Close Your Eyes is a hardcore band, but there’s a lot more to their debut album, We Will Overcome, than simple hardcore. The Christian band incorporates clean vocals, melodies, punk riffs and harsh vocals into a grab bag of what’s hot in the various scenes today. Bands like Comeback Kid and Rise Against came to mind while listening to it for the first time—funny because these are two of the very bands mentioned as comparisons in the band’s official bio. That said, Close Your Eyes comes across as a softer, more punk version of Bullet for My Valentine.

Their Christian faith isn’t meant to be the draw or mantra of the band, yet lyrically, Close Your Eyes clearly uses their faith as inspiration.

In certain ways, this band encompasses everything I don’t like about the hardcore scene of today. They're too poppy, have a dumb name and they’re too trendy for my taste. Their many influences interfere to the point that most of their songs are all over the map. Some styles don't mesh as well as they were meant to. Still, there’s a lot worse out there. Unfortunately for Close Your Eyes, there’s also a lot better.