Described as “the preserve of the foolish and the brave, the light at the end of the tunnel and the ball and chain that leaves reality inescapable”, The Blackout already have a lot to live up to just from a one-line summary of their third full studio release ‘Hope'.
‘Ambition is Critical’ opens with an air of familiarity. Having been released as a free download and becoming part of their live set, you get the itch to jump as the chorus drops following the gradual opening build up. From the off The Blackout have captured the energy they ooze in a live capacity and refuse to stop as they leap headfirst into ‘Never By Your Side’ – an anarchic combination of aggression and catchiness.
‘Higher and Higher’ is easily transferable between studio versions and live scenarios. In fact, it’s hard to listen to it after seeing it live without imagining everyone in the room screaming ‘Woo!’ along with you in the chorus. Admittedly, your dad jumping out of his chair, throwing his arms in the air and shouting ‘Woo!’ might be a little too much to expect, no matter how much you wish for it.
It’s not all bowl-you-over-make-you-want-to-jump songs throughout. The compulsory slower track slots are more than capably filled by ‘Hope (Scream it out Loud)’ and ‘The Last Goodbye’. With an air of calm twisted with their own sound, the band completely cut the screams and evoke the emotions in you that make you subconsciously sway with simple, clean vocals.
‘You’re Not Alone’ follows a similar suit. It’s less aggressive but definitely maintains that urge to bounce when you get into the chorus.
The band don’t fade their album out, they go out with a bang – a fantastic, melodic, catchy bang that could drain your energy and destroy your vocal chords in a live capacity.
A personal favourite – ‘The Devil Inside’ – kicks off with a heavy riff and screams that perfectly flaunt the band’s diversity and capability to team punch-you-in-the-face energy and more tranquil moments – the solo for one – together.
In the space of merely 40 minutes, The Blackout take you on a journey. It’s a journey that will test your vocal chords after a few trips as they seamlessly present songs that will stick in your head and cause you to toe tap or bob your head when jumping isn’t an option.
You can’t help but feel yourself be drawn into the album from the start. It’s the next step up from ‘The Best in Town’, flaunting yet more diversity and how much the band have grown in the past year or two. It’s an album that you can envisage in a live venue as you listen in many cases. It’ll be good to see some of these tracks getting that privilege.
They command your attention, pure and simple. Every year we see The Blackout grow and quite frankly, this album can only open doors to more growth.
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It’s not all bowl-you-over-make-you-want-to-jump songs throughout. The compulsory slower track slots are more than capably filled by ‘Hope (Scream it out Loud)’ and ‘The Last Goodbye’. With an air of calm twisted with their own sound, the band completely cut the screams and evoke the emotions in you that make you subconsciously sway with simple, clean vocals. 
