{"id":17699,"date":"2014-10-29T11:47:05","date_gmt":"2014-10-29T11:47:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/album-review-the-blackout-wolves-ep\/"},"modified":"2018-03-17T15:06:37","modified_gmt":"2018-03-17T15:06:37","slug":"album-review-the-blackout-wolves-ep","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/album-review-the-blackout-wolves-ep\/","title":{"rendered":"Album Review: The Blackout – Wolves EP"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"image\"Merthyr Tydfil\u2019s finest The Blackout<\/strong> are back with new EP ‘Wolves’<\/em>, a short, sharp blast to remind us why, against all likelihood, they\u2019ve outlasted nearly all their peers and compatriots.<\/p>\n

Although the five piece haven\u2019t wavered one iota in changing their sound, given that this EP was fan funded, that was always highly unlikely. \u2018Wolves\u2019<\/em> is five tracks of The Blackout<\/strong>\u2019s vintage tried and tested screamo, pop-punk with a dash of hard-rock blend. While it might not be the band pushing themselves musically, it\u2019s hard to deny that the EP is riotously good fun.<\/p>\n

Opener and title track \u2018Wolves\u2019<\/em> positively resonates with the band\u2019s trademark swagger and snarling panache. Boisterous stop-star guitar chords give life and energy to the familiar hooky vocal exchanges we\u2019ve been hearing from frontmen Gavin Butler and Sean Smith for years. With this particular hook bordering on the infuriatingly catchy.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Things continue in a similar vein on \u2018Liars\u2019<\/em> although with the tempo noticeably increased with some prominent angular riffs and Smith\u2019s snarl given more room to let rip. Although, as with many of the band\u2019s songs, it\u2019s when the chorus drops and the power and presence of Butler\u2019s superb vocals take over that things really shine.<\/p>\n

\u2018Pieces\u2019 <\/em>proves to be by far the EP\u2019s standout track. Exploding into life with well nailed intricate guitar riffs and Smith showing his too often hidden clean vocal talents. The chorus then gets rather massive with some very impressive and hard hitting harmony work between Butler and Smith.<\/p>\n

Up next is \u2018Hold On\u2019<\/i>, a typical Blackout<\/b> fist pumping number, heavy bouncing guitars duel for attention with Smith doing a damned good job of trying to shred his vocal chords, before another back and forth vocal chorus.<\/p>\n

The EP finishes in a fiery, riotous fashion with \u2018Chains\u2019,<\/em> beginning with a storming breakdown that only occasionally relents to give Butler room to belt out another fantastic vocal performance that adds genuine scale and a touch of melody to the chaos.<\/p>\n

Overall a slightly predictable but emphatic and not unwelcome reminder of the good natured six man riot The Blackout<\/strong> can be when they let loose. \u2018Wolves\u2019<\/em> nicely fills the gap before their next album, but the boys from the valleys may want to push the boundaries a little more on the next full length or run the risk of sounding stale and unadventurous.<\/p>\n

3\/5<\/p>\n

‘Wolves’<\/em> by The Blackout<\/strong> is out now.<\/p>\n

The Blackout<\/strong> links:
\nFacebook<\/a>|Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n

Words by Dane Wright (@MrDaneWright<\/a>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Merthyr Tydfil\u2019s finest The Blackout are back with new EP ‘Wolves’, a short, sharp blast to remind us why, against all likelihood, they\u2019ve outlasted nearly all their peers and compatriots. Although the five piece haven\u2019t wavered one iota in changing their sound, given that this EP was fan funded, that was always highly unlikely. \u2018Wolves\u2019 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17700,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,8181],"tags":[5879,5866,3501,7954],"class_list":["post-17699","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-album-reviews","category-post","tag-album-reviews","tag-dane-wright","tag-the-blackout","tag-wolves-ep"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAlbum Review: The Blackout - Wolves EP - Already Heard Staging<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Merthyr Tydfil\u2019s finest The Blackout are back with new EP ‘Wolves’, a short, sharp blast to remind us why, against all likelihood, they\u2019ve\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Album Review: The Blackout - 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