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

Vial

Hellhound
Trout Hole Records (2026)

I was really into the last Vial record, a quick burst of peppy and pointed brat punk. The early singles off Hellhound lean way more grunge, so I was curious how the band had developed in the past couple of years. And while my very first impressions of "Infected" and "Scorpio Moon" had me thinking of L7 and Nirvana, by … Read more

Mauled

When Your Eyes Are Shut
Silverback Gorilla Records (2026)

Deathcore has spent the last decade mutating into increasingly technical, polished, and theatrical territory. Some bands chase symphonic grandeur. Others lean into hyper-technical brutality. The Indianapolis wrecking crew named Mauled take a different approach on When Your Eyes Are Shut. They drag the genre back toward the raw chaos of its early years. This six track EP feels deliberately rooted … Read more

DMZ

The Lost Studio Sessions-1978
Crypt Records (2026)

The Lost Studio Sessions 1978 finally sets the record straight. This is the raw, ugly power the band’s debut never touched. For years, the DMZ legacy has been misunderstood because of that Sire LP. Look, it was the first record of theirs I ever heard and I still love it—but Flo & Eddie’s production smoothed over everything that made them … Read more