Having been through numerous lineup changes since their inception in 2005, Close Your Eyes could easily have thrown in the towel when their lead singer Shane Raymond left the band in 2012, Blessed By A Broken Heart’s Sam Ryder Robinson was appointed instead though and the band therefore lived to see another album. ‘Line In The Sand‘ is Close Your Eyes’ third studio album to date, the band’s first release since changing their vocalist and one that sees the band take on one incredibly noticeable change; Sam Ryder Robinson’s appointment now means that the band comes complete with an incredibly British vocal sound.
Somewhat of a departure from their pop-punk/melodic hardcore crossover sound of old, Close Your Eyes are probably at their best on this album when they’re turning their attention to a more commercial rock sound. With tracks such as ‘Frame and Glass‘ and ‘Kings Of John Payne‘ for example there is a definite nod towards the Foo Fighters, with Sam Ryder Robinson’s vocals just seeming absolutely perfectly suited to this kind of sound. Robinson seems incredibly comfortable on these tracks, there’s a fantastic fluidity about the music and it’ll certainly be interesting to see if this is a sound that is further explored on studio album number four. Whilst some of the tracks may head down a more radio rock direction, that’s not to say that the band leave their pop-punk/melodic hardcore crossover nature behind them, however, and ‘Burdened By Hope‘ is a fine example of the band heading down this route and doing it in fantastic style. Much of the track is reminiscent of the material found on Sum 41’s ‘Chuck‘, the vocals even sounding quite similar here to how Deryck Whibley’s do on that album, but with a frantic finale to the track that is more akin to the music of A Day To Remember.
There’s an interesting mix of styles displayed on this album, but at times it feels as though Close Your Eyes are having a bit of an identity crisis and aren’t entirely sure exactly what they want the band to be right now. They have a new vocalist and changes have definitely been made to how the band approach their music given this significant shift in vocal sound, but the album at times feels like a bit of an experimentation, with some of the tracks coming across incredibly well, and others not quite reaching the same high standards. The tracks on this album range in quality from highly infectious to hugely forgettable, there’s definitely a lot of quality on display here but it’s also not all positive news. Zoli Téglás of Ignite fame (and formerly of Pennywise) provides an impressive guest appearance on ‘The End‘, a singalong anthem that also comes complete with a high quality heavy edge, ‘Sleeping Giant‘ similarly includes a guest appearance though, this time from Tommy Green, but is one of the tracks from this release that just feels a little flat and generic. There are definitely many moments of promise throughout, there’s also a distinct lack of consistency though that would take ‘Line In The Sand‘ from being a merely decent album, to an absolute banger of a studio release.
It really does seem that Close Your Eyes are just starting to try and find their feet with this album as they’ve not long found themselves a new singer and it’s therefore going to take a little time for the new formula to take its true form. There are some fantastic moments, but the band are not yet finding a level of consistency that will make for a more well rounded and finely polished overall studio release. Album number four will be an interesting one for Close Your Eyes and it’ll certainly be exciting to hear how they can progress and develop next time around; Sam Ryder Robinson really does have an absolutely incredible rock voice, and all being well, the next album from Close Your Eyes will equally match his fantastic quality as a vocalist.
UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.
