I really don't care what people may say about a band like Close Your Eyes, with them being Christian hardcore and all. The fact is that these guys have created a masterpiece of melodic hardcore with great lyrics, which I believe will change the sound of hardcore as we know it. We Will Overcome (their debut on Victory Records) is full of good, fresh ideas that indeed create a very new & uplifting listening experience for me & you.
A good thing about many new bands out there these days, is that they manage to pull off their melodic stuff while remaining heavy & hardcore. And it's not done like back in the day, i.e. just beatdowns and then clean vocals, cause bands like Close Your Eyes are more consistent in their sound; they combine the heavy/melodic exchange into one mix, thus creating a solid presence that just feels new and innovative.
The Christian themes that are strongly emerging throughout the album, however, become an aspect that might throw off many hardcore fans. The lyrics and singing are straight out uplifiting, totally Christian, with themes about brotherhood and family love, about God and faith--themes kind of forbidden in hardcore. I think that in many countries around the world, kids have started changing their minds and accept a more sensitive and/or spiritual approach to heavy music. Greece is definitely not one of them! For me, if I can listen to the darker stuff like death/black metal influenced hardcore, I have absolutely no problem to switch to the posi side and listen to something spiritual & uplifting like Close Your Eyes. After all, aren't these hard times we live in, don't we all need a voice that will sustain us? What better ways do have that than through music, through hardcore?
I played this yesterday in my car with some friends and I a heard a variety of comments, both good and bad (it was compared to Time in Malta, Misery Signals and even Blink 182-what!?). What's for sure is that a band like Close Your Eyes will not go unnoticed in today's scene. I don't care what my friends say, this gets thumbs up!