Track Listing

1. Joy.Discovery.Invention
2. 27
3. Justboy
4. Kill The Old, Torture Their Young
5. The Go-Slow
6. Christopher’s River
7. Convex, Concave
8. 57
9. Hero Management
10. Solution Devices
11. Stress On The Sky
12. Scary Mary

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1833 in Music
• Released on: 2002-03-11
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .22 pounds

Amazon.co.uk Review
Like most debut albums, Biffy Clyro's Blackened Sky functions as a sort of table of contents of its creators' record collections. In the case of this promising young Scottish trio, led by singer-songwriter Simon Neil, it's a safe bet that those collections would be assembled largely of American alternative rock of the late 1980s and early 90s, with particular emphasis on Nirvana, Fugazi and the Pixies. These influences can--and often do--result in supremely dreary records, less grunge than sludge, but Biffy Clyro are a good deal cleverer than that. They have an admirable knack for building songs on unorthodox time signatures without ever sounding fussy, and are able to shift from delicately drifting melodies to full throttle rock & roll without an audible grinding of gears--"The Go-Slow" and the winningly titled "Kill The Old, Torture Their Young" are particularly noteworthy in this respect. --Andrew Mueller

CD Description
'Blackened Sky' is the debut album from Glasgow band Biffy Clyro. A myriad of musical genres and influences are featured on the album, going from simple quiet melodic harmonies, to intense, energetic, sinister guitars. Mixing post-rock, emo and tinges of folk. Includes the singles '27', '57' and 'Justboy'.

Customer Reviews

Better Than A Paris Match Burger
I have to admit to waiting a couple of months before buying blackened sky but when I did was more than happy with what I heard. Biffy gave us an album we can jump up and down to and sing along to at the same time something which is sadly missing with alot of todays bands especially those that are "closer" to home. keep up the good tunes guys and the hospitality.

Blackened Sky
I only came across Biffy Clyro after Puzzle was released and I loved that album so much I decided to explore the preceding albums. Blackened Sky is the debut, released on a minor label back in 2002. Out of the three albums prior to Puzzle, this is the album that has most in common with Biffy's current effort. But that doesn't mean it shares the same sound entirely. It has some very tender songs on here that are certainly worth listening and Biffy should be credited for not sticking to the same tried and tested formula - the variety between songs and albums is pretty huge. I love the tender songs on here, the best being "Joy.Discovery.Invention" and "Christopher's River", which are both truly excellent tracks (the latter being especially beautiful). I also quite like "27" and "Justboy" which are both very good.

However, the early Biffy liked to unleash a barrage of screams onto the listener which I hate. A lot of old Biffy fans seem to like this sound and dislike Puzzle, whereas I fall into the opposite camp. So my advice to other customers who are buying into the Biffy back catalogue on the strength of Puzzle alone, don't expect the same sound or anything anywhere near as accessible as Puzzle. Blackened Sky is easily the best of the rest after Puzzle and is far more accessible than The Vertigo of Bliss and Infinity Land but I can't hide the fact that I simply don't like the fits of screaming on this and the other two albums before Puzzle. To be fair, it's not so noticable on this album but you will certainly notice it on the other two. And just so you know I come from a rock background and have listened to plenty of heavy music in the past - Metallica, Megadeth, Seether, NIN, Disturbed - so I know heavy but I draw the line at mindless screaming and messy guitars. It's a shame because Biffy are talented and the promise was most certainly there in some of the early work. This comment may not sit well with old Biffy fans but I hope the band stick to sound of Puzzle because it works so much better for them.

And I bet because of this, a lot of these people will unfairly click the unhelpful button. Well this isn't a review for old Biffy fans - I'm just trying to present some advice to newcomers of Biffy like myself. Blackened Sky is the best Biffy album to try after Puzzle but exercise caution with the other two until you know what to expect.

modern overlooked classic
I don't hand out 5 stars without a damn fine reason, and what a reason this is!
This album is quite simply one of the best I've heard so far this millenium. Its influences are kind of obvious - Nirvana, Pixies etc but it crafts them into a completely awesome sonic brew.
Biffy's command of song dynamics are masterful as is their ability to alter time signatures and tempos without it sounding in the slightest bit strange. Everybody knows the quiet-loud dynamic back to front but nobody does it like Biffy. One minute they sound like coldplay (but with more balls) and the next the guitars crash in over such emotive and raw vocals like a runaway juggernaut. If the hairs on your arms don't stand up on hearing the howl of 'I still feel the pain in my heart' (sounds cliched I know but it's all in the delivery) over crashing guitars on track '27', then you shouldn't be listening to rock music.
Quite simply if you don't own this album and you love powerful rock music, then you are seriously missing out. If you do then like me you probably fallen in love completely. All hail the mighty mighty Biffy Clyro!!!!!!