"People are saying Sweden is the new Seattle," says bassist Tomas Naslund of Blindside, a Stockholm punk-metal group. "So we tell all our friends, 'Send your demos to the States now!' " While their countrymen in the Hives cop from Sixties garage, Blindside's hard-rock stomp and singer Christian Lindskog's melodic scream echo mid-Nineties bands such as Helmet. The group got its start in Sweden's underground Christian-rock scene - an affiliation that helped land them a spot on tour with P.O.D. in 2001. Blindside became the first signing for P.O.D.'s 3 Points label, which released the band's third album, Silence, this summer. The foursome recently finished a U.S. tour with Hoobastank. "It's natural to be in the States," says guitarist Simon Grenehed. "We've always been told that we sound American."
LINDSAY GOLDENBERG
(October 21, 2002)