HEAVY MUSIC HISTORY: Start The Party – The Blackout

Start The Party is an unusual name for an album. It is an an eye-catching one. However, THE BLACKOUT clearly wanted to make an impact with their final release. And they do just that across eleven raging songs. In fact, it is a shame that they only released four albums, as the Welsh post-hardcore band were beloved in the early 2000s, despite being mostly supports for bigger bands such as PARAMORE. But all good things must come to an end. You might as well make a big song and dance about it, right?

That’s what THE BLACKOUT do. The band wanted to make a party album, and who was to stop them? Start The Party starts with the titular song, which is a fantastic and fun party anthem, even with its own cheerleader post-chorus spelling out party. It is a riotous start to a really fun album. There’s something for everyone here from the easy going rock of Radio to the metalcore Take Away The Misery. However, it is also tinged with some sadness, knowing that the band would split up in March 2015. However, that sadness does not translate into the record itself; it is just something that is felt when listening to the album in retrospect.

On the other hand, this album showcases the best of THE BLACKOUT since they burst onto the scene in 2007 with their debut, We Are The Dynamite. Whilst a lot of their best work is on Start The Party, it isn’t all perfect. Keep Singing falls fast into the cliché territory with a forgettable chorus and cheesy inspirational lyrics. It is a bit of a let down after the fantastic Take Away The Misery.

Start The Party received mixed to positive reviews upon its release in 2013. However, MusicOMH gave it 2/5 stars, and DeadPress! gave it 5/10 stars. On the more positive side, Rock Hard gave it a 7.5/10. Some of the reviews said that the band sounded lost. Whilst listening to the album, it can be easy to see why; the first half is concise, and the second half is a little confusing. After the brilliant single Runnin’ Scared, the album falls back into regurgitating the best of post-hardcore with an unnecessary acoustic song that is awkwardly placed in the tracklist. Admittedly, acoustic songs are hard to place, as they do have the issue of being a predictable ending to an album, or one that slows the pacing right down. For THE BLACKOUT, they have the latter issue.

Some fans might find this tonal shift a bit of a whiplash. Others would argue that the album is their last, and therefore they have to cover every part of what makes THE BLACKOUT great. That is a fair point; however, it does not make for a cohesive album, and it can be easy to get lost in the muddling music choices.

Despite that, there is no denying that the band embody the party spirit. The passion that is put into this album is fantastic. It is also very much a time capsule of the rock music scene in 2013, and it is fun to listen back to see how things have changed over the years. Back in 2013, there was a transition from the scene phase of the late 2000s to the emergence of pop-punk and other alternative music. Warped Tour was in its peak and the start of the 2010s were mostly showcasing some exciting and upcoming new talent, especially in the hardcore scene. Therefore, it is a shame that THE BLACKOUT broke up so soon into this era, as they could have taken the opportunity to become one of the defining members of the hardcore scene.

Despite the mixed reviews, Start The Party reached Number 35 on the UK Album Charts at the time of release. Furthermore, the title track reached Number 22 on the Rock and Metal Singles chart. And, whilst it gets a bit muddled in the middle, the album improves in its last two songs: the fun party-anthem Sleep When You’re Dead and the closing song, the uplifting Throw It All Away. These two songs are some of the highlights on the album, and showcase the best of what the band have to offer.

Start The Party is a mostly great album for a band who sadly never reached the potential they could have. The final album is hard to get right. On the one hand, musicians want it to be their magnum opus, and therefore create an insane amount of pressure to get it right. Thankfully, THE BLACKOUT got it right most of the time. Despite the second half of the album falling a little flat, there is no denying that the band did not put their all into one of the most definitive early 2010s albums, right on the cusp of a huge breakthrough for the hardcore scene. Start The Party might not have gotten the best reviews upon release, but when listening to it in hindsight, it is a hint of what was to come in terms of the music of the 2010s alternative scene. Whilst it is easy to dream up what could have been, it is an album that gives a party-filled send-off to a band that had a good run, but also knew when to call it time. They might have only released four albums in their band history, but THE BLACKOUT ended on a high note. 

However, the band have just reunited and are set to play Download Festival this year. Is it possible that this might mean a new album will be joining the ranks?

Start The Party was originally released on January 21st, 2013 via Cooking Vinyl.

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