dtguitarfan Blind Stare began in 1999 as an instrumental metal band, started by Anders Öström (current guitarist), Heikki Raisio, and Henry Valkonen, and joined soon after by Tuomas Kant on bass. In 2001, this lineup was fleshed out by Eino Tuominen on vocals. The band went through some changeups since their beginning, and Henry, Heikki, and Tuomas have left the band, with Jaako Lehtinen (Lead Guitars/lead clean vocals), Timo Palokankare (drums), Tuomas Riihimaki (Keyboards) and Ossi Elonen (Bass Guitar) completing the current lineup.

The Dividing Line is the second release by this group, and shows some impressive musicianship by the band. The band describes themselves on their website as "Melodic/Symphonic/Death Metal", which is a pretty good fit for their style, however one could also add, based on various tracks, the Progressive and Power Metal tags to this as well. Now, just the mere mention of the combination of the terms "Melodic" and "Death" has probably got some readers thinking "these are not the droids I am looking for." However, before you stop reading, you should take into account that I myself am not normally a Melodic Death Metal type of guy – I like my growly death vocals to be used sparingly, mixed in with more vocals of other styles. So it is a testament to this band's worth that a person like me would find their album very enjoyable despite my predisposition against their vocal style. The main reason I don't find myself turned away by the vocals would be the instrumentals – this band builds a lush, rich atmosphere behind the vocals, and fills this in with skillful riffs. I would say that the fact that the group started as an instrumental band shows in the way the tracks are composed: the band does a great job of building up a nice groove off of a good riff, but then they don't ever stay in that groove for too long, but move on before the listener gets bored. And there is plenty of ear candy in the way of speedy riffs as well as softer sections that transition into the heavy and aggressive side. So I would definitely say that this group is not your typical Melodic Death Metal group, but has created a unique blend of styles, creating a signature sound all their own.

Originally written for www.seaoftranquility.org