Blackpool is a seaside resort town in the Northwest of Lancashire renowned for its annual lighting arrangements known locally as ‘Blackpool Illuminations’ or ‘The Blackpool Lights’, and it also is home to an amusement park and the famous ‘Blackpool Tower’. All this touristy crap aside, it’s also a bit grim at times given its location in the Northwest where the predominant weather is either shite or less shite. Grey skies, rain and the coastal winds help add to this grimness, and it is from this where the four-piece thrash outfit Blacklist come from and with it, bringing their second full length release “With Murderous Intent”, an homage to serial killers and monsters of the big screen. So get ready to slash with the thrash and just hope you survive.
I will hold my hands up and admit I am not a film-person. I know some of the classics and stand out movies, but I honestly lack the attention span for them, much preferring my viewing pleasure to be that which is video game related… Unless it is Predator, which is undisputedly the greatest film ever made. With this piece stated, I will try my best to point out the cinematic inspirations behind the songs if I can identify them, but in all honesty, I’ll probably be more focused on the thrash!
And this focus is honed right away with the opening effort of ‘Cannibal’. With riffs as sharp as a steak knife and as piercing as a fork, this tasty number boasts some masterfully crafted riffs which will have thrashers of all ages charging towards the nearest circle pit. With a very Exodus inspired attack, the riffs pull no punches, smashing hard against all in their path. Raspy screams, gang vocals and aggressive snarls ride the current of rapid riffing and relentless rhythm work and the ripping shred solo is nicely done, giving us an adrenaline loaded opening number. ‘Blood Baptisim’ has a huge rhythmic backbone with thundering drums. The guitar lead intro shifts to a wild and sustained assault of screams before more riffing is unleashed and this approach is sustained throughout the track, shifting where needed to have the biggest impact. It has a pretty ominous and sinister atmosphere which creates plenty of unease and it shows that you don’t always need lyrics to create atmospheric thrash, sometimes the music can speak for itself.
‘The Shape’ is the first track where I can readily identify the inspiration: “Halloween”. Opening with the quote from Dr. Loomis describing his first meeting with Michael Myers, it is much like its horror villain inspiration – a towering track which is uncompromising in all aspects. From the slow and atmospheric John Carpenter inspired arrangements to the brutal and uncompromising thrash attack, the dual vocal layers of shout and screams, laced with the atmospheric lead arrangements and quotes from the film, it is a fantastic track and one of the highlights of the album. ‘Nostromo’ takes its inspiration from the Alien franchise, with the title being the name of the ship which the first film takes place on. With the Xenomorph being one of the most iconic cinematic creations, this track pays tribute to it with lyrics talking about the ‘perfect lifeform’ and the events of the film. Hard hitting, atmospheric and intense, it is a fantastic follow up to the previous track and another big moment on this release.
‘Kill The Coroner’ is the first deviation in approach so far. With a haunting clean arpeggio-based opening which is subsequently joined by the raspy scream vocals and a deep bassline, the track eventually builds up into a slower paced, heavy stomper of a thrash attack. Heavy and hard hitting, it takes more inspirations from the blackened and extreme metal genres, giving it a unique edge, adding in the rawness and theatrical nature of some of these influences. ‘The Dismemberment Blade’ has a modern-era Slayer/Kerry King inspired edge to its sound. Plenty of big guitars and fast paced delivery, it hits hard but doesn’t quite match up to the feel of the previous three tracks.
Thankfully ‘Naturom Demonto’ follows this up. Thematically inspired by the Evil Dead films, opening up with one of Ash’s legendary quotes, this track inspired by the book bound in human flesh and the evils it unleashes brings things back to a promising level. With that modern take on the classic 80’s thrash attack, combined with one of the best film franchises ever created as inspiration is a perfect match. Balancing power, atmosphere and excellent thrash songwriting, it will have thrashers in the pit holding their arms high as if they were raising their boomstick in a salute and the follow up, ‘Lethal Infection’ keeps that classic thrash feel going with more headbanging riffs, massive sounding choruses and thick, chugging guitars.
Penultimate track ‘Never Sleep Again’ has an eerie opening sequence much like that of ‘Kill The Coroner’. Blending distorted build up leads with clean arpeggios and a slower pace, it has a more atmospheric impact, and this helps it have a good impression. With the shift into the thrash riffs, the track picks up the pace, and the blend of thrash with atmospheric grandiosity serves as a fitting backdrop to this chilling track (I want to say it is Nightmare on Elm Street inspired given the title but cannot say for certain!). The titular track closes the album, and it is an out and out thrash attack. Breakneck paced riffs surging forwards with intensity and aggression will have seas of bodies moving in a crowd, creating some chaotic pits in its wake, and some of the classic thrash themed riff sections add that extra edge to what is already an excellent delivery of bay area inspired bedlam.
In all, Blacklist have delivered a great thrash album. There are a few moments where I was left scratching my head when trying to appreciate how the approach taken worked, but on the whole this is a great album with a pretty good thematic inspiration which has helped the band expand beyond the typical borders of thrash and thrash-adjacent genre approaches, resulting in some compositional ideas and approaches which make you sit there and nod in approval at how they have been put together or have come across as a finished product. From classic thrash riffs to darker and more extreme approaches, serial killers, unimaginable monsters and the almighty boomstick, ‘With Murderous Intent’ is a killer album!
(8/10 Fraggle)
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