Black Out the Sun marks the band's first album in almost three years. After concluding touring in support of their eighth album, Cold Day Memory, many of the members spent 2012 working on side projects, with guitarist Clint Lowery and drummer Morgan Rose forming Call Me No One and releasing Last Parade. Concurrently, guitarist John Connolly and bassist Vinnie Hornsby formed Projected and released Human. By the end of the year, the members reunited and began collective work on Black Out the Sun.
Writing and recording
Rose stated that the band took the same approach to the album as he and Lowery had with making Last Parade, stating:
"For that album we went in with very little material, and it was really exciting and we had a good time doing it...It was fresh. We didn't over think stuff too much. So we kinda sold the rest of the guys on trying to do it that way. We were maybe a little apprehensive going in, but it worked exactly the way we had hoped. We didn't have any songs, but everybody grabbed their station and kind of picked up whatever needed help or work, and we were able to bang out it with nothing but riffs. It was really from the cuff..."
The exception to this was the band's first single, "Decay", which had a riff that originated from the Cold Day Memory sessions, but the band had waited to finish it for Black Out the Sun, in fear they were too burned out to do it justice originally. The album was recorded at Architekt Music Studios in Butler, New Jersey. Witherspoon stated that the album's title was chosen due a dream of his, stating, "In the dream, the sun was going away and I was just looking for safety before it happened and not necessarily knowing what would when it blacked out but just knowing that something was scary. I guess it just seems more like the feeling of the unknown."
Sound
Connolly described the album's sound as having "a darker vibe", with "still plenty of melody", comparing it more to the band's earlier albums Animosity, Alpha and Sevendust and that it "is almost like a greatest-hits record of songs you've never heard before." Lowery described the album's sound as "spontaneous" and said that it "has the spirit of our older records, but it's evolved as well".
Critical reception
The album received critical acclaim on release. Artist Direct gave a positive review, saying "it's like they've transmuted the ferocity of their classic self-titled debut, Home, and Animosity into the sharp, succinct songwriting sensibility of Cold Day Memory." Similarly Allmusic stated that "Black Out The Sun is such a solidly constructed album that it's hard to fault these guys for doing what they do best and giving the people the kind of skull-crushing hard rock that they're asking for." IMDb also reviewed the album, stating, "While the tone of the material on this album is a bit darker and more ominous, it's still every bit as much a Sevendust project; a few elements here began life in another form during Cold Day Memory's songwriting sessions, but as a whole the tense, urgent vibe here falls more in line with their groundbreaking 2001 release Animosity." Larry Petro from KNAC gave the album 5 out of 5, stating, "I absolutely love it when a band puts out an album that is great from start to finish, with no urge to skip a track, and that's exactly what Sevendust has done with Black Out The Sun." The Aquarian Weekly reviewer praised the album, saying, "This album shows the group remains dedicated to their craft, excited about making new music and eager to embrace the risks that go with it. And that's the kind of thing that will keep the fans excited for a good while longer." Dusty Peters from UnRated Magazine wrote, "Black Out the Sun is one of the most complete metal albums that has been released in quite some time. A fan or not of Sevendust, after listening to Black Out the Sun, you will truly experience the love that the band has for music and themselves. With over 16 years together and 9 recorded albums to their name, Sevendust has completed their musical journey to the top with Black Out the Sun."
Commercial performance
The album debuted at No. 18 on the Billboard 200, and No. 5 on the Top Rock Albums chart, selling around 27,000 copies in its first week of release.
