Metal Mind Productions have once again re-released and re-packaged another unknown band from the '80's, this time Holland's Blackout with their one and only release, 1984's Evil Game. Blackout was, to be quite frank, nothing more than a terrible copy of Motorhead at their peak. They lack the furiousness, anger, songwriting and talent that Motorhead possessed (and still does) which leaves you with a garage band lifting classic Motorhead riffs and slowing them down trying to disguise them as their own.
To be honest with you, I too had never heard of this band before and judging by the horrid CD cover art, I had an idea of what was to come. Back in the '80's it was quite easy to tell by a band's cover art if they were going to be cool or not. Think of the first time that you saw Metallica's Kill 'em All cover or maybe Anthrax's Fistful of Metal. You knew that these records had potential by the cool cover art alone, right?! Well there was also the other side of the tracks with bad covers like the one on Blackout's Evil Game, and with song title's like, "Motorcycle Bitch", "Demon Eye Woman", "Ice Age Hunter" and "Screaming Metal" the music doesn't help out their cause. From the blatant chorus rip off of Motorhead's classic "Bomber" on "Demon Eye Woman" to "Ice Age Hunter" with it's Saxon "Power and the Glory" intro riff, these guys are just not very good. The production is terrible as is the individual playing of this quintet. It very literally sounds as though they borrowed someone's instruments and are trying to figure them out as they record.
This is one of those '80's Metal records that has no need to have been unearthed again. Blackout sound like a bad version of old Tygers of Pan Tang and Exciter (2 bands of which I happen to like quite a bit). Evil Game sounds horrifically outdated with songs that were obviously not even good in 1984. The more that you actually torture yourself to listen to this record the more songs that you can hear that they ripped off from other classic bands. Check out the verse of "Victims of the Night" with it's UNCANNY resemblance to Deep Purple's "Fireball". Ugh, do these guy's have an original thought at all? Yes and that sucks too!
God knows that I love '80's Metal, but this simply isn't a good representation of the glorious '80's. Just listen to the original Motorhead or Purple or Saxon, you'll be way better off. Blackout offer nothing on this CD and I guess that's why none of us have ever heard of them up to this point and also why they only made one record! But the digipack that Metal Mind came up with IS quite nice. Too bad the product contained within is so lame.
Track Listing
1. Motorcycle Bitch
2. Evil Game
3. Bleeding Moon
4. Demon Eye Woman
5. Screaming Metal
6. Black Out
7. Ice Age Hunter
8. Victim Of The Night
9. Doctor's Nightmare
10. Roadie
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