Empty Hands and Heavy Hearts
Close Your Eyes · 2011
44 min · 12 tracks · punk rock
Melodic hardcore anthems intertwine with poignant lyrics, creating a raw and emotional soundscape that captures both despair and resilience.
Top tracks — play these first
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Hope Slips Away (The World Is Ours to Change) — This opening track encapsulates the album's overarching theme of empowerment against adversity, setting a reflective yet urgent tone for what follows.
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Injustice — A brief but impactful song, it addresses societal issues directly, showcasing the band's commitment to lyrical honesty and social commentary that defines their style.
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Wolves — With its haunting melodies and emotive delivery, this track exemplifies the emotional core of the album, balancing intensity with introspection remarkably well.
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Heavy Hearts — As the closing track, it reflects on the journey throughout the album while delivering a powerful message about resilience and acceptance, leaving listeners with lingering thoughts.
Elevation
Our rating, out of 100 — and why.
AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.
The album balances energetic anthems with introspective moments, showcasing strong lyrical themes and vocal dynamics.
What we noticed
- The first half of the album features high-energy tracks with driving tempos, while the second half shifts to slower, more reflective pieces.
- Many songs incorporate dual vocal lines, alternating between melodic singing and aggressive shouting, creating dynamic contrasts.
- Lyrically, the album explores themes of struggle and resilience, often using vivid imagery that complements the music's emotional intensity.
- Composition 25% of the score
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7/10
- Craft 20% of the score
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6/10
- Durability 25% of the score
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6/10
- Distinctiveness 18% of the score
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6/10
- Sequencing 12% of the score
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5/10
the writing — melody, harmony, structure, lyrics
production, performance, arrangement
whether it rewards returning to it
whether it sounds like itself
running order, pacing, length
Known within its scene. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.
Is this for you?
Good fit if you like
- steady flow with emotional release
- reflective moments of introspection
- anthems for overcoming struggles
- uplifting crescendos and resolutions
Maybe skip if you
- prefer instant gratification tracks
- avoid emotional depth and reflection
Where this album fits
- Career context
- In 2011, Close Your Eyes released 'Empty Hands and Heavy Hearts' as their second full-length album, following their debut 'We Will Overcome' in 2010. This album marked a crucial phase in their career, showcasing their evolution as a band and solidifying their presence in the melodic hardcore scene during a time when they were gaining traction and fanbase support.
- Stylistic neighbors
- The Story So Far· A Day to Remember· Stick to Your Guns
Tracklist
Best experienced from track one — press play and let it unfold.
- 1 Hope Slips Away (The World Is Ours to Change) 3:49
- 2 Empty Hands 4:08
- 3 Erie 2:38
- 4 Valleys 3:24
- 5 Injustice 2:21
- 6 Paper Thin 3:26
- 7 Wormwood 4:50
- 8 Keep the Lights On 3:02
- 9 Carry You 3:26
- 10 Wolves 4:02
- 11 Scars 3:32
- 12 Heavy Hearts 5:19
Reference: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz · Wikidata
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