Blindside

'Silence'



Elektra/Asylum



Grade: B-



Music has long been classified into genres, divided into sub-genres, broken up into local scenes for no real purpose except to give die-hard fans something to argue about in between issues of "The Invisibles" and new Kevin Smith movies. Whether the Get-Up Kids are emo-pop and not screamo, thanks to bands like Pantera - who are clearly not hardcore either - is really irrelevant, except for the intriguing cross-pollination of genres that arise out of the myriad names for what used to pass as simply music.

The newest hybrid of diverse cultural and musical experimentation finds its home in a little known nu-metal band discovered and produced by Howard Benson (P.O.D.). Blindside, a quartet from Sweden, proves that even our blond-haired, blue-eyed brethren from the North can rock dreadlocks too. Flava Flav and Chuck D could not be reached for comments.

Swedish Christian Hardcore is a genre that, by all accounts, never should have been allowed to exist. Given that Jesus never got down to Korn, Blindside's third full-length release and American debut "Silence" evokes anything but. A sonic tour-de-force that ranges from the opening growl of lead singer Christian to the now archetypal bass riffs that made Limp Bizkit famous three years ago, the opening track of the album, "Caught a Glimpse" showcases the band's writing ability.

On the band's website, www.blindside-silence.com, Guitarist Simon describes the re-working of the track several times because, "we had the verses but couldn't get the chorus . Howard (Benson) came into the studio and pushed us to come up with something that made the whole song come together. We learned that you never throw anything away." If nothing else, Blindside definitely did not throw anything away.

Other highlights include tracks called "Cute Boring Love" and "Pitiful," on which singer Christian muses, "and I remember every word you said / Come back in time, come back / And I remember I would soon be dead / Now so pitiful, so pitiful." Pitiful is a bit harsh of a term but you get the general idea.

Formed in 1994, lead vocalist Christian , guitarist and back-up vocalist Simon, drummer Marcus and bassist Tomas, have known each other all their lives. "Growing up in Stockholm you tend to stick together," says Simon on the website, "Music is very important in Sweden, and we believed from the start that we could make an impact as a band."

The band, now the biggest thing to come out of Sweden since the techno/punk classic outfit, Refused, which disbanded a few years ago, proves that just like Refused, Sweden can mix any two or more unrelated genres and still retain the ability to rock out just as hard as their American counterparts.

Their American television debut on Conan O'Brien early next month that kicks off a North American tour, should be worth checking out just to see these guys sport dreads, muse about depression and praise the glory of God, all in five emotional minutes or less.