005 | DRT | #89 (US) | Lasse Marten | [6] [7] |
| The Black Rose EP | 2007 | ?? | |||
| n/a | Jan 2008 | ?? |
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Mainstream Rock | US Modern Rock | |||
| 2002 | "Pitiful" | #18 | #36 | |
| 2003 | "Sleepwalking" | #31 | ||
Videography
| Title | Album |
|---|---|
| King Of The Closet | A Thought Crushed My Mind |
| Pitiful | Silence |
| Sleepwalking | Silence |
| All Of Us | About A Burning Fire |
| About A Burning Fire | About A Burning Fire |
| Fell In Love With The Game | The Great Depression |
| When I Remember | The Great Depression |
Quotations
- "Blindside's multifaceted singer can cut through thick, gristly guitar chords with serrated vocals or make melodic incisions with scalpel-clean precision. Lots of similarities to Refused, which is about the nicest thing anyone can say about a Hardcore band these days. Swift, furious tempo changes, crushing throw-downs and airtight construction all around."
-Rollingstone.com[citation needed]
- "We’re a rock band yes, but our lyrics and the personal way we try and relate to our audience is always in the forefront of our minds.”
-Christian Lindskog[8]
- "They play with such a high level of emotion. I believe they will be the next big thing in rock. Silence is by far the best album of the year, a refreshing break from all the cookie-cutter acts that are out there today."
-Sonny Sandoval of P.O.D. [9]
Media appearances
- "Swallow" (from About a Burning Fire) appears on the "Need for Speed Underground" video game
- Blindside performed "Pitiful" on the Conan O'Brien Show on September 11, 2002 [10] [11]
- Blindside was mentioned on "IMX" by P.O.D.
- Billy Corgan featured in "Hooray, It's L.A." on About a Burning Fire
- Christian is featured in the song "Anything Right" on P.O.D.'s album Satellite
- "Pitiful" video featured in P.O.D.'s Tastemaker (a show on the channel Fuse TV)
- Blindside has played at Cornerstone Festival multiple times
- "Channel One News" song requests
- Oven Fresh on "Fuse TV"
- "Pitiful" appears as background music for the MTV special Ultimate Videogame Countdown
- Fuse TV's IMX Interviews
- Blindside appears playing "Pitiful" live in the movie Grind
- Performed in Linkin Park's self promoted Projekt Revolution Tour 2003 [12]
- "Pitiful" appears in the video game NHL 2003
- Appearances on TVU Live
- Purple Door Festival
- Blindside's songs appear in various Solid State Records compilation CDs
- "Fell in Love with the Game" (from The Great Depression) is featured in the Taste of Chaos compilation CD
- "Shekina" (from About a Burning Fire) is used on WWE DVD Cheating Death, Stealing Life - The Eddie Guerrero Story.
- Blindside is featured as the Swedish table tennis team in the music video "Boom" by P.O.D..[13]
- Blindside were guests at a WWE wrestling match.
Further reading
- The Set (New Zealand): Blindside interview (April 2007)
- Farias, Andree (12 September 2005). "The Hardcore Blues". Christianity Today. Retrieved 2007-05-11.
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