This is an 18 minute whirlwind of an MCD from The Blackout Argument and is being sold singly and as a twin release with their previous one "Munich Angst". After a heavy intro "Cast a Cold Eye" lasting nearly two minutes, you'd think you were going to get something sludgy from their fellow Germans Disbelief, not a piece of melodic hardcore. In spite of this, there is a smooth transition into �Matchless�, a brutal but well shaped song. The music is not as multi-layered as say, Killswitch Engage, with whom The Blackout Argument could be compared on this showing, but there�s loads of energy and drive, helped along by a singer who can capture the mood of violence and �bittersweet� (to use the publicist�s word) singing equally competently. I find that with hardcore, its downfall can be the isolated tunelessness of the singing, especially in clean mode, but not here. Musically, the five songs, leaving out the opener, had a distinctly punk feel about them. On the lyrical front, the album is, we�re told, about making decisions and just having to deal with the consequences. To help us understand this, the notes and quotes which accompany the cd are heavy depressive and emotional stuff and at odds with the breakneck music. This was over before I�d been able to get through the verbosity of the sleeve notes, but I did appreciate the fact that for once the artwork hadn�t made them illegible with some obscure font, a logo or a pink on grey background. Thanks for that, chaps.This won't go down as the most subtle offering of the year, such is the frenetic pace of it. I was disappointed when it came to an end and put it straight back on for another listen. I look forward to hearing more in the future of this obviously talented band.