Is ten years too long? Depending on the situation, of course. That’s how long it took Heavenblack to release their first full-length, since they were founded in 2014. But that’s okay, it’s better to take your time to make the best possible result than to rush and release something bad. After several member changes, many gigs and the self-titled EP of 2018, “Blindfolded” is here.
So, we are dealing with a remarkable album. Musically, the song structures have a hard rock mentality but the heavy guitars bring out the metal side, with the final result balancing somewhere in between. We could call it modern heavy metal (and not in a bad way) for the sake of understanding but the label matters little since we’re talking about very good music. One of Heavenblack’s trump cards is that they don’t remind you of any other band, at least not from the first moment you listen to them, and that’s something that is very hard to achieve these days.
The eight tracks of “Blindfolded” are in mid-tempo rhythms, full of heavy riffs, nice melodies and refrains that easily stay in your mind. Simple and basic ingredients that is, but without this simplicity being translated into sloppiness. In no way. The album is well crafted and well thought out in every detail. In a time when music is often an informal competition to see who can play faster, more extreme, weirder or more technical, Heaneblack create an album that treads on the roots of the sound we love and will make you have a good time during the forty minutes it lasts.
Another interesting element is that this is a concept album that tells a single story and gives you one more reason to read the lyrics while listening to the music. There are no weak moments and fillers but if I had to single out some songs I would say the title track and especially the excellent “Orphan” and “Clowns” with their crushing heavy riffs. Especially the last one I think would be ideal for a first single but the band knows better than me. So, a delightful effort from Heavenblack that every fan of this music should check out. Well done to them and I hope they keep it up.
