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www.ROCKEYEZ says, ".. a killer debut that reaches out to music fans, has to be added to your collection..."

Brian Rademacher ..www.ROCKEYEZ.com
Rating: 4.5 stars/5

Children of the night awaken and its "6AM" the opening track for this amazing band from Chicago, a blend of rock and alternative that smacks you between the eyes. I love these boys as they push the limits with hooks and melody above simplistic typical alternative sound. They're young yet they seem to have the perfect balance between rock and alternative for success. The music is driving and hits hard and enjoyable to listen to. BLACKTOP MOURNING is produced by Adam Duritz (COUNTING CROWS), Max Steger and David Immergluck, with Duritz adding background vocals on four of the tracks. There is a multitude of great tunes but one of harder hitters is "My Only Heart" it has aggressive guitar by Max Steger (guitars, songwriter and producer) and with the vocal pipes of Joe Levand who drives this track home it could reach out to the metal crowd. "These Times Call" returns to the more AOR style and if these boys had the same gimmick of MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE they would put The ROMANCE on a back burner. There are not just a few good songs on "No Regrets" this is a CD you can listen to from start to finish without skipping tracks. You can hear the influence of Adam Duritz of the COUNTING CROWS on this phenomenal ballad "Hardly Recognize", and shows the versatility BLACKTOP MOURNING possesses. Listening to the last track you would figure that there should be at least one filler track, not here. "As Time Crawls By" is still slamming just as good as the first track. This is a killer debut that reaches out to music fans, has to be added to your collection. And you think these guys are just another pop band check the licks on this track by STEGER…. Who's your daddy….Get it!!!

ABSOLUTE PUNK.NET SAYS......ABOUT "NO REGRET"
Blacktop Mourning - No Regret Posted on 05-09-07 by FallonRules
Producers: Max Steger, Adam Duritz and David Immergluck
Release Date: May 15, 2007

Seems like lately, bands that were once huge adult-alternative radio fixtures are being hailed as "scene icons". From the resurgence of Third Eye Blind and the utmost praise for Goo Goo Dolls, those guys you see on late-night compilation commercials are now labeled as inspiration for today's big bands. Most recently, Counting Crows' frontman Adam Duritz has been getting loads of praise from artists like Dashboard Confessional (who featured him on their last album), and now with his recent new-found success in the music world, he has just started up his own record label. Called Tyrannosaurus Records (T-Recs, get it?), Duritz's first signing was Chicago's Blacktop Mourning, which gained a lot of notoriety on MySpace and earned themselves a contract with MTV to feature music on their programs, all before they were even signed. Now after only a couple months from being signed, the young pop-punk band is preparing to release their terrific debut, No Regret, which is a perfect title for such an album, full of edgy pop hooks and powerful emotion. The band - consisting of 18-year old guitar prodigy Max Steger (who also co-produces the disc), is destined to be one of this year's next big breakthrough acts. They have a sound that is familiar to fans of bands like Fall Out Boy (circa 2003), Yellowcard and The Academy Is..., and with Duritz's seal of approval, they are likely to take off about as quickly as they came in. Beginning with the piano-led introductory track, "6AM," the album shifts into what it predominately exceeds at, pure energetic, hard-egded pop-punk. "Halfway To Midnight" is about finding redemption, and uses layered vocals by Levand to convey somebody arguing with themselves, while reeling in the listener with distorted guitars and fast-paced choruses. The anthemic "Future's Gone" blends acoustic rhythm with bombastic guitars, while "Don't Defend" goes for an old-school pop-punk feel in its choruses, while using lots of piano and acoustic guitars (matched by Steger's endless distortion guitar). "My Only Heart" is a darker, moodier and all-around heavier number (and one of the album's finest tracks) where Steger battles back and forth with each other, with guitar hero Max breaking into a nifty blues-inspired rock solo. From there, we are led into the soaring and upbeat "These Times Call," where Levand goes from crooner to bitter middle-finger saluter. It's the album's most pop-punk inspired number as a whole, and like all their songs, doesn't use traditional verse-chorus-verse methods to reach a quick result; the band takes their time to get to the core of their songs (most songs are over the four-minute mark), which make them stand out from their peers. "Your First Crime" is another anthemic blast, full of breezy musicianship and power chords to make your hair stand on end. "Hardly Recognize" is a slow-moving ballad (the lone one on the album) thats displays a sincere pallet of feeling and accompanied by Duritz's vocals (he lends his distinctive chops to three other songs, as well), makes it one of the album's most moving cuts, despite the Richard Marx-like cheesy guitar solo sandwiched in the middle. The sounds of deep, chest-thumping drums and indie-rock guitar make the skeleton for the energetic "Another Day," which is then followed by the first-class and moody "Buried My Eyes," which doesn't stand out particularly, but is still catchy enough. The album closes with the 6 minute 41 second epic "As Time Crawls By," which is mostly used to showcase the musical talents of this young band (especially the extraordinary skills of eclectic guitarist Steger), as Levand has taken the album to display his impressive vocal abilities. With all the production dones very well by Duritz and producing partner David Immergluck (along with the band's Max Steger), these newcomers sound like refined pros, and there is no doubt that they will be one of the year's most buzzed about bands. The musicianship is tight and clean, with pop-pun hooks backed by blues-inspired riffage, the lyrics stay away from typical pop-punk cliches and they bring atmosphere to each song, changing the personality of each tune presented. And standing at 45 minutes long, the 11 tracks that make up the disc are neither less or more - they fit the length just right. Easily one of 2007's best releases, for fans of pop-punk with flair and edge attached, look no further than Blacktop Mourning - you'll have no regrets after hearing these young talents. And be sure to thank Adam Duritz for one more item of praise after you're done.
________________________________________________________________ NEW!! NEW!! NEW!!
ALL MUSIC GUIDE REVIEW
of Blacktop Mourning's “NO REGRET”
This is the inaugural release from a new label founded by Counting Crows frontman Adam Duritz, and it features a band that he discovered on MySpace. Blacktop Mourning is led by guitarist and songwriter Max Steger, who is something of a guitar prodigy and started his career playing in Chicago blues clubs at age twelve and was eighteen when this album was released. Interestingly, you'll hear precious little blues influence on “No Regret”; instead, Blacktop Mourning have managed to harness the noisiness of post-hardcore emo and wrestled it into a pure pop sound that features plenty of tight, razor-edged guitars and chugging metal riffs but always seems to have its heart in soaring melodies and multi-layered harmonies. Imagine if the Rocket Summer had been raised on Spitalfield and Promise Ring, and you'll have some idea what to expect. The album's opening track,"6 AM", is also its most perfect, a three-minute anthem that could be used as liturgical music in the Church of Power Pop. "Don't Defend" features both a solid wall of buzz-saw guitars and handclaps on the chorus, and unless I'm very much mistaken I think there may actually be a string section on "Your First Crime". And "Hardly Recognize" is a ballad that is simply drenched in sumptuous harmony. This is one of the most exciting debut albums by a rock band in years. - [ALLMUSICGUIDE at ALLMUSIC.com]