EP REVIEW: Were I Blind – Were I Blind
“If we were to close our eyes, perhaps we would wake up and see the truth.” That’s the message coming from WERE I BLIND, a brand new three-piece from London combining metal with EDM, industrial and electronica. Combining members of BREED 77, DEF CON DOS and MAGNA CARTA, their self-titled EP is out now and has been produced by James ‘Lerock’ Loughrey, who has previously dealt with SKINDRED and DEF LEPPARD, amongst others.
With the overall CV of the trio looking sharp, you’d expect the music to follow suit, so when opening track Behind the Mask only occasionally grabs you with its nu-metal hooks, it’s somewhat of a surprise; whilst not being completely bland, it doesn’t ever threaten to get out of second gear, remaining firmly in the ‘KORN B side’ category. Following track Imploding Lies fares much better, those electronic elements that have been so hyped giving the track a feel reminiscent of CROSSFAITH, whilst the chorus shows promise and, significantly, more bite. This leads nicely onto the best song on the EP in Heading for Disaster, which lampoons the UK’s decision to leave the EU and includes samples of David Cameron’s speech when he resigned as Prime Minister. Cutting and powerful, it’s a track that will resonate greatly with a disillusioned generation and by now, WERE I BLIND are certainly on the up.
This, of course, means that the drop is even harder when Death is a Woman follows next. Drummer OC Preciado has been extremely competent with his vocals so far but falls way short here with a whiny drawl; there isn’t a saving grace anywhere on this generic, boring number that goes on for far too long, inexplicably fades out and includes some pretty awful rapping that serves no purpose whatsoever. On the other hand, said rapping works a lot better on the title track which comes next; boasting more of a vibe towards EVANESCENCE and LINKIN PARK, it still isn’t as gripping as earlier songs but has enough weight to make an impression. The EP rounds off with a curious cover of DEPECHE MODE’s Enjoy the Silence which, whilst not holding a candle to the original, is a satisfying way to end.
There are ideas here, definitely, and if WERE I BLIND work on them they could be a decent outfit with a lot of promise; sadly, this EP has far too many holes to make it a success.
Rating: 4/10
Were I Blind is out now via self-release.
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