THE BLACKOUT ARGUMENT have released a limited 7inch version of their fabulous "Smile Like A Wolf" EP. it contains 3 songs of the download ep and one exclusive bonus track. read the band's statement:
"To not bore you to death with the usual 'we are so happy that label X has released our release Z"-chatter I will cut this short: Niko / Blacktop is one hell of a cool guy and when the idea came up to release a limited 7inch of "Smile Like A Wolf" there was only one option for us, Blacktop Records." We know that some of you kids might have problems with the new Blacktop catalog. A lot of Niko's latest signings do not really reflect what's commonly understood under the term 'hardcore' but take a second now and listen up: who gives a fuck?! Niko is doing an amazing job with Blacktop since day one and broadening his roster with bands that might not be as 'crucial' as some of his previous signings is daring but at the same time it deserves to be supported. So take the thumb out of your ass and check out some new bands that do/did not split after the first demo and 7inch."

And here's what Niko / Blacktop has to say about the cooperation:
"Everyone who claims to know me has realized that I to sign whatever band I like, no matter if the kids think it does or does not fit in the Blacktop roster. And here we go once again: I loved The Blackout Argument since the day Chris gave me their first EP. I’ve seen them live, shared stages with them and worked with Chris’ label Let It Burn Records and it has always been a pleasure. I like professionalism, I like well-organized and dedicated bands & people and I like the so called 'Modern Hardcore'. Confront The Blackout Argument with whatever stereotype prejudice you like, it's a hardcore band, so get your hand on this release and be enlightened."

Read here what Martin SG has to say:

"yo
some may already have heard the news:

solid ground decided to call it a day. nothing really bad happend. it
is just that over the last 1 or 2 years, it was getting harder and harder to keep the band going on a level that we wanted to. due to job responsibilities, among other duties, we couldn't dedicate as much time to the band as we wanted to.

however we feel that there is also no reason whatsoever to stop the band right here and now. we are still going to play the bunch of shows this summer that are already booked, plus we want to finish this band in an appropriatebway. so we are going to do one last european tour in october. which by the way is being book by our friends at avocado bookings as i write this.

we always felt that playing shows is one of the most important and
fun things with solid ground. so everyone out there that wants to see us one last time, make sure to come out to those last few shows and have fun!
check our website for dates and venues. we definitely will give a 120 % for each and every show - just as we always did.

after our european tour we will play one official last show here in
switzerland, which will be announced later on.
the madness is not over yet !
if all goes well, we are even going to record the last four songs that we just wrote. we are very proud of these tunes and, like every band, we think our latest stuff is our best! :-) so we feel it would be a shame if those songs would never see the light of day.

and in case you don't know or i forgot to mention ... the guys in
CHEAP THRILLS rule big time!!! check out these boys if you haven't yet."

The Blackout Argument are going to hit the road in August together with one hell of a crazy band from the UK called ARCHITECTS (Century Media), supporting "Smile Like A Wolf". Make sure you catch them at one of their shows...

The free online ep by The Blackout Argument is now free for download at WWW.SMILELIKEAWOLF.COM. Go get it!

we are excited about releasing our first non-physical sound carrier. It's gonna an online EP by Germany's most promising underground act THE BLACKOUT ARGUMENT (Courtesy of LIFEFORCE RECORDS). The 5-song EP is entitled "Smile Like A Wolf" and will be FREE for download at WWW.SMILELIKEAWOLF.COM from June 1, 2008.
"Smile Like A Wolf" are the band's first recordings with their new vocalist Raphael Schmid. THE BLACKOUT ARGUMENT are going to release their next regular album in January 2009 on LIFEFORCE RECORDS.

HERE'S THE BAND'S STATEMENT:
"Dear lovers & fighters,
In times when the music industry is stumbling across its own feet, it is time to break new ground. As a band you have 2 choices, you either play the game by the old rules hoping you're one of the few at the mercy of the old marketing and promotion strategies. Or you can trailblaze your own pathway through the ever-changing music business jungle.
Sounds a lot like biz-talk, but in the end it's all about you, the fan, the listener, the fuel that keeps The Blackout Argument running. We have toured with Boy Sets Fire, Parkway Drive, This is Hell, just to name a few, played shows all over Europe, we have various releases out on great independent labels, a ongoing record deal with Lifeforce Records, got massive press attention all over the place, worked with some of the most renowned designers and have a long list of partners and supporters. Yet still, this is all about you. It's you who we are trying to reach with our message and music.
To go the most direct way without detour to your hearts and ears we decided to release a FREE DOWNLOAD EP in June 2008. It's titled "Smile Like A Wolf" and contains 5 brand new and exclusive songs, by the way the first recordings with Roughael, our new singer. No fees, no email-registration, no myspace friend requests requiery or any other bullshit. Just go to www.smilelikeawolf.com and download the songs for free alongside a complete cd artwork and lyrics.
We put at least as much effort in "Smile Like A Wolf" as in any other release we put out so far. We spent hours and hours at the practice place, later on in the studio, forced our most drastic life experiences into lyrics, got Dave Quiggle (Rise And Fall, Sick of it All, Atreyu, War of Ages, etc.) to do the artwork and Milchglas Media to do the web development, to make sure "Smile Like A Wolf" is gonna fully satisfy us and you. This is our hearts and our lives, this is what we love to do and this is what we want to share with you, the fan, the listener, the fuel that keeps us running.
Chris, Sascha, Phil, Roughael, Chris
(a.k.a. THE BLACKOUT ARGUMENT)"