Silence — Blindside

Blindside's Silence came out on 20 August 2002 on Elektra and Three Points, the label run by P.O.D. Howard Benson produced it, Chris Lord-Alge mixed it and Ted Jensen mastered it. It runs about forty-seven minutes. It was their third studio album and their first for a major label, after their hardcore years on Solid State and Tooth & Nail. It peaked at No. 83 on the Billboard 200. The singles were "Pitiful," "Sleepwalking" and "Caught a Glimpse." It's early-2000s Christian post-hardcore and alternative metal, and I'm giving it an 8/10.

Who they were in 2002

In 2002 they were an openly Christian band from Stockholm with a Solid State past, now signed to Elektra through Three Points. Cross Rhythms pointed out that this first Three Points release put them in the same shops as the big nu-metal hits.

What the critics keep saying about this album

AllMusic's review still fits. It followed the band from honest cult favourites on Solid State to major-label polish with Benson. It heard the aggressive alternative rock of their early days all grown up and slickly produced, with sincere emotion across all thirteen tracks and a knack for hit songs they'd learned in public. It warned that older fans might not enjoy hearing the hardcore melt into heavenly melodies and a tighter focus. For everyone else, it called this a brave record about growing up.

Jesus Freak Hideout's John DiBiase called it easily their best yet. He heard hardcore mixed with accessible rock and metal, even a hint of '80s rock, and found it hard-hitting and infectious. "Pitiful," a song about sin and the Saviour, was the single that got them onto Conan O'Brien in September 2002. He called "Sleepwalking" the album's greatest moment, with an addictive chorus, rhythm and harmonies, plus Bon Jovi-style guitars that somehow work. He said "Cute Boring Love," about a culture of lust without purity, is almost as good. Lindskog sings more here, but he still lets rip with his classic screams over fuzzy guitars and passionate backing vocals. DiBiase admitted it wasn't especially innovative. Still, he said, it was a welcome break from all the Creed wannabes flooding modern rock.

Tony Cummings at Cross Rhythms heard the door to the mainstream swing open. He described Lindskog screaming like a barefoot man stepping on a mousetrap, as the opener goes from a gentle picked guitar into a howling vortex. He heard hooks and harmonies stacked on top of the weight from their Tooth & Nail days. He called "Caught a Glimpse" as radio-ready as any nu-metal hit, and pointed to the Metallica-like intro on "Pitiful" and its bridge, which strips down to a rasping, lonely voice. He said Benson's work was exemplary and the acoustic title track at the end was brilliant. His verdict was a class album with the chops for the MTV generation.

Beat Coverage looked back in 2025 and landed in much the same place. It called this their most ambitious and polished record up to then. It said "Pitiful" was the breakout that still defines them on MTV2 and rock radio, and that "Sleepwalking" goes from frantic to cathartic. It said their habit of building a tense verse into a huge chorus works brilliantly on the singles but makes the deeper cuts run together. It also felt Benson's shine took some of the edge off, even as it made the sound bigger. It called the album a landmark breakthrough, just not a flawless one.

Four tracks from this LP

Pitiful is the single that got them on Conan. Cross Rhythms loved its lonely bridge, and Beat Coverage called it the anthem that defines them. Its official video is the first of the videos.

Sleepwalking is what DiBiase called the album's greatest moment, and Beat Coverage loved its cathartic chorus. There's a promo video for this one too.

Caught a Glimpse is the opener Cummings called radio-ready, the one that goes from a gentle picked guitar into a howl.

Silence, the title track, closes the album. Cummings loved its moody acoustic ending, and Beat Coverage called it a haunting finish after the sprint.

Once you've got those four, try "Cute Boring Love," "Midnight," "Time Will Change Your Heart" and "Painting." AllMusic's warning about older fans and Beat Coverage's point about the formula are both fair. The album earns its breakthrough by tightening the hooks, and it doesn't pretend the rough Solid State sound never happened.

What the room sounded like in 2002

Benson and Lord-Alge got a Swedish hardcore band onto the same radio playlists as American nu-metal, and nobody asked Lindskog to tone down his rasp. Elektra put it out, Three Points carried the P.O.D. connection, and Solid State fans still knew the name on the spine. Reaching No. 83 on the Billboard 200 is a lot more than a youth-group result. It shows Silence travelled well past the display rack at the Christian bookstore.

The lineup was Christian Lindskog on lead vocals, Simon Grenehed on guitars and backing vocals, Tomas Näslund on bass and Marcus Dahlström on drums. Howard Benson and Jamie Muhoberac played keys, and James Minchin III took the photos.

The score

A nine would be too generous. AllMusic noted the hardcore gave way to melody, DiBiase said it wasn't especially innovative, and Beat Coverage heard the deeper cuts blur together under that verse-chorus formula. A seven would sell it short, though. Cummings called it a class album and DiBiase called it their best yet. A Swedish band with a Solid State past got to No. 83 on the Billboard 200, and "Pitiful" still fills a room more than twenty years on. It's a polished major-label breakthrough with a few rough patches.

Where this album sits on Loud Faith

Christian post-hardcore on Elektra and Three Points in 2002 was reaching a lot of people. It meant P.O.D.'s backing, MTV2, Conan, and kids who wanted screaming and melody on the same CD without anyone preaching at them. Silence is Blindside's breakthrough. It's less raw than A Thought Crushed My Mind and easier to put on a playlist, with faith and doubt woven into singles that went a long way.