Close Your Eyes: Line in the Sand

I didn't like this album very much. The reason is simple—I'm just not a big fan of this style of metal and so far this album has not convinced me to change my mind. Lots of other people will like it. Consider, for example, that this band's debut sold over 15,000 copies in the USA alone. Added to that, over one million people viewed their video for the track "Song for the Broken." For those individuals, this style of metal—an unsurprising blend of melodic hardcore mixed with lots of metalcore—captures their sense of life, thought, and emotion. For them, a band like Close Your Eyes allows them to escape from their problems and gain perspective through music. I do like the fact that Close Your Eyes tries to be positive in their approach to music and that they aren't afraid to think of their songs through their faith.

In the end, though, this style of metal is just too disappointing. It's melodic when it needs to be hardcore and hardcore when it needs to be melodic. There are too many ballad-like moments and too many emotional pleas. There are also too many pop hooks, sing-along choruses, and emotional yearning (see, for example, "Frame and Glass" and "Kings of John Payne"). A heavier version of Disney Channel bands, Close Your Eyes transforms hardcore music into something comfortable, a means of expressing simple anxieties rather than complex rage.

Even though this album wasn't really for me, I do have to give these guys credit for a couple of things: they are generally pretty tight and have an obvious knack for writing songs that will certainly rouse a large audience. Their positive themes and messages also seem as genuine as they come. Good for them.

In the end, I think I'll stick with Nile, Motorhead, and Black Tusk. Call me crazy.

Track Listing:
1. Deus Ex Machina
2. Burdened by Hope
3. Days of Youth
4. Line in the Sand
5. Frame and Glass
6. Sleeping Giant (Feat. Tommy Green)
7. Kings of John Payne
8. No Borders!
9. The End (Feat. Zoli)
10. Higher than My Station
11. Skeletons
12. Trends and Phases
13. Glory
14. My Way Home
15. Follow the Sun

Added: January 20th 2014
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: Band Facebook Page
Hits: 1721
Language: english

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