Review / 200 Words Or Less
Heads Held High
So Say We All

Crossface (2009) Michael

Heads Held High – So Say We All cover artwork
Heads Held High – So Say We All — Crossface, 2009

So Say We All is the full-length debut from Clevelanders Heads Held High. These five gentlemen have been kicking around in the city for a few years now with a couple of self-released EP's under their belts. For their debut full-length the band has continued to belt out high-octane melodic hardcore, not exactly the norm for the city that spawned Integrity, Ringworm, and Chimaira.

So Say We All is packed with eleven cuts of melodic hardcore that draws equally from the bands of the past - Gorilla Biscuits, Lifetime - and modern titans - Bane, With Honor. Musically the band has a reliance on fast guitars, two-step parts, and lots of sing-along moments. Vocally, Heads Held High differs slight from their peers with a more coarse delivery from Elliot Frank. Honestly, his style just doesn't match the music for me - there is little to no harmony to his vocals.

This is a decent full-length effort. It's not anything special but it's not horrible. Heads Held High is just another band in passing.

6.5 / 10Michael • May 27, 2009

Heads Held High – So Say We All cover artwork
Heads Held High – So Say We All — Crossface, 2009

Related news

Fail Safe To Release Heads Held High LP

Posted in Labels on February 16, 2010

Recently-posted album reviews

Circuit des Yeux

Halo On The Inside
Matador (2025)

Haley Fohr's artistic vehicle, Circuit des Yeux, defies categorisation. Stamping the indie folk label on her was superficial, something dispelled easily once you have experienced the lo-fi distortion of "The Girl With No Name." It might be that under the layers of sonic disfigurement, a folk ethos is present in Fohr's narrative sensibility, but it is no longer the same. … Read more

ZEPHR

Past Lives
Dumb Ghost, Snappy Little Numbers (2025)

Sometimes you can just hear the passion in a voice. ZEPHR is one of those bands. They defy convention a little bit, in that I associate gravelly voices with harsher, heavier sounds, but ZEPHR use sore-throat vocals to great effect with midtempo, emotional and melodic 3-chord chugging punk rock and some DC sound. In few words, it's raw, both musically … Read more

Kreiviskai

Motinai
Infinite Fog Productions (2025)

Kreiviskai's origins are deeply rooted in the neofolk sound and ethos. Their debut record, Zemmis : supnãi, focuses on the musical lineage of Tver, embracing the traditional instrumentation to produce a somber and moving piece. Their follow-up record, Nonregnum expands outward, focusing on various historical events and introducing further influences. The pull of neo-classical is palpable, while the abrasive industrial … Read more