The Finnish ensemble Blind Channel is one of the major forces of pop-heavy Nu Metal, particularly popular among the emo and mall goth scene. They proudly claim the title of “the Backstreet Boys of Nu metal,” citing My Chemical Romance and Avenged Sevenfold among their influences. On March 1, they will release their fifth studio album, “Exit Emotions,” to a horde of fans with high expectations.

Pressure is high for “Exit Emotions” to blow us away after the wild success of the pre-released track Deadzone almost instantly made it onto Billboard’s mainstream rock chart, surprisingly outperforming Die Another Day, another prerelease which featured RØRY from the infamous cello ensemble Apocalyptica. Listening to the two tracks back to back, however, I understand the greater appeal of Deadzone. Unlike the slower, melancholic Die Another Day, Deadzone more heavily features and highlights Blind Channel’s strengths: Fast-moving emo hype music highlighting the bass and rhythm section. 

The bass and rhythm section is really what makes Blind Channel the emo sensation that it is, putting the punch behind the angst in the lyrics in a counterweight to the poppy production of the higher registers. And while Deadzone definitely exemplifies some of their best work on this front, Not Your Bro is where the art is really perfected, featuring bass and rhythm even more heavily to create a  catchy emo-pop dance track that’s totally worth breaking out the tripp pants for.

Highlighting the bass and rhythm is also what prevents Blind Channel’s tracks from sounding same-y, allowing shiners like Deadzone and Not Your Bro to stand out from some of the more run of the mill emo soundtracks like XOXO. I’d personally love to hear more of the former in the future, but it’s also not unreasonable to expect the “Backstreet Boys of Nu-metal” to churn out a decent quantity of nothing-out-of-the-ordinary as well. 

Overall I can hear a lot of the My Chemical Romance influence on “Exit Emotions,” particularly on some of the lighter tracks like Phobia and Flatline. The Avenged Sevenfold comes through on some of the heavier tracks, including the aforementioned Not Your Bro as well as Happy Doomsday – and I’d love to hear more of it. “Exit Emotions” is a solid contribution to the emo-pop side of the Nu metal scene, and I look forward to hearing its highlights at the next emo night.

Rating: 7/10

Release date: March 1

Record label: Century Media

Writer: Fëáriel