If ever there was a band to divide opinion on Punktastic, it’s THE BLACKOUT. When they first emerged a good five years or so ago, some wrote them off as just another generic post-hardcore band with unnecessary shouty bits, while others saw them as the best of the new breed. Either way, since 07’s ‘We Are The Dynamite’, the band have progressed immeasurably, shuffling loose the shackles of preconception with 09’s anthem-stuffed ‘The Best In Town‘ which saw the band finding their comfort zone in a lack of subtlety and massive, hook-laden tuneage. So where does ‘Hope’ leave the Welsh sextet?
Well, it’s very much business as usual, only more… refined. While it’s lacking in arrogance as far as the title’s concerned, ‘Hope’ is very much still full of sizeable riffery and vocal pomposity that’s made them the band that are so easy to love to hate. This isn’t a record that’s going to dramatically shift opinions of The Blackout on an individual level, but it’s one that sees them take everything they’ve learned from albums one and two and wrap it all up in a fun-filled 40 minute package.
Where ‘The Best In Town‘ was a collection of individual radio-hits-in-waiting, ‘Hope’ works much more fluidly as an album. That’s not to say the hits aren’t here, they are – ‘This Is Our Time’ is a supercharged, furious little number with a call-and-response chorus to die for, while the two lead singles have already proved their worth – but overall, it’s a record that needs to be soaked up in its entirety. ‘You’re Not Alone’ and ‘The Last Goodbye‘ are the token ballads of the party, which are a tad forgettable when played individually, but when put in context provide a welcome and gentle breather to the listener. ‘Hope’ feels like it’s been thought out and planned properly and to use an unavoidable cliché – this is the sound of a band maturing.
In short, if you didn’t like The Blackout before, chances are this isn’t going to do a huge amount to rectify that. There is no dramatic change of direction here (aside from Hyro Da Hero‘s verse in ‘Higher & Higher’, this is all instantly recognisable as The Blackout) and they aren’t redefining a genre. What ‘Hope’ is, however, is a solid and accomplished record that will sit well with the casual fans as much as it will with the die-hards.
ANDY RITCHIE