Release Date: 28 November 2025
Song Count: 11
Rating: 7.5/10
Description:
Well, wouldn't you look at that - if it isn't yours truly cheating once again by reviewing an "album" that is technically just a band's best-of compilation (albeit with some new songs added in) rather than a full-on album with eleven brand new tracks!
I will confess that Munich-based hard rock band Blackout Problems is a group that I have had a soft spot for for years now, having listened to some of their most well-known hits like "Rome", "How Should I Know?" and "GERMANY, GERMANY" countless times since I first discovered their music - likely partially the reason why they still made it onto an albumthon review in spite of this strange caveat with the circumstances of this compilation's release. But since we've already gotten this far already, I may as well go through with it all the way and give these guys the shout-out they deserve.
SONGS is a collection of 11 different songs highlighting the evolution the band has gone through with their music, every piece representing a different time, a different process and - assumedly - a different yet much cherished memory for the members of the band. Since their foundation almost 11 years ago, Blackout Problems, whilst always keeping their loud, hard and daring punk rock sound that simultaneously manages to stay mostly widely marketable and accessible, as well as their signature youthful and thick-accented vocals in every track, have switched around with the way they approach aspects like song structuring, lyricism and melodies over the course of their career, meaning there is plenty here to celebrate with some of the greatest and most hard-hitting songs they have ever released being combined together into one package.
Does this make the entire thing infallible and a masterpiece of a project worth all of the praise an album could possibly have? Well, as much as subrational attachment and the presence of legitimate immaculacy with some of the songs may seem like SONGS is pushing to that level, the truth is that representing the band's discography through time, one is practically bound to hit an "ugly stage" with even the most renowned artists and acts where the products of the time may not quite be up to standards, and so naturally, not every song chosen for this compilation is going to be nearly as memorable, powerful or up to the same level as the top contenders. While having an album or any form of collection of songs with only the best of the best is often an absolutely Herculean task, it does stick out a significant amount when a track ends up preceding one of the "best" ones and ends up comparatively falling flat - though this may just be a natural consequence of making a compilation album representing every timely chapter of one's discography.
If one may highlight this elusive top of the lineup, tracks like "FRONTROW", "QUICKER THAN DEATH", "Haul", and of course, the grand comeback of "Rome" would all find their spot in there from this fan's point of view. Each and one of these songs feels like a fresh new wind in the most positive way one can describe, whether that be through their sheer electric energy and catchy hook, or them experimenting with something else entirely and deviating from their usual style in some manner.
A brilliant band that has absolutely deserved the recognition they have received over the decade they've been musically active in, and a good compilation album featuring some must-listens for anyone interested in rock music, even if the entire album itself is overall just short of that standard.