'Wolves' by The Blackout

In my opinion, 'The Best In Town' by The Blackout is one of the best albums of all time. If I had to choose my top five favourite albums, it would most definitely be in it and because of that I have been disappointed by their last two albums, 'Hope' and 'Start The Party'. When they announced the Kickstarter for 'Wolves' there wasn't a question in my mind that I was going to help fund it, because any new The Blackout music is better than none, even if it doesn't fit into my particular liking. 

But now, The Blackout are back.

'Wolves' is a return to form the likes of which I've been waiting for for a long time. Just under nineteen minutes, it's a tour de force showcasing a combination of their best moments across the years. It couldn't possibly be any better than it is.

Opening with the title track, 'Wolves', which was released back in September (and now has a stunning music video, which you should check out), my only complaint about this song is the effect on the vocals throughout the verses. When a band has a vocalist like Gavin Butler, no effects are needed; his voice is absolutely amazing by itself and it would be much better if he was allowed to shine. However, even with that complaint, it's still one of the best songs The Blackout have written and released in recent years. 

'Liars' is my personal favourite track on the album, as it seems the one that is most likely to be able to fit on 'The Best In Town'. Sean Smith's screaming is one of the focal points and I can imagine in a live environment this would get an amazingly good reaction. The repeated "Take me to the hospital" is reminiscent of the end of 'Higher and Higher' and the frantic repetition is one of the things The Blackout do best. 

Third up, 'Pieces', the song that sounds most like it could fit onto 'Hope'. The "woah-oh" sections also point towards working well in a live environment, but as a whole the entire EP could fit well into their setlist. With their upcoming November tour (featuring support from When We Were Wolves and Yashin) rapidly approaching, I hope that you all get tickets, as I'm sure it'll be an improvement on a setlist that was already completely amazing. You can't beat The Blackout's live performance, so if you're on the fence about going along you must do it. 

The start of 'Hold On' is like a kick in the teeth with how heavy it is and the chorus is one of the catchiest things I've heard in a few months, while finale track 'Chains' is atmospheric and beautiful in a way The Blackout have never attempted before. If you've never listened to this band before, this is the perfect gateway, as it blends all of the aspects they've ever succeeded with in the past in an absolutely genius way, while still sounding unique and original. Similarly, if you're already a fan of The Blackout and you haven't yet heard this album, that's a massive mistake. 

The only major problem with this EP is that it's so damn short! Despite the fact that it's only just been released, I'm already getting excited to see where the band go next. They've gone back to their roots, they've gone back to what they do best - it can only get better from here.

Tracklist:
Wolves
Liars
Pieces
Hold On
Chains