BLACKLIST UNION
"Breakin Bread with the Devil"
(Blu Records; 2008)
Reviewed by R. Scott Bolton
I don't know what I expected when I popped in Blacklist Union's "Breakin Bread with the Devil," but the rich Hollywood 80s-ish metal I found there instantly stuck to my ribs. This CD had me hooked from track one.
Crisp, driving guitars. Irresistible melodies. Smooth, understandable vocals with just the right amount of attitude. "Breakin' Bread with the Devil" manages to take you back to an era of hard rock when Motley Crue and Guns N'Roses were kings but, at the same time, offers enough of a modern edge to sound shiny and new.
The machine gun riff of the title track starts things off with the appropriate energy and, for the most part, "Breakin Bread" stays strong throughout its ten tracks. The one exception might be "Come Inside," which sounds a little like filler. Those looking for the album's "ballad" would be better off going with "Sixty Five Steps Away" and its "Department of Youth" chorus.
I enjoyed "Breakin Bread with the Devil" enough that I'm going to dig up the band's previous effort, "After the Mourning," and give it another listen. This is one of those bands that I like more than I thought I did!
Blacklist Union: Tony West; Carmine D'Amico; Nicky Shad; Sean Davidson.
For more information, check out www.blacklistunion.com or www.myspace.com/blacklistunion.
"After
the Mourning" (Blu Records; 2006)
Reviewed by Snidermann
Blacklist Union is one talented rock'n'roll band. And I don't make that statement lightly. In fact, I've given their CD, "After the Mourning," numerous spins.
The music here is high quality rock'n'roll that is very well produced.
My favorite cut here is "After The Morning" (and yes the band uses two different spellings of the word Morning/Mourning).
Although I found several cuts to be just so-so and nothing really special, I truly enjoyed the rest of the CD. It's difficult to describe this band's sound so let's just leave it at that: I like most of it and that counts for something.
For more information, check out www.blacklistunion.com or www.myspace.com/blacklistunion.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright © 2008 by R. Scott Bolton. All rights reserved.
