The Dropkick Murphys have the unique ability to blend musical styles together and create their own sound. Even on Do or Die, they showed they were more than aggressive punk rock. Though the band is a shadow of its original line up, they are making the best music yet. They have become the first band since the Pogues to fuse celtic sounds and punk and come up with their own sound. What began with Sing Loud, Sing Proud culiminates with Blackout. Opening up with Walk Away and Workers Song, the Dropkicks prove again that they can be as loud as they want to be. The Black Velvet Band is a brilliant rendition of an old song as is the Fields of Athenry( my personal favorite song on the album with the pipes and guitars on full blast and an irresistable chorus). They take Woody Guthrie's Gonna Be a Blackout Tonite and make it their own anthem to their town (think Never Alone off Do or Die). The most unique song on the album would have to be The Dirty Glass where Ken Casey and Al Barr square off against a female vocalist in a musical dialogue of a love story, it sounds surprisingly like Fairytale of New York by the Pogues. Bastards on Parade and Time to Go are raucous tunes that prove the bar is still alive and well in the Murphys. Kiss Me im S*i&faced is a fun tongue in cheek tune as well. Overall this album is a triumph all the tracks are strong, it is their best work and one of the best combinations of punk and celtic music since If I Should Fall From the Grace of God by the Pogues.

Many people seem to slate this album because it is seen as a departure from Do or Die. While that album was by for a more raw Oi!punk sound this album does have its merits.

DM give us the same Oi! chants, Irish heritage and lyrics about drinking that have made them popular. Track that stands out for me is "Fields of Athenry" Great to hear it rendered into an Oi! track (Wonder if the DM know it is a popular terrace song of Liverpool fans (all be it with the lyrics changed to "Fields of Anfield Road"))

Outside the Shankly Gates
I heard a Kopite calling
Shankly they have taken you away
But you left a great eleven
Before you went to heaven
Now it's glory round the Fields of Anfield Road.

All round the Fields of Anfield Road
Where once we watched the King Kenny play (and he could play)
We had Heighway on the wing
We had dreams and songs to sing
Of the glory round the Fields of Anfield Road

Outside the Paisley Gates
I heard a Kopite calling
Paisley they have taken you away
You led the great 11
Back in Rome in 77
And the Redmen they are still playing the same way
All round the Fields of Anfield Road
Where once we watched the King Kenny play (and he could play)
We had Heighway on the wing
We had dreams and songs to sing
Of the glory round the Fields of Anfield Road

The DM have often been compared to Cock Sparrar and Sham 69 and that would probably be a fair comparaison. Don't know why anyone would have a problem with the DM celebrating their Irish heritage this is a pretty good album.

Well worth a listen.

I would like to say that this is prolly one of their best cds. All these people are saying how it is a horrible cd and that its not the irish band we know and all that. Well this is cd is great for the reason that its the punk side of dropkick murphys with the little bit of irish here and there. You would only appreciate it if you were truely into punk. I also like that This is the true old dropkick murphys.

The album isn't actually bad. It doesn't have the spirit as the previous albums but it's worthy. It has a couple of Irish traditionals done to punk rock along with the title track of "Blackout" which was written by the Gutherie clan and given to Dropkick Murphys.

It has some good moments and bad moments, but it's not a weak effort. It just may not have that same appeal as past albums to older fans. The tracks "The Dirty Glass", "The Workers Song", and "Fields Of Athenry" along with their cover of "Black Velvet Band" make it energetic.

I agree with other reviewers that this album is definitely more commercial than DKM's other albums, but it's still one of my favorites. The songs are simpler, less Irish, and more of the sing-a-long variety with repetitive lyrics (Gonna Be a Blackout Tonight and This Is Your Life), but there's something about the album that just plain makes me feel good. If you're looking for something edgier, this isn't it, though, try "The Singles Collection."