Featuring 11 new tracks of non-stop, high-energy, full-monty, balls-to-wall rock anthems, the latest creative splatter from Merthyr Tidfil's brightest stars is the explosion of energy and unbridled enjoyment we've all been seeking.'Music can be a great form of escapism and we tried to fully encapsulate that with this record,' says vocalist Gavin Butler. 'There's a lot of bands out there at the moment that do deal with this depression and the sh*t state of the world, but that's just not us. We wanted to write about enjoying yourself and not worrying about things. Take a half hour out of your life, switch off and hear something fun!' Originally formed in South Wales in 2003, The Blackout have gone on to shift 56,000 copies of their three full-length albums, sold-out tours across the country (including not one - but two - stints on the prestigious Kerrang! Tour Sponsored By Relentless Energy Drink) and have shared stage space with everyone from My Chemical Romance to Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, All Time Low and Lostprophets. Their followers - including the dedicated fan club the Riot Squad - have grown year on year, seeing The Blackout's online presence now reaching to well over 100,000 people and racking up over one million video plays. Their last album - 2011's Hope (charting at 27) - was indeed partly funded by their fans through the Pledge system - and now after 12 months in the making, the six rowdy Welsh rockers have their fourth opus ready to roll! www.theblackout.net / www.cookingvinyl.com