Blackout (Hed PE album)

Jared Gomes later reflected unfavorably on the album's production, claiming that the label was trying to achieve commercial success by forcing a nu metal sound.[7] Gomes stated in 2011, "all my decisions were being overlooked by the record company I was under when producing it… causing me to hold back on things, change song structures and all other kinds of shit in order to try and get into the radio friendly scene to fit in with the nu-metal movement… and as I complied I grew to dislike what I was becoming."[7] Eventually, Gomes said, he would try to make the band's next album, Only in Amerika as uncommercial as possible, to provoke people lyrically as a backlash against the more commercial sound of Blackout.[7]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Melodic.net	[2]

Allmusic's Johnny Loftus wrote that "While it expands on melodic elements that had previously played a supporting role in the band's sound, Blackout also delivers truckloads of crushing guitar and pounding rhythm. And whether or not it is the presence of a top-line producer, (hed) pe have figured out a way to imbue their aggressive mix of heavy rock and hip-hop with some serious hooks."[1]

Beatdust described the band as "becoming another Limp Bizkit clone" with Blackout and the previous album Broke, which were recorded to pay back the losses owed to the label to recoup the commercial failure of the band's 1997 self-titled debut album.[8] Jared Gomes has dismissed the album as "corporate junk".[9]