Album Review: To The Wind - 'Block Out The Sun & Sleep'

To The Wind's music hits fast and hard, and doesn't take any prisoners.

The quintet combine the modern hardcore premise of bands like Stick To Your Guns and Liferuiner with the raw, unabridged honesty and passion of acts like Defeater and Have Heart. The result? One truly powerful sound that is practically unrivalled by any other hardcore band this year!

The tight and solid musicianship backs everything up with real guts. The music itself is what any and all fans of the genre can expect, but it never once becomes monotonous or boring, and your attention is constantly retained throughout this 30 minute listen.

The lead guitars in 'Alone In Life' are solid and it's easily one of the most memorable moments of the album. '21' on the other hand offers up more breakdowns and chugs than you can poke a stick at. Another shining example of how this band command their music is in the bouncy three minutes of 'One and The Same', a real standout track.

Lyrically, the band don't hold back. The devastatingly opener of 'Vacant Home' is a brutal song of a marriage falling apart - 'He's a good man, sure he made a few mistakes, but he doesn't deserve this. In his eyes she's still pretty, but to the world she looks empty'.

'Hands Of The Clock' is an apologetic ode to a mother - 'I know I've never been a perfect man, fix mistakes in any place I can, if I could turn the hands of the clock back, you know I would'. And finally, 'I don't care about your truth, my only gift is leaving you, so be alone with your twisted views and don't act like we are the ones confused', from the stellar 'One and the Same'.

'Block Out The Sun & Sleep' is 11 vicious hardcore songs that are all held together with powerful lyrics and rock solid instrumentation. This is one of those albums that had near zero hype surrounding it, yet it's blown most other hyped-up releases this year completely out of the water.

1. Vacant Home

2. Trapped

3. Hands of the Clock

4. 21

5. Block out the Sun & Sleep

6. Skin Deep

7. Through My Eyes

8. Iron Rain

9. One and The Same

10. Growing Numb