news menu :: news :: concerts :: reviews :: credits

antenna.nu
blinded by fear is denmark’s new melodeath band. the band name is taken from at the gates opener on their legendary album slaughter of the soul which set the standard for the rest of the melodeath genre back in 1995 when it was released. and the music on en route to pain sound likewise much like at the gates did on slaughter of the soul.

the production is good, and the band has written some excellent songs, with a good aggressive vocal and great lyrics. the music is well played, with good variation, and it is never dull. especially the tracks “en route to pain”, “final confrontation” and “face it” are in my opinion great songs.

unfortunately the band just sound a bit too much like at the gates, therefore this isn’t a very original demo, so if you are looking for something new and original, this is obviously not your best buy. don’t get me wrong this is a great demo, despite the fact that the music isn’t very original, and i look forward, to a full length album from blinded by fear.

score: 4 of 6
written by: magus

danishmetal.dk
taking this demo into consideration, it shouldn't come as a surprise that that jeff lukka, jose cruz, jakob lukkebo, and steve mason left the power metal band ironfire. with a band name identical to an "at the gates" song, and with a title that rimes well with "in flames"'s "reroute to remain", there's no denying which style it is that really entices this band, melodeath.

yet, "blinded by fear" still avoids becoming just another plagiarism band, as the crystal clear production the band has achieved at søren jensen's "nilfheim studio", combined with the many guitar harmonies, gives it a more polished and melodic expression that one would find in bands like "at the gates" and so on.

right off i'll tell you that this is simply a sublime demo. the tracks are perfectly matched, and varied enough to avoid making it monotone, which in my opinion is often the weakness of this genre. niels toft, who previously laid his aggressions bare with "morfeus" [now: mindmare], delivers an amazing performance on the vocal part of things, and has just the right mix of melody and devil-may-care which elevates it that extra level. and he is backed by a group of surprisingly well in-tuned musicians, taking in to consideration the short time the band has been together. the guitar riffs and harmonies instantly makes one think of "arch enemy", who might be the best comparison for "blinded by fear"'s music. simply well written and delivered with a punch straight to the chin.

there's really no reason to emphasize individual tracks, as all of them are at a very high level. "en route to pain" had to have a few listens, before it got stuck, but it's definitely stuck inside my head now, and i have a feeling it'll stay there quite a while! this is by far one of the best danish releases this year, and with it being just a demo i dare not think how far "blinded by fear" can go, with this little gem surpassing most of what our sister nation's (sweden) melodeath bands have done the past couple of years. "blinded by fear" is here to stay.

written by: mads jørgensen
translation by: steve mason / thomas mogensen

danishmetalpages.dk
blinded by fear consists mainly of ex-iron fire members, with the addition of niels toft (ex-morfeus/mindmare) to take care of the vocal aspect of the band.
with a bandname that comes from one of the definers of the swedish melo-death scene at the gates' album "slaughter of the soul" and a titel of the demo that is severely inspired from in flames' "reroute to remain" album, one might suspect that blinded by fear plays melo-death... and you know what? they do!
so, if you really dig that genre, don't hesitate to get your sweatty hands on this demo, as blinded by fear delievers the goods with decency.
the band knows how to cut a song in pure melo-death style, with hardly any surprices at all. originality is a word that doesn't seem to exist when the band is in writing mode. however the songs are all well written with good sense for song structure leaving space for a variety of interesting riffing.
not much to tell really. if melo-death with an aggressive approach as at the gates founded years ago sounds interesting to you, there's no excuse for not getting this.

score: 3 of 6
written by: claus poulsen

dakhma.dk
the danish group blinded by fear consist mainly of former members from the sinking ship iron fire, with niels toft as the only exception. despite, or perhaps because of this, blinded by fear's musical agenda is in a completely different ballpark and not anywhere near the german powermetal that was iron fire's main inspiration. blinded by fear draws their main inspiration from the swedish melodic death/thrash, but owes in a few moments of musical clarity quite a bit to the death ‘n' roll that was perfected by carcass on their last albums.

the present demo is entitled en route to pain and is kickstarted with the melodic final confrontation, a track that moves down a well known musical path with out much deviation from the path, definitely a sturdy track but perhaps a bit harmless.

the next track, self control, is a bit more dangerous and is musically related to proud danish thrashband as furious trauma and invocator, in this song the band shows their sense of melody and intensity in a track that in my opinion is the best on this album. black wind is showing more of the same, good tempo, good riffing and good vocalwork. this brings us to face it, the most obvious hit, but at the same time the most impersonal of the five tracks. i'm missing a personal touch on this particular track that ends up being standard headbanging track not too charming, but a very good experiment with dual vocals.

the last song the titletrack is perhaps the most personal track and reveals some fragments of the future for blinded by fear. it's a death 'n' roll impression that reveals true groove and manages to swing real well.

the album is tight but a bit mechanic and cold. i miss some sweat and perhaps a bit more balls. the vocals are at times a bit too thrashy in my opinion, but are working great in the context and ads a bit of hysteria to the music.

it is all very well produced with a dry treble sound without too much bass that works great with the raw and back to basics music blinded by fear performs. the band is on their way up and i'm sure that on future outpours they will find their personal expression and keep on developing the elements of groove and melody that already are there.

i'm looking forward to hear more.

grade:9
written by: t.k

fallen idol music (formerly abhorrent 'zine)
i will give you one guess about which style this band plays… not often do i come about a band so very influenced by another band and another style. of course we are talking melodic swedish death metal like at the gates and in flames. for a band so unoriginal they have to be really good at what they do and actually blinded by fear do a really good job with this ep. the from three members who left the danish power metal band iron fire so there is no doubt the band members of blinded by fear know what they are doing and has a lot experience. this is a professional product but the band just has to get some more original ideas if they want to achieve anything. oh did i mention the track “black wind” sounds almost exactly like the death classic “zombie ritual”? check out this band if you are a fanatic supporter of the swedish melodic scene.

score: 4 of 6
written by: anders jørgensen

revelationz magazine
blinded by fear is a new band from denmark, all consisting of ex-members from power metal act iron fire, except for singer niels toft, who have a background in the death metal band morfeus. an interesting combination of talented musicians and as the name suggests (taken from a song title of pioneer band at the gates), we are dealing with melodic death metal, in the scandinavian vein here.

it can’t be any surprise that the music is highly comparable to at the gates, but also influences from arch enemy and old in flames can be heard and felt throughout the demo. it’s this raw, uncompromising version of melodeath, before the style got watered down, we are presented to here.

the demo offers five tracks, all of high quality and carried out with soul and balls. untamed, powerful and with melodies that stick to your brain at once. especially the title track is very memorable, but still with that pulsating hard edge required.

with final confrontation, the band shows right away, what this is about: melodic guitar lines, aggressive growls, a well timed guitar solo and a good chorus are all elements in creating a mood that is both aggressive and melodic.

black wind has a winning melody and a ripping, thrash like feeling in the rhythm department. a great combination, and the diversity of the song is underlined by the vocal performance, shifting from deep growls to desperate screams, which works fine. killer song!

self control is one of the weaker songs on here. not a bad track at all, but it seems to get a little caught up in the chorus and seem a bit too static.

to put it short, this is a great demo! good sound, cool vocals and a winning combination of melody and brutal aggression.
the guitar duo of josé cruz and jeff lukka creates some great melodies, full of harmony and tension, while singer nils toft screams and growls with great intensity and nerve!
still something is missing to make it totally stand out, as many bands play the same style. the band is clearly talented and capable of putting a good song together, but adding just a few more elements to make them special from the rest of the crowd could be crucial now.
still, if you like the style, i can’t imagine you’ll be disappointed!

everyone who likes melodic death metal should absolutely check out the new hope from denmark! the demo clearly shows potential, and i will look forward to hearing more from blinded by fear in the future.

rating: 6.5/10
written by: nina hansen