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Band: Close Your Eyes
Title: We Will Overcome
Label: Victory Records
Release Date: 2010
Review By: Steve
Track Listing:
- A Proclamation
- Friends Are Friends Forever
- xChet Steadmanx
- Digging Graves
- The Body
- Song For The Broken
- 17:20
- Wake Up!
- Bitter Path
- Something Needs To Change
- Arms Raised
WOW is all I have to say about this album! If you have been living under a rock for the past few weeks and months, then maybe you have not heard about this great new band named Close Your Eyes. About this time last year, they released a great self-titled EP. Since releasing their EP in 2009, this five-piece melodic hardcore band out of Abilene, Texas signed with Victory Records; and they are poised to take the hardcore world by storm. Imagine your favorite hardcore band taking it up a notch because that is what Close Your Eyes is doing. If you liked their EP then you are going to love We Will Overcome even more. I think I need to say WOW one more time!
What is the so good about the album you ask? Well for starters, it has extremely catchy vocals that will have you singing along by the end of the first track. Along with the catchy, clean vocals, Shane Raymond throws in some great deep, throaty growls that will impress any hardcore fan. Lyrically, Close Your Eyes is very refreshing due to the positive, uplifting, and edifying message they have. I believe their message of hope is what makes Close Your Eyes unique and refreshing. Close Your Eyes definitely has crossover appeal, and their message will be a refreshing change to the negative and whiney message filling the secular side.
So, what else besides the vocals make this album so good? We Will Overcome boasts some very muscular breakdowns. Do not let the “melodic” adjective fool you. Close Your Eyes is definitely not a boy band trying to go heavy. Close Your Eyes bring the heaviness with some authority. There are some soft parts on this album, but the majority of the album is heavy with powerful riffs and muscular breakdowns. About half of the album is heavy, melodic hardcore while the rest of the album has more of a pop punk sound. This mix keeps the album moving forward without letting you get bored.
We Will Overcome is the complete package. It is all there, the heavy parts combined with the dual clean vocals and deep growls, and you will be surprised at how hooked you will get on this album. You will feel the love and passion Close Your Eyes put in this album without getting choked with too many breakdowns or boring lyrics. There are too many good songs on the album for me to single out just one as my favorite, but I really liked “Friends Are Friends Forever”, “Digging Graves”, “The Body”, and “Song For The Broken” because these were these were some of the hardest songs and had the best growls on them.
Overall: This album is definitely built to please and is a must buy for any melodic hardcore fan. You definitely need to mark down February 16th because this is the day that Close Your Eyes starts to take over your stereo and iPod. In a genre chock-full of cookie cutter bands, Close Your Eyes definitely sets themselves apart from the pack.
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| 03/18/2010 06:22 pm | News
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The Advocate 
Day of Fire 
Starfield 
War of Ages 
Demon Hunter 
Above The Golden State 
FFH 
Newworldson 
Wrench in the Works 
The Great Escape 
Memphis May Fire 
Face Your Giants 
Day Of My Escape 
Red Morning Voyage 
The Gun Show 
Meet Brett Callaway (Guitars & Vocals) of Close Your Eyes
Meet Sovereign Strength
Meet Moshe Dayan
We Came As Romans
Sean Patrick Rhorer, Director of A & R at Blood & Ink Records
This Armistice
Leroy Hamp of War of Ages
Creations
Mattie Montgomery of For Today
Vasely Sapunov of Saving Grace
The Fold
Aaron Sprinkle of Fair
Floodgates
Ryan Clark of Demon Hunter
Carlos Salazar of Before There Was Rosalyn
Laz from ALLORNOTHING
Chadwick Johnson of Hundredth
Ben Crist of The Glorious Unseen
Sons of God
ADTR meets Comeback Kid. They really have something amazing going for them!
I agree! They are my christian alternative to ADTR!
Awesome! I have been waiting for this album for a long time! I can not wait!
I probably won’t like this, but the cover is sweet.
I don’t see why you wouldn’t. It’s a good album!
Nater you should give CYE a chance.
The cover is sweet.. LOL!! People talk about some of the metal covers that come out.. This one is funny.
Steve: what did you think about all the references to being the body of Christ? I personally loved it. The last track really got to me.
I loved the references. This is like “happy” melodic hardcore. Not boy band at all but it makes you feel good inside in my opinion. Maybe I should have thrown that in the review but here it is now.
I’m looking forward to this. I think it has a lot of elements that Take It Back!’s last release was lacking, including strong vocals and melody. Stoked about the lyrics too. This is on my ‘pick-up’ list for sure.
Good review! Can’t wait for it. I’m glad they put friends are friends forever on it, hands down my fav track from the ep
Good band. I’ll have to check this out. It does bother me that they’re on the same label as ADTR and sound so much like them, but I still prefer ADTR, so w/e.
See, honestly, they have a similar sound, but this band musically trumps A Day to Remember. “Catchiness” doesn’t always equate to better songwriting. With Close Your Eyes, I love how integrated the hardcore AND pop punk sound is, rather than this genre’s dominate thinking of hardcore is “brutal” breakdowns and gang vocals. There’s so much more to it, musically, than that.
See, adtr isn’t bad music but I much prefer close your eyes. I like they are Christian, and the music (to me) seems better. ADTR is my friends fav band though and I’m seeing them in may with some guys from work. I think silverstein and august burns red are playing too. Should be cool.
I don’t get this they sound so much like ADTR thing? I guess people just say that because they are kinda in the same genre and ADTR is one of the bigger bands in the Genre. If anything they sound more like Stretch Armstrong meets NFG. Just my opinion.
Yeah. This album is great. Everyone listen to it.
It’s like a day to remember, take it back, comeback kid, and some other pop punk band thrown into a blender, at least to my ears.
It sounds good though, I’ll most likely pick it up day one. I dig hard core pop punk bands. Especially Christian ones! I really like the lyrics to the newest single, sweet sweet song! Have it on my ipod. But the ep was really lacking compared to the new stuff, but thats my opinion.
this band reminds me of With Honor…and I LOVE it! This is my album to beat this year
I know this is off topic but your beard is epic dude, nice. Even if its an old pic and you’ve shaved lol
I agree with you, this is what take it back’s “atrocities” should have been IMO not that atrocities is bad but this def beats it.
Reminds you of With Honor???
I NEED TO GET THIS THEN!!
Nice review Steve, I am really looking forward to this album coming out. Just fyi, you can download one of the new songs off their new album from Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/Song-For-The-Broken/dp/B00367TXPC/ref=sr_shvl_album_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1266128356&sr=301-5
I’m excited for these guys! Love the music!
I Love this album! I listened to the whole thing without even realizing it first time through. I looked up and realized half of the album had flew by without me paying attention. Again I love it! Close Your Eyes definitely is a really great band.
It keeps getting better with each listen
Hah, I usually don’t take that as a good sign (flying through the album without paying attention) but it getting better with every listen is always a good thing. Still don’t have it yet but should be getting it tomorrow in the mail.
Who did you pre-order thru MM3
Amazon, which I’ve never done before but I was in no hurry to get it on release and they were actually a little cheaper than CYE’s merch store.
I tend to agree more with this reivew:
https://www.decoymusic.com/reviews/close-your-eyes-we-will-overcome
not gonna lie i laughed at that review.
i agree some what with BBBCCC. This cd reminds me so much of Stretch Arm Strong meets Set Your Goals. Love this cd finally found it only one store in town was carrying it. which bugs since i have a best buy gift card…
Not to mention they’re hitting the road with It Prevails this summer.
I dig this album SO much! It’s awesome. Its so catchy and emotional but not “emo”
I love the theme of the record. Its all about taking a stand in this world and showing love to others around you. Friendships, relationships, our walk with God. I like it a lot.
My fav songs are “digging graves”, “song for the broken”, and “arms raised”. Def my fav album in the last few years next to war of ages arise and conquer and take it back can’t fight robots.
This years only getting better too for Christian metal/rock/hard core music!
New albums by war of ages, as I lay dying, the showdown, before their eyes, demon hunter, and more! I need to save my money.
I love how uplifting the album is. It’s one thing I notice the most whenever I spin it. Despite Decoy music blasting the album in the review posted above they would never understand the uplifting and spiritual side of the album that a lot of us here find appealing.
I know exactly who wrote that review of Close Your Eyes on Decoymusic and he goes by the name of “John” on our site in the comments. You can’t hide ;) ha ha.
Hahahaha. The dreaded John who lurks and attacks…
Decoy music has the poorest reviews ever. Anyways, great Review Steve! I am freakin totally diggin this album!! Great discovery for me.
9/10